To Be Human is a promotional single by Marina Diamandis, released under her current stage name 'MARINA'. Appearing on her fourth studio album, LOVE + FEAR, it is the 7th track on the album and though released as promotional single on Spotify, it is no longer available.
The song was written by Marina alone, and produced by Joel Little.
To Be Human is a 'LOVE' track.
Background[]
In September 2018, lyrics from the first verse were included in Marina's Heals Space exhibition.[1]
On March 27, 2019, Marina posted a short clip of the song to Instagram.[2] She posted a second snippet the next day containing lyrics from the chorus. [3]
On April 4, To Be Human was released digitally with the other LOVE tracks. Marina explained why on social media:[4]
❝ I created 'LOVE + FEAR' as 2 separate records to be listened to individually. I'm releasing 'LOVE' today so you can listen to it in full before we move onto 'FEAR'. Enjoy it here! ❞
Additionally sharing a quote from Elisabeth Kübler-Ross:[5]
❝ 'There are only two emotions: Love and fear. All positive emotions come from love, all negative emotions from fear. We cannot feel these two emotions together, at exactly the same time. They're opposites' - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross ❞
On the 7th, Marina posted a selfie with the caption: "I like to think about how we all look from afar."[6] The next day, on the 8th, To Be Human was released as a promotional single on Spotify, and the music video premiered. On the 26th, when LOVE + FEAR was released in full, the "LOVE" portion was no longer available to stream separately, and the song was no longer available to stream outside of the album. At an unknown date, it was made available to stream again.[7]
On April 10, 2020, during a livestream on Bose's Instagram, Marina played an acoustic rendition of the song.[8]
Meaning[]
Marina has explained extensively the meaning of To be Human, and was interviewed by Genius on May 8th, 2019.
She tweeted a video:[9]
❝ [To Be Human] is probably the most important song on this record for me because thematically it sums up the head-space where I've come from in the past three years. I think the subject matter is really important, it talks about unity. I name check a lot of places all around the world, São Paulo, Verona, Angola, Chicago, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Greece. And I think when I was writing that what I was trying to do was create this picture of humanity because in our political climate we are constantly being made to see other people as 'other', like if you're from a different culture you are seen as different and potentially dangerous and I really hate that, I really think that's a sad way to see humanity. So, I wrote this song thinking about that and for that reason it really forms a core part of the record. ❞
In the album's description on Apple Music:[10]
❝ [To Be Human] is my favourite track on LOVE. It solved a big subject that I was trying to get my head around. Again, going back to that chapter where I didn't understand life, what I should be doing in it and what my purpose was anymore. And this song tool ages to write, actually. Like, four months between writing the verse and the chorus. I just didn't know what I was trying to say. I was just trying to paint a picture and show that we all very similar but we're living in a political time where we're actually being divided constantly, every day. I'm so pained by that. I think it's an awful way to look at humanity. ❞
And in the album, and music video's press release:[11] [12]
❝ Thematically, 'To Be Human' sums up the head space that I've come from in the past three years. [...] The subject matter is really important. I talk about unity, name checking a lot of places around the world to create this picture of humanity because in our current political climate we are constantly being made to see different people as 'other' and I hate that. ❞
Trivia[]
- Marina refers to the song as "Human".
Videos[]
| Video | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Title | To Be Human | |
| Premiere | 08 Apr 2019 | |
| Length | 4:05 | |
| Director | Anna Patarakina | |
| Editor | Thomas Gold | |
| Video | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Title | To Be Human (Genius Breakdown) | |
| Premiere | 08 May 2019 | |
| Length | 10:38 | |
Official Versions[]
| Version | Released on | Date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▶ | Album/Single [Inst.]
|
LOVE + FEAR | LOVE: 04 Apr 2019 | 4:06 |
| Demos | ||||
| [13] | Demo | N/A - Demo | Leaked: ~16 Mar 2021 | 4:34 |
Lyrics[]
Lyrical Differences[]
The final version of the song changes the demo lyric "Venezuela to Verona" to "São Paulo to Verona".
It also replaces the demo lyric "and if there is a God, he'll know why it's so hard" with "and if there is a God, they'll know why it's so hard".
[Verse 1]
The pagodas and the palaces dressed in gold leaf
Hide the damages
Spot the Geisha as she balances
Life's a cakewalk, full of challenges
Go to Russia, see the Red Square
Lenin's body lying dead there
From Kyoto, Hiroshima
Watch the black cloud crawling nearer
[Pre-Chorus]
There were riots in America
Just when things were getting better
All the things I've done and seen
Still, I don't what life means
[Chorus]
All the people living in, living in the world today
We're united by our love, we're united by our pain (Ooh)
All the things that I've done and seen
Still, I don't know, don't know what it means
[Verse 2]
Fly to Athens, pass the Parthenon
See the village where my father's from
To Chicago from Angola
São Paulo to Verona
[Pre-Chorus]
And anywhere you go, you'll see
People are just like you and me
All the things I've done and seen
Still, I don't what life means
[Chorus]
All the people living in, living in the world today
We're united by our love, we're united by our pain (Ooh)
All the things I've done and seen
Still, I don't know, don't know what it means
To be human
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Still, I don't know, don't know what it means
To be human, a real human being
[Bridge]
I like to think about how we all look from afar
People driving fancy cars look like beetles to the stars
The missiles and the bombs sound like symphonies gone wrong
And if there is a God, they'll know why it's so hard
[Chorus]
To be human
To be human
Still, I don't know, don't know what it means
To be human, a real human being
[Outro]
(To be human) I want connection, ooh
I want to feel human again
(To be human) Lost my direction, ooh
I want to feel human again
To be human, to be human
To be human, to be human
Credits[]
Personnel[]
- Vocals - Marina Diamandis
- Keyboards, percussion, synthesizer - Joel Little
Technical[]
- Writer - Marina Diamandis
- Engineer, producer, drum programmer - Joel Little
- Mixer - Geoff Swan
- Mix engineer assistant - Niko Batistini
- Mastering - Dave Kutch
Registration[]
At some point, To Be Human was re-registered under a separate ISWC number on BMI's repertoire. One version lists Joel Little as a co-writer, while one does not.[14][15]
References[]
- ↑ https://www.heals.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Marina_Diamandis_space-24-2100x1400-ec5f808d-f959-4a02-b810-9e55a061444e.jpg
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BvhrDYRBXmX/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvj-9QqhT8o/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/MarinaDiamandis/status/1113820307389919232
- ↑ https://twitter.com/MarinaDiamandis/status/1113820893887836160
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv94G0mhk55/
- ↑ https://open.spotify.com/album/4Rm0jYGkzILeJxt2uzMe09
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfrYHXqFTzg
- ↑ https://twitter.com/MarinaDiamandis/status/1114123614972981250
- ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/album/love-fear/1451645560
- ↑ http://press.atlanticrecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Marina-Love-Fear-Bio-2019.docx
- ↑ http://press.atlanticrecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Marina-To-Be-Human-Video-Release.docx
- ↑ https://dbree.org/s/to-be-human
- ↑ https://repertoire.bmi.com/DetailView.aspx?detail=titleid&keyid=30325241&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&blnAltTitles=True
- ↑ https://repertoire.bmi.com/DetailView.aspx?detail=titleid&keyid=29653894&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&blnAltTitles=True
 | |
|---|---|
| Tour ♢ Merch ♢ Photography ♢ Collaborators | |
| Discography | |
| Releases | LOVE + FEAR ♢ LOVE + FEAR (Acoustic) |
| Tracklist | Handmade Heaven ♢ Superstar ♢ Orange Trees ♢ Baby ♢ Enjoy Your Life ♢ True ♢ To Be Human ♢ End of the Earth ♢ Believe in Love ♢ Life Is Strange ♢ You ♢ Karma ♢ Emotional Machine ♢ Too Afraid ♢ No More Suckers ♢ Soft to Be Strong |
| Non-Album | |
| Pre-Break | Holiday ♢ Absent Love ♢ Cause I'm A Woman ♢ Cruel ♢ Doubt Your Love ♢ Worth It ♢ The Art of Letting Go ♢ There's Nothing Wrong With You |
| Post-Break | If It's Worth It ♢ Demons and Angels ♢ Please Don't Call Me ♢ Water Under the Bridge ♢ What I Wanna Do |
| Unleaked | Beautiful World ♢ Unknown Song ♢ Unknown Song (w/ Lizzo and James Flannigan) |
| Misc | If I Left The World ♢ About Love ♢ Etsi Einai I Zoi ♢ Only Want You ♢ With a Little Help from My Friends |
| Other Eras | |
| Mermaid vs. Sailor • The Family Jewels • Electra Heart • FROOT • LOVE + FEAR • Ancient Dreams • Sixth Studio Album (Upcoming) | |