Miike Snow is a Swedish band comprising Andrew Wyatt, Christian Karlsson, and Pontus Winnberg. Andrew is the lead singer for the trio, while the other two members make the songwriting and production duo, Bloodshy & Avant. The group’s music falls under various genres ranging from indie-pop to synthpop, indie-rock, and alternative dance.
The trio formed Miike Snow in 2007 in Sweden and has released three studio albums so far. Miike Snow, Happy to You, and iii are their albums released in 2009, 2012, and 2016, respectively. They self-produced all their music albums and later even became one of the founding members of the Swedish record label, Ingrid.
‘iii’ is their latest studio album of the group and falls under the genres of indie-pop and electropop. Released on 4th March 2016, the album received positive reviews from music critics. The album had ten tracks, four of which were released as promotional singles. The album scored the peak position of 7th spot on the US Top Rock Albums Charts and the highest position at the 47th place on the US Billboard 200 Charts.
Let’s dive into Genghis Khan lyrics meaning.
What Does the Title Mean?
Through Genghis Khan, the lead singer Andrew Wyatt talks about his past relationship. Despite not being in a committed relationship with the girl, he felt a heightened sense of jealousy and possessiveness over her. When learning Genghis Khan Lyrics Meaning, we see the singer compare himself to Genghis Khan for his territorial feelings for a girl.
Even the music video for the song follows the same theme and shows the protagonist portrayed as a villain who holds a spy agent captive. However, he falls in love with his prisoners and struggles with conflicting feelings. In the end, the protagonist releases the spy agent and marries him, living happily. However, the video ends with the protagonist’s ex-wife keeping an eye on him and repeating the lyrics, “I get a little bit, Genghis Khan. I don’t want you to get it on with nobody else but me.”
Verse 1 – What Does It Mean?
I know there’s no form
And no labels to put on
To this thing we keep
And dip into when we need
And I don’t have the right
To ask where you go at night
But the waves hit my head
To think someone’s in your bed
In the first verse, the singer shares the dynamics of his relationship with the listeners. He communicates there isn’t a label or stamp for their bond, where the singer & his love interest have occasional flings with no commitment of love or loyalty. He shares that while he understands the casualty of their relationship, he is struggling to accept it.
The singer then explains that they are not exclusive in their relationship and have the freedom to pursue relationships with other people. But every time he thinks about the girl with another guy, he has difficulty controlling his jealousy. He confesses that though he has no right to feel this way, he can’t seem to trample his irrationality and possessiveness for her.
What Does the Chorus Mean?
I get a little bit Genghis Khan
I don’t want you to get it on
With nobody else but me
With nobody else but me
I get a little bit Genghis Khan
Don’t want you to get it on
With nobody else but me
With nobody else but me
The chorus talks about Genghis Khan, the renowned Mongolian emperor by the same name. Genghis Khan is well-known for conquesting large parts of Europe and Asia, including modern-day China and Egypt. He was the founder of the Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous empire in history. Genghis Khan is often criticized for his brutally destructive and violent invasion plans, killing thousands of innocent people.
The singer shares that he starts to get a little obsessive, like Genghis Khan, every time he thinks about the girl he is seeing. He doesn’t want her to get involved with anyone but himself. The singer explained in an interview that it’s human nature to get possessive over things & people we like and hopes that listeners can relate to the feeling.
Verse 2 – What Does It Mean?
And the lights, they glow
Like I’ve just lost the World War
And the scene slips away
To the evenness I fake
It’s a shit old world
Cause I don’t really want you, girl
But you can’t be free
Cause I’m selfish, I’m obscene
When understanding Genghis Khan Lyrics Meaning, we see the singer’s frustration and anger in the second verse. He wanted to make the girl develop deeper feelings towards him, but when he realizes that it didn’t happen, he is angry at everyone around him. He feels as if he has lost the world war, and everyone is mocking him by celebrating his defeat.
In the following line, we see the singer confess the inequality and imbalance in the world. He admits that he doesn’t want a committed relationship with her but doesn’t want to end their current arrangement. The singer shares that the girl can’t be free, meaning she can’t see anyone because he is too selfish. However, he refuses to give the same commitment he expects from her, stating the world to be an obscene place.
What Does the Bridge Mean?
Ooh, I wanna make up my mind
But I don’t know myself
No I don’t know myself, me
Ooh, I wanna make up my mind
But I don’t know myself
No I don’t know myself, me
Ooh, I wanna make up my mind
But I don’t know myself
No I don’t know myself
The last part of Genghis Khan lyrics meaning is the bridge. The singer shares his feelings of conflict and indecisiveness. He shares that he wants to come to a firm decision regarding their relationship, to either put a label on it or let the girl go. However, he can’t arrive at any conclusion.
The singer gets his feelings for the girl tangled, and he seems to have lost his sanity and decision-making abilities. His mental dilemma is evident when the singer states that he doesn’t know himself. We see the singer opt for musical procrastination by repeating the same lines a few times, delaying his need to decide their future.
Conclusion
Genghis Khan is the third-listed track from the Swedish trio Miike Snow’s third studio album, iii. The song is collectively written by band members Andrew Wyatt, Christian Karlsson, and Pontus Winnberg, with the song producer Henrik Jonback. The electropop number came out on 3 December 2015 as the second promotional single.
The song earned its peak position at the 12th spot on the Billboard Hot Rock and Alternative chart after spending 21 weeks on the chart. It helped the song land the 35th spot in the year-end charts. The dance number also scored 12th place on the US Rock Airplay Charts with a 36th position on the same chart. The song earned a Platinum Certification from RIAA with over 1,000,000 song sales.
The music video for Genghis Khan came out on 12th January 2016, collecting more than 52 million views so far. The video will help listeners understand the Genghis Khan Lyrics Meaning with its unique and unusual storyline. The video is a parody with a James Bond-esque theme that pays homage to classic movie characters from Goldfinger and Dr. No.
