Rebellion (Lies) is the most well-known song on Arcade Fire’s first studio album “Funeral”. Already considered a timeless classic, the song captures the positive postmodern indie sound from the early zeros. Indie as a genre is characterised by creating art, experimenting and pushing away from the mainstream. Arcade Fire, Funeral and Rebellion were anything but mainstream when they first came out to the public. Nonetheless the music was embraced by so many in such a short period of time that Arcade Fire became a household name. By continuing making artful albums that tell a story of their own, Arcade Fire has kept the indie charm while reaching an incredible following.

Rebellion is a brilliantly crafted song. The continuous piano chords, the string arrangements and the high-pitched backing vocals chanting “lies, lies”, give the song a fresh and youthful vibe. To me the song sounds like what a sunny and carefree afternoon in the park should feel like. No responsibilities, nowhere to be. Those rare 4-hour windows with friends, music, stories and a few cold beers.

When you look at the technical side of the song, the brilliance is also easily found. The individual things that play together so well, must’ve been found by experimenting or jamming. And let’s not forget the key-change that is considered to be the best there is in modern music.

About the lyrics, writer and lead singer Win Butler says they shouldn’t be taken too literal. The meaning of the song for them changes according to when or where they’re playing. The song accentuates the role rebellion plays in discovering new things and staying true to yourself. Whether it’s rebelling against algorithms that try to influence our shopping behaviour or against the pressure to fit into certain social constructs, Win urges listeners to find something to rebel against. He even goes as far as saying he hopes someone will discover a new style of music by “trying to make better music than those Arcade Fire a--holes”