Master Plan – Meaning

An Analysis of the Meaning and Social Commentary of the Lyrics

By Xena

Several of the Glambertinas were disconcerted by the use of the term “Master Plan” in this song and as Senior Analyst,  Lyric Interpreter and Fear Blocker, I undertook an analysis and some explanations to assuage their concerns.  As this has become a chronic condition for Glambertinae everywhere, I delved a little more deeply into the “I’m skuurrrrred” phenomenon when applied to anything by our Prince of Pulchritude who never even has a bad hair day – even when his polish is chipped – it’s adorable, so why worry?

You run away from everything that you fear
So afraid ya wanna be a part of it
You see the fake in everything that is real
You hate the paradox
You put us in a box

We  don’t define what makes us right or wrong
Waste of time – now we just livin’ it
I wanna seize you, touch you, one on one
No stoppin ’til we’re done
We’ve only just begun

We are the face of the new generation
We are the ones who have no reservations
Don’t give a damn ’bout your cold calculations
welcome to the master plan
don’t care if you understand
don’t care if you understand
welcome to the master plan

Your skin is burnin’ at the sight of me
Your mask  can’t hide what you’re thinkin’
Don’t ask (Don’t tell)
Just take what you need
I’m an open book
So go on and take a look

We are the face of the new generation
We are the ones who have no reservations
Don’t give a damn ’bout your cold calculations
welcome to the master plan
don’t care if you understand
don’t care if you understand
welcome to the master plan

There’s you… there’s me
I feel your energy
I hope you’ll see
Things ain’t what they used to be
Look at the face..

We are the face of the new generation
We are the ones who have no reservations
Don’t give a damn ’bout your cold calculations
welcome to the master plan
don’t care if you understand
don’t care if you understand
welcome to the master plan

don’t care if you under…….
welcome to the master plan
don’t care if you understand

Analysis

Introduction

Listeners’ reactions

It seems that a number of commentators here, were perturbed by the words “master plan”, first as the title of the song and then within the lyrics.  There is a fear that the song’s reference plays into the hands of proponents of theoretical conspiracies, apparently conspiracies deliberately designed to undermine western society, and create chaos, immorality and lawlessness, and forgive me – trigger Armageddon.

The Irony of a singer who is publicly Jewish, singing “master plan”

From this irony, I took my cue.  So many of the songs on Adam’s CD have double meanings, double entendres,  are tongue-in-cheek and provocative.  My take is that this song plays on the prejudices and fears, of those who love to cite conspiracy theories, and he throws it back in their faces  – “Yeah, sure, we’ve got a master plan!” “You want one, we got one!” “Yeah…..I got your master plan….. right here” – with that most evocative and symbolic gesture Adam has mastered, unlike any other.  I can picture Adam’s expression – contemptuous – the face of Black and White- followed by laughter, sardonic laughter, the kind that totally disarms the enemy, diffusing their power.  “And you know what else? We… don’t… care!” …..turns, saunters away, back to audience.

Dearest Glambertinae – this is my raison d’être  – to find accuracy, truth, context – to seek precedence, facts and evidence – and finally to produce an informed interpretation.  Taking the time to formulate a judgment, before commenting – well that’s what I try to do, but sometimes fail.

While much of the song is “we”, the key lyrics are “I” statements – as highlighted above.  And to relax!   “there is no master plan”, people are unique. “There’s you…There’s me, I feel your energy, I hope we’ll see, Things ain’t what they used to be, Look at the face….”

(For detailed analysis and context, please see Appendix)

Conclusion

The overall message is “give me a break, there is no master plan”, “There’s you, there’s me” each person is an individual, behaving as such, so instead of creating artificial “boxes” or “categories”, “I wanna see you, touch you, one on one“.  These words admonish us to not stand on the sidelines, falling for sweeping generalizations based on artificial constructs, filtered through, say the media’s or spiritual leaders’ own biases, get yourself out there and meet people as individuals, to make up your own mind about them. What you will find are interesting human beings and they are not a threat.

It’s a poke in the eye to the conspiracy theorists – “oooo aren’t we scary?” While there is no “master plan”, things have changed and look at me to see the new face – beginning “There’s you…there’s me..”

“We don’t define what’s right or wrong” there’s an issue we have wrestled with here, holding our reactions, emotions and feelings up to moral and ethical scrutiny.  What are our definitions of right and wrong, and how have they changed?

I think my favourite is-

“Your skin is burnin’ at the sight of me
Your mask can’t hide what you’re thinkin’
Don’t ask (Don’t tell)
Just take what you need
I’m an open book
So go on and take a look”

Adam is so genuine, so authentic, he lives as he “preaches”.  There is another very important aspect to the Adam story – he won’t allow those who blame prejudice for their own laziness or fears to slough off their responsibilities – if he succeeded, so can you – if you want it badly enough and you work for it.

“Yes”, he says – there is change, there is a new generation, but what the hell are you afraid of? Come here, get closer “if you prick me, do I not bleed?” We are out here, in the open, get to know us.

The complex dichotomy of an entertainer who says “come on, don’t take it so seriously, it’s just fun” and who embellishes his appearance so  carefully and provocatively, to then sing this song “Master Plan” – whew he’s complicated. He says, “if you don’t like my music, go buy someone else’s” and here he says – “If it bothers you, get past how I look and get to know me, it’s easy I’m an open  book or you can…  take off eh” as we ‘polite’ Canadians would put it.

Xena’s Recommended Analytical Tools

Adam chooses songs and lyrics carefully – as he has said numerous times.  If you cringe at a word or phrase – first check to see that you heard it correctly.   Next, put it through the Adam Analysis Check List;

• Is it a double entendre?
• Is it meant to be tongue-in-cheek?
• Is it campy or kitschy?
• Is it provocative?
• Does it have a double meaning?

If you  can answer ‘yes’ to any of these, stop worrying, relax, crank up the volume – get up and dance until the Waterford rattles or the police show up – but they might just join you in your ecstatic dance of joy!

Remember how Adam defines himself – a provocateur, boundary breaker, hyper sexual, gregarious, unfiltered individual, and he emphasizes that he is not a standard-bearer for social causes.  He should be taken at his word.

In addition to the music, enjoy the sly nod and wink to us, the overt flip of the finger to those who fear difference and admire Adam’s chutzpah.

*******************

Here’s my – how did Simon put it? “self-indulgent crap”

Appendix

Why do conspiracy theories continue to exist?

Playing on Society’s Superstitions, Fears and Unfounded Theories of the Unknown

Conspiracy theories continue to exist because they serve the scoundrels among us. Ancient civilizations created stories to explain the scientific mysteries of the world and to create a framework for social order, until the people had enough information, both scientific and intellectual, for individuals on earth to take charge, and put some order to daily life – setting aside the gods, goddesses, higher and lesser – to take responsibility for themselves as mortals.  Actually, scoundrels continue to invent myths, as we know – usually absolving themselves of blame or guilt and offering salvation – for a buck. Other evil scoundrels preyed on the righteous and the fools by pretending to have special powers to alter an individual’s life or the really bold ones – powers to change the weather, the locusts or the crops.

As people became better informed, influenced by new information, especially science, some could not be so easily coerced with threats of plagues of locusts, nor could they blame a vengeful god for their personal failures, some even stopped paying the extortionist shaman, to protect their chickens from an imaginary predator.

Fast forward 2,500 years – how much has changed?

We are still buying the snake oil and dead chicken insurance, whether a proven threat exists or not, sometimes based on the flimsiest of unsupported data.  As we have discussed earlier, we are still a superstitious people, who believe in curses and luck and who invent stories to explain phenomena for  which we don’t have the answers.  We continue to fall for the unproven, unscientific theories, because we need to, they explain the inexplicable to us and we are impatient for explanations and answers, can’t wait for the facts to be gathered and the studies completed.   Sad but true.  And the scientists on this site, right here among us, can attest to our impatience for solutions with zero risk, 100% efficacy and yesterday!

Many people love to take credit and shift blame – as we all know, one of Adam’s great attributes is that he always shares credit and always owns his actions, bad or good, so if he is involved in some kind of “master plan” or “conspiracy” he would have tweeted by now and he could summon legions to a mountain top to sing in unison – to upturn everything and replace it with ?????? what?  Happy, dancing, loving, singing, passionate people with bejeweled eyes and manicured nails?

Is there evidence of the existence of a “master plan” or “conspiracy” to undermine society by, Jewish, GBLTQ’s, visible and invisible minorities and their friends, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, neighbours, ex-husbands, employers, employees ?

There is no evidence such a conspiracy exists, no matter what Nostradamus, the Bible, the Mayan, Minoan, Macedonian or any other calendar says.  Ignore the Oracles, the gypsy’s Tarot cards, rolling chicken knuckles, reading entrails, migrations of the fruit bat and your Aunt Beulah’s tea leaves – they don’t count here.  I eliminated all of these as potential sources for enlightenment.

It is not for lack of trying, that no one has been able to prove the existence of a connection among Jewish, GBLTQ, visible and invisible minority members, of industry cabals, self-help groups, bridge clubs, book societies, folk dance troupes, hair salons, sport teams, chambers of commerce, fitness clubs, antique car collectors and individuals in New Zealand – to overturn civilization and remake it to suit themselves.

When this New Civilization Comes, How will we Recognize it?

I searched for the description of “how this new civilization will function”, but I was unable to –

1. Find anyone who would speak on behalf of the “rebel group”, in fact, I found no one who said they knew anything about such a group, and;
2. Find any single description from the conspiracy theory proponents, of the existence of a “Master Plan”, how it would be executed, exactly who was involved and when this is expected to happen.  Their responses all referred to some ancient text or sign, some three-hundred year old, irrelevant law, now repealed, or a sign they saw in a shop window “Maquillage pour Homme” accompanied by rows of dark nail polish, black and silver compacts and thick eyeliner pencils. They are not sure what the words mean, but they are quite sure it’s something sinister, of course that’s not their word – they said “real bad”.

Right wing, left wing, red wing and under wing talk show hosts, editors, letter writers and columnists, religious, spiritual, political, civic, social and satanic leaders, have left no cave un-explored, no sewer grate un-lifted, no phone untapped, or any internet chatter unrecorded, in their quest for the “master” of the unnamed, invisible but seemingly vast and dangerously frightening, army of rebels – which now seems to include middle-aged, heterosexual, female fans of Adam Lambert, i.e. us.

If I found no evidence of such a massive “master plan”, to what conspiracy fear does this song refer?

Guess what, instead of continuing to progress through ancient fears, myths and superstitions  – to demand facts and science and evidence, we persist in falling for “master plan” type conspiracy theories, especially those theories that play on our innate fears of inadequacy, of retribution from Gaia, God or Allah, or whatever deity or spiritual leader threatens, if we do not follow the rules.

I doubt Adam sits around discussing and debating these theories – but I believe he has absorbed them and his creativity is informed by them.  He is all about individual responsibility and individual freedom and above all, individual thought and creative expression.  He is literally, a child of the baby boom social and musical generation.

If this message is not coming through in this song, why is it not?  A fear permanently imbedded in our psyche focused on two words, apart – they are benign, together they are forever bloody.  We must get over this and get the context of the words, or we will continue to misconstrue important meanings and messages.  Further, a few misunderstood words or phrases completely changed the meaning of some sentiments.

I know, it’s such a relief to reach the end of one of these diatribes and thanks for reading if you did. You should get a prize.

((((((((((((((((((reader))))))))))))))))))))) A hug?

Xena is a writer, policy analyst and commentator who has an opinion on everything, and co-author with “Juneau” of the forthcoming book, On the Meaning of Adam Lambert – order at www.adamlambertbook.com