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Mother Mother’s "Make Believe": A Playful Exploration of Reality and Perception
SEO: Mother Mother’s 'Make Believe' is a psychedelic alt-rock anthem that explores the power of imagination, rejecting rigid realityin favor of whimsical, optimistic perception—making it one of the band's most thought-provoking tracks so far.
Embracing Optimism Through Imagination
The latest track from Mother Mother, "MakeBelieve" is a defiant rejection of reality and a playful celebration of subjective consciousness. With a steady rhythm and high-spirited vocals, the track feels like a psychedelic trip, whimsically challenging the nature of belief, reality, and imagination. The lyrics paint an alternative way of seeing the world—one where rigid truths are discarded in favor of personal perception and wonder. Overall, the impact is one of defiant optimism and finding commonalities and community by rejecting the differences we all imagine between ourselves and others.
Intro/Verse 1: Rejecting Rationality
The song kicks off with an admission:
"I'm like a little bit mythicalistic
Always on about the mystical shit."
Right away, the speaker distances themselves from scientific reasoning and objective reality, instead buying into a whimsical, fantastical worldview.
This continues throughout the first verse before culminating in the final lines of the verse:
“I think in na-na-na-na-nonreality
'Cause I believe in make believe”
The song immediately contrasts objective reality with subjective perception. The speaker defies realism, treating perception as achoice rather than a fixed truth—setting the stage for optimism later in the song.
Pre-Chorus: Personal Encounters with the Unreal
The pre-chorus leans into the surreal and fantastical:
"I believe in the old unicorn
'Cause I rode one through the cosmos."
The beliefs here call back to childhood beliefs — calling up images of unicorns and later, a leprechaun. It’s obviously not meant to betaken literally but to mix in a bit of childlike wonder into the speaker’s perspective. Rather than literal belief in mythical creatures, the lyrics evoke a childlike sense of wonder, suggesting that imagination can reshape how we seethe world, even into adulthood."
Chorus: Defying Conventional Belief
The pre-chorus leans into the surreal and fantastical:
"I believe in the old unicorn
'Cause I rode one through the cosmos."
The beliefs here call back to childhood beliefs — calling up images of unicorns and later, a leprechaun. It’s obviously not meant to betaken literally but to mix in a bit of childlike wonder into the speaker’s perspective. Rather than literal belief in mythical creatures, the lyrics evoke a childlike sense of wonder, suggesting that imagination can reshape how we seethe world, even into adulthood.
Verse 2: Expanding the Scope of Reality
Th second verse pushes the boundaries of conventional thinking even further:
"We don't grow to be dead,
But instead, we just some thread of consciousness”
Rather than denying existence, this verse celebrates itsf luid, interconnected nature.
Later lines support this:
"If you preached that the world was just a peach
Drippin' with a juice so sweet
I believe"
It’s absurd, certainly, but it’s also optimistic. Belief is fluid—you can choose to believe the world is literally a peach (watch out,flat-Earthers) or embrace the metaphor that life is rich with sweetness rather than harsh bitterness.
Pre-Chorus 2: The Duality of Faith and Doubt
Given the whole song is about beliefs, it’s no wonder the second pre-chorus turns to religious imagery:
"I believe in the angels above
'Cause they haven't let me down yet."
Yet, the sentiment here isn’t necessarily a celebration of religion itself. The belief is personal, rather than based on formal religion. Butthen, belief is extended to the devil as well:
"I believe in the devil below
'Cause he sits on my shoulder
Ugly and evil."
The presence of both angels and demons highlights the duality of human experience—good and evil, hope and despair. It’s a morerealistic take, and it suggests that choosing to believe in good doesn’t negate any evil, rather beliefs are a constant struggle to prioritize either an optimisticor pessimistic worldview. Everyday, we choose how to navigate out mental space.
Verse 3: The Illusion of Division
As the song nears its climax, it dives into the trip:
"Everyone's connected
Only in the mind do we create division […]
'We all living in a dream'
Trippin' like it's LSD
I believe "
These lines curate a laid-back philosophy that aligns with spiritual and existentialist perspectives, rejecting artificial barriers between people.It’s an optimistic take that we can all reject our differences and find commonality, yet the crucial line is “I believe”. Finding common ground is nota passive experience, it’s something we all have to believe in and work at.
Final Chorus and Outro: A Defiant Commitment to Imagination
The final repetition of "I believe in make believe" drives home the song’s central theme—what matters is not what is objectively true, but what one chooses to see and experience. By repeating the mantra of belief, the outro asserts independence from mainstream thought, reinforcing the power of personal perception.
Celebrating the Make Believe
With "Make Believe," Mother Mother crafts a song that gives the profound a whimsical basis. The lyrics reject traditional belief while fully committing to personal perception. Whether taken as a playful satire on faith and skepticism, as a genuine ode to embracing the fantastical, or simply an attempt to reintroduce childlike wonder, "Make Believe" ultimately reminds us that reality is as much about what we choose to see as it is about what is actually there.
