| Can't Wait to Be Dead | |
| Cover: | Can'twaitobedeadw.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Finneas |
| Released: | October 21, 2020 |
| Genre: | Alternative rock |
| Length: | 2:55 |
| Label: | OYOY |
| Producer: | Finneas |
| Prev Title: | What They'll Say About Us |
| Prev Year: | 2020 |
| Next Title: | Where The Poison Is |
| Next Year: | 2020 |
"Can't Wait to Be Dead" is a song by American singer-songwriter Finneas. It was released by OYOY as a single on October 21, 2020. The song was written and produced by Finneas.
It was lyrically inspired on how the internet and media were reacting during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 US presidential debate. The uptempo-based alternative rock song sees Finneas singing about the effects of racism and how he feels about the Internet. A music video for "Can't Wait to Be Dead" was produced by Constellation Jones and released on October 22, 2020.
Finneas explained in a statement: "I'm happy for this song to mean anything to anyone who listens to it, but to me, it's a song about my relationship with the Internet. Especially in an election year. Especially during a pandemic. Sometimes, the internet makes me laugh, sometimes it makes me cry, sometimes it makes me hopeful. But sometimes, it really makes me wanna be dead."[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
"Can't Wait to Be Dead" features use of a folk-based "intimate" acoustic guitar.[7] [8] The song is an uptempo-based alternative rock track.[8] [9] Lyrically, "Can't Wait to Be Dead" is about Finneas' view on how the Internet is acting during the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 presidential election, "Another sunburn with hair, it's too much fun not to stare/Somebody's calling you out for something you never said".[7] [9] [10] [11] He then sings about the racism in the U.S.: "Fuck your Confederate flag/You've got no reason to brag".[10] Finneas repeats how the Internet is acting, "Nobody's coming to save me/Nobody knows any better anyway/I think we're thinking the same thing/If this is how it ends, I wasn't listening".[10]
Nina Corcoran, writing for Consequence of Sound, praised the track, saying it "packs plenty of energy without letting its message go stale".[8] Writing for Spin magazine, Emily Tan said Finneas continues to "prove himself as a songwriter with the release of 'Can't Wait to Be Dead".[9]
A music video for "Can't Wait to Be Dead" was released on October 22, 2020, and was produced by Constellation Jones.[4] Finneas hinted of the music video during a livestream.[12] Towards the end of the livestream, he explained the idea of the track's visual, saying, "When I write songs, I don't like to write a song that feels like it's only about one thing, even if it is, because I want every person that listens to it to be able to internalize it and have it translate it to whatever experience they're going through is. That being said, I think music videos are a fun way to articulate exactly what the song means to you. To me, this song is just about my relationship with the internet, so that's the premise of this video."[12] [13] The video shows Finneas scrolling through social media, with the shot sometimes showing his reflection.[12] As he scrolls through the phone, it shows protests, the US election, and the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]