What is the song "Wide Open Space" by Mansun all about?

'Wide Open Space' is a song by Chester-based alternative rock band, Mansun. Taken from their 1997 debut album, Attack of the Grey Lantern, it is the group's most widely-known song, despite only reaching Number 15 in the UK Singles Chart on its initial release. The article below analyses the content of this song.

Lyrical content

The song consists of a standard verse-chorus structure, with the song's first person narrator describing himself as being in a series of bleak places, seemingly uninhabited but for himself. Musically, the song has a dark, haunting atmosphere which fits the downbeat content and tone of its lyrics.

Interpretation

Themes Isolation and loneliness are the two most immediately noticeable themes present in the song. In 'Wide Open Space', Mansun give a sense of physical alienation from others, as in the second verse, where Paul Draper sings "I'm on top of a hill, I'm lonely/ There's someone here to shout to miles away." The element of space and withdrawal from others The distance between the narrator and the other person is the 'wide open space' of the song's title and chorus, and the listener is given a sense that this space exists between the narrator and all other people. There is also an idea that this loneliness is self-imposed, given the willfulness with which Draper states "You'll never get to Heaven with a smile on your face from me." The narrator is not prepared to reach out to others, to make them happy, and they will die before he does. The concept of the album and mythology Thematically, this fits in with the theme of the album from which the song is taken. Mansun's lead vocalist described 'Attack of the Grey Lantern' as an intended concept album concerning a superhero exposing and attempting to clean up the lax morality of a series of characters in an English village. Themes of alienation, particularly self-imposed alienation, are a key element of superhero mythology, so in this respect, 'Wide Open Space' works as a psychological analysis of a superhero-type character. The video for the song further plays into this theme, as it follows a man whom we later discover to be a vampire, wandering the streets alone. In search of answers In addition, 'Wide Open Space' is about confusion, seeking answers and being unable to find them. Draper makes reference to 'staring into space' and the chorus ends with the line 'There's something quite bizarre I cannot see.' This conveys a sense of awareness that something is wrong with one's life or one's world, accompanied by an inability to pinpoint exactly what it is, and the frustration that such a situation leads to.