Virtual Insanity Lyrics

[Intro: Jay Kay]
Oh yeah, aw
What we're livin' in?
Let me tell ya

[Verse 1: Jay Kay]
Yeah, it's a wonder man can eat at all
When things are big that should be small

Who can tell what magic spells we'll be doin' for us?
And I'm givin' all my love to this world

Only to be told
I can't see, I can't breathe
No more will we be
And nothin's going to change the way we live
'Cause we can always take, but never give
And now that things are changing for the worse, see
Woah, it's a crazy world we're livin' in
And I just can't see that half of us immersed in sin
Is all we have to give these

[Chorus: Jay Kay]
Futures made of virtual insanity
Now always seem to be governed by this love we have
For useless twisting of our new technology
Oh, now there is no sound
For we all live underground

[Verse 2: Jay Kay]
And I'm thinkin', what a mess we're in
Hard to know where to begin
If I could slip the sickly ties that earthly man has made
And now every mother can choose the colour
Of her child
That's not nature's way

Well, that's what they said yesterday
There's nothin' left to do but pray
I think it's time to find a new religion

Whoa, it's so insane
To synthesize another strain

There's something in these futures that we have to be told

[Chorus: Jay Kay]
Futures made of virtual insanity
Now always seem to be governed by this love we have
For useless twisting of our new technology
Oh, now there is no sound
For we all live underground, whoa!


[Bridge: Jay Kay]
Now there is no sound
If we all live underground

And now it's virtual insanity
Forget your virtual reality
Oh, there's nothin' so bad
As a man-made' man
Oh yeah, I know, yeah (take it to the dance floor)
[Interlude: Jay Kay]
I know I can't go on
Of this virtual insanity we're living in

Has got to change, yeah
Things will never be the same
And I can't go on
Where we're living in
Oh, oh, virtual insanity
Oh, this world
Has got to change
'Cause I just
I just can't keep going on in this virtual, virtual insanity
That we're living in, that we're living in
And that virtual insanity is what is, yeah

[Breakdown: Jay Kay]
Oooooooh...

[Chorus: Jay Kay]
Futures made of virtual insanity
Now always seem to be governed by this love we have
For useless twisting of our new technology
Oh, now there is no sound
For we all live underground


Futures made of, now, virtual insanity
Now we all, we seem to be governed by a love
For these useless twisting of our new technology

And now there is no sound, for we all live underground
Yes, we do, oh
[Outro: Jay Kay]
Oh, now this life that we live in
(Virtual insanity)
It's all goin' wrong
Out of window (living in), you know
There is nothing worse than a man-made man
(Virtual insanity)
There is nothing worse than (living in) a foolish man
(Virtual insanity) Hey!
Virtual insanity is what we're livin' in, yeah
Well...it's alright

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About

Genius Annotation

“Virtual Insanity” is primarily about a dystopian future in which humanity is so dependent on technology that the world barely functions. They’re living in a kind of morbid virtual reality – hence the track’s title.

In retrospect, this song was a huge changing point for the band. Up until this point, Jamiroquai were known for being reviving the “acid/fusion” jazz genre alongside The Brand New Heavies, popularized in the mid 1970’s by such artists as Roy Ayers Ubiquity and Idris Mohammad. But as the band started to grow in popularity, things began to change. People went from knowing Jamiroquai was a band; to thinking Jamiroquai was just Jay’s stage name. And eventually Jay overshadowed them completely.

The song was a huge hit for Jamiroquai in 1997, also notable for its music video in which Jay appears alone in a barely furnished room, and the floor seems to be moving as if it were a treadmill. It was nominated for 10 MTV Music Awards, winning 4.

The band members at the time, Stuart Zender, Toby Smith, Derrick McKenzie, Sola Akinbola, and Wallis Buchanan, all appear right at the first occurrence of the chorus, all being blown away as Jay walks ahead, signifying the change the band expected after the success of this song.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

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