One of the best things about The Buccaneers series is opening with one of LCD Soundsystem‘s classics: North American Scums. Like all of the band’s songs, James Murphy‘s lyrics are ironic and precise.

Part of the band’s second album, Sound of Silver where he plays equally with foreign prejudices towards Americans, as well as the defects of his country’s culture. Generalizing what he calls “scum”, he plays with all stereotypes and in particular the simplification of a nationality judged by its political representatives. What is perfect about The Buccaneers, besides having a version with female voices (lead singer Emily Kokal), is that it is exactly as history portrays, the fact that the British want American fortune, but see Americans as scum.

“Americans don’t know much about other places, but since the rest of the world knows a lot of facts about America, I think they know what America is like from television. Well, that’s not America, that’s American television,” James Murphy explained in an interview a few years ago. “That’s why people didn’t understand that the “American scum” had an element, which I take for granted that Americans are insecure and embarrassed. And people are like, “What? Americans are too trusting” Well, you’ve never lived in the suburbs of America. The people on television are too confident because they’re on fucking television! So that element is always there. I am perplexed that people don’t know that Americans feel insecure, inferior, or nervous. That’s my America, I guess. Not “The real America,” as Sarah Palin would say,” he followed.

In The Buccaneers there is no “shyness” among the Americans, but rather, this lack of understanding of who exactly this new generation with no appreciation for monarchist traditions is. Yes, folks, it’s contradictory: the United States was born as a colony but rebelled and became a Democratic Republic. How would they “understand” or “respect” the monarchy? An issue that not even in the 21st century seems to be understood, even if it is obvious! (Just remember Meghan Markle).

Oh, oh, oh, oh
We are North American scum
(Ah-ah) Oh, oh, oh
We’re from North America

New York’s the greatest if you get someone to pay the rent, wahoo, North America
And it’s the furthest you can live from the government, uh-huh, huh
Some fat American Christians might disagree here in North America
But New York’s the only place we keep them off the street, ooh, ooh
Now, we can’t have parties like in Spain where they go all night, shut down in North America
Or like Berlin where they go another night, alright, uh-huh, uh-huh
You see, I love this place that I have grown to know, alright, North America
And yeah, I know you wouldn’t touch us with a ten-foot pole, ‘cause we’re North Americans

Oh, oh, oh, oh
We are North American scum
(Ah-ah) Oh, oh, oh
We’re from North America

Oh, oh, oh, oh
We are North American scum
(Ah-ah) Oh, oh, oh
We’re from North America

Take me back to the states, man
North America
(Ah-ah) Where we can be in any one of a million new bands
North America
(Ah-ah) Where the DJ gigs aren’t as fun
Here in North American scum
(Ah-ah) But don’t blame the Canadians
Look out, North America

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