It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)

## Music video

**"It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)"** is a song by English rock band The 1975. It was released on 18 October 2018 through Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the fifth single from the band's third studio album, *A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships* (2018). It was written by all the members of The 1975 and was produced by lead vocalist Matthew Healy and drummer George Daniel. The track is a Britpop song which features synthesizers, guitars and a backing choir.

## Background

"It’s Not Living (If It’s Not with You)" is an upbeat song that depicts Matty Healy’s struggle with heroin addiction. It is similar to how “UGH!” from The 1975’s second album discussed Healy’s cocaine addiction. The juxtaposition of the upbeat, pop melody with the deeper, sadder undertone of the lyrics is a primary ethos of The 1975 and is seen throughout their discography.

Healy told Billboard that "It’s Not Living" was the "big heroin one":

*"I don’t have things that I want to write about that aren’t exactly what I feel day by day. The problem I have now is that this is my truth, and I feel like I can’t negotiate properly with the world if I can’t tell the truth."*
"It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)" was teased almost a year before the song's release, Matthew Healy, the lead vocalist of the band, having posted an image on Twitter of a file of the song with the caption "MFC", the initials of the band's era named "Music for Cars", which comprises the two albums *A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships* and *Notes on a Conditional Form*.

In 2017, Matthew Healy, the lead vocalist of the band, was admitted into a rehabilitation center in Barbados to treat an on-and-off four-year addiction to heroin and benzodiazepines. Healy told The New York Times that he was lucky that his addiction didn't spiral out of control, adding that "I scared the [expletive] out of everybody that I love, and that was enough for me." He explained that he wrote the song and the other tracks from the album discussing his addiction so soon after being discharged from rehab because "I'm not going to talk about it for long."

## Lyrics

Danny ran into some complications

He falls asleep during conversations

He's gotta search the street when he's on vacation

The worst thing is that I'm in the same situation

And all I do is sit and think about you

If I knew what you'd do

Collapse my veins, wearing beautiful shoes

It's not living if it's not with you

And Danny says we're living in a simulation

But he works in a petrol station (Selling petrol)

He says it all began with his operation

And I know you think you're sly but you need some imagination

And all I do is sit and think about you

If I knew what you'd do

Collapse my veins, wearing beautiful shoes

It's not living if it's not with you

All I do is sit and drink without you

If I choose then I lose

Distract my brain from the terrible news

It's not living if it's not with you

[Bridge]

I can't stop sweating or control my feet

Got a 20-stone monkey that I just can't beat

I can stage a situation, but I just can't eat

And there's a feeling, you're replacing embrace

It's true that all I do is sit and think about you

If I knew what you'd do

Collapse my veins, wearing beautiful shoes

It's not living if it's not with you

All I do is sit and drink without you

If I choose then I lose

Distract my brain from the terrible news

It's not living if it's not with you

Oh, I'll try to get a job in a bank, I think

Danny spent the time trying to pack in the drinks for me

I feel sick and I know I that I'll lose but

It's not living if it's not with you

(It's not, it's not)

It's not living if it's not with you

(It's not, it's not)

(It's not, it's not)

It's not living if it's not with you

(It's not living if it's not with you)

(It's not, it's not)

(It's not, it's not)

(It's not, it's not)

(It's not living if it's not with you)

## Personnel

* **Composer:** Adam Hann, George Daniel, Matthew Healy, Ross MacDonald
* **Lyricist:** Adam Hann, George Daniel, Matthew Healy, Ross MacDonald
* **Associated performer:** Adam Hann, George Daniel, London Community Gospel Choir, Matthew Healy, Ross MacDonald
* **Assistant recording engineer:** Luke Gibbs
* **Background vocalist:** Matthew Healy
* **Bass guitar;** Ross MacDonald
* **Drums:** George Daniel
* **Engineer:** Jonathan Gilmore
* **Guitar:** Adam Hann, Matthew Healy
* **Keyboards:** George Daniel
* **Mastering engineer:** Robin Schmidt
* **Mixer:** Mike Crossey
* **Piano:** Matthew Healy
* **Programmer:** George Daniel
* **Studio personnel:** Jonathan Gilmore, Luke Gibbs, Mike Crossey, Robin Schmidt
* **Synthesizer:** George Daniel
* **Vocals:** Matthew Healy
* **Voices:** London Community Gospel Choir

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/BBCR1/status/1052983449659817984
2. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/magazine-feature/8468029/matty-healy-the-1975-billboard-cover-story