Nothing Works

## "Nothing Works"Single by Declan McKenna

"**Nothing Works**" is the seventh digital track, ninth physical track and second single from Declan McKenna's third major-label album, *What Happened to the Beach?*. It was released on 13 September 2023.

## Background

Rough ideas for the song were crafted by Declan and Gianluca Buccellati on a sunny day in 2022, in a park below the Hollywood sign. These ideas went unused for several months, to the point that Declan marched towards completion of *What Happened to the Beach?* with no intention of adding another song to the list.

At some point during studio sessions for the album, Declan was confronted by his team at Columbia Records, asking him to change the direction of the project and return to the sound of his earlier music. In spite of the request, Declan began writing a tongue-in-cheek verse using the ideas from months earlier. He would team up with past collaborator Jake Passmore to finish writing the song.

The song was performed for the first time during a 2023 concert in St. Louis as part of The Big Return. At the request of Columbia, performances of new songs on the tour would have their titles obscured, this song being referred to as "**New Song III**".

The song was publicly first mentioned in a post on Declan's Discord server in August 2023. The post suggested a live debut at Reading Festival on 27 August, asking fans to share recordings of the song after it was performed.[ref needed] Despite this, it had already been performed in St. Louis and would be performed for a second time on 25 August at Leeds Festival. At the Reading and Leeds shows, the song had an extended intro with voice-over stating that "Columbia Records have not granted him liberty to speak out about the song".

On 31 August, a pre-save link for the song was discovered, with the URL indicating an announcement in September. The song was officially announced via TikTok on 7 September.

"Nothing Works" was released on 13 September, following a premiere on BBC Radio 1 at 6PM BST. The release was accompanied by the official announcement of *What Happened to the Beach?*.

## Composition

In the album press release, the song was described as depicting "frustrations of record label interference and criticism", referencing the song's inciting event.

Declan further stated: "'Nothing Works' came out of the frustration of feeling boxed in and tied to expectation. It is a euphoric tune, at its core it’s a celebration of being true to yourself. In the track, I’m kind of mocking the idea that I’d just take advice that neglects my own intuition, and I often feel like nothing works when you’re trying to match norms or expectations, because you can never please everyone, but if you trust your gut and your own motivations in any aspect of life, the parameters for feeling good in yourself are much simpler and more powerful."

The song includes a guitar solo with a key change, which has been described by Declan as "a real career-defining moment".

## Music video

The official music video was first confirmed by Declan in a Discord chat on 13 September 2023, stating "I don't know if I served before but I did this time" and backing a fan's claim that it would be a "cuntier serve" than his previous videos.[ref needed] The next day, an interview about the video was published by *The Anglo-Celt*, a news source in the shooting area of Cavan, Ireland. The article revealed that the video was partially filmed at the Imperial Nightclub, with Finn Keenan as director and an intended release date of October 2023.

An unlisted teaser for the video was released to Declan's Discord server on 4 October, then re-posted in a cropped format on social media platforms hours later. The video premiered on YouTube at 5PM BST on 5 October.

## Lyrics

What’s the point Muffin

I don’t believe in nothin, anymore

You tell me I don’t relate to the kids no more

Now I feel like I’m letting them down

What’s the point running

Not like I’m up and coming, anymore

So, what if they hear me on my bathroom floor

I’m sure they’re big enough now

But of course I’ll re-impore you, on the kind of nation that we have

You’ve either been on your own too long

Or it just feels like that (just feels like that)

So tell me if I’m stuck or moving on up

That’s a conversation to be had

Have I been living on my own too long

Or does it just feel like that

When I sing the song and you didn’t like the verse

I try to fix myself but nothing works

I sing the song and you didn’t like the words

I try to fix myself but nothing, Nothing

What’s the point Martin

Don’t you be starting, anymore

They told me I was the fat cat kid for a minute

but they’re the ones who are doing us proud

What’s the point running

Not like I’m up and coming, anymore

So what if they hear me singing “I love war”

I’m sure they’re big enough now

But of course I re-implore you, on the kind of nation that we have

You’ve either been on your own to long

Or it just feels like that (It just feels like that)

So tell me if I’m stuck or moving up

Now that’s a conversation to be had

Have I been talking to myself all long, or do I just sound like that

When I sing the song and you didn’t like the verse

I try to fix myself but nothing works

I sing the song and you didn’t like the words

I try to fix myself but nothing works

I feel wrong, I feel rehearsed

I try to fix myself but nothing works

I sing the song and you didn’t like the words

I try to fix myself but nothing, nothing Nothing x8

Works

But of course I’ll re-implore you, on the kind of nation that we have

You’ve either been on your own too long,

Or it just feels like that (It just feels like that)

So tell me am I stuck or moving up,

Now that’s a conversation to be had

Have I been talking to myself so long,

Or do it just sound like that

When I sing the song and you didn’t like the verse

I try to fix myself but nothing works

I sing the song and you didn’t like the words

I try to fix myself but nothing works

I feel wrong, I feel rehearsed

I try to fix myself but nothing works

I sing the song and you didn’t like the verse

I try to fix myself but nothing

Nothing x10

## Personnel

Credits adapted from YouTube Music.

* Declan McKenna - writer, producer, bass, guitar, percussion, synthesizer, vocals, additional drums
* Gianluca Buccellati - writer, producer, drums
* Jake Passmore - writer, guitar, vocals
* Ben Quinn - background vocals
* Conor Price - background vocals
* Henry Pearce - background vocals
* Josh McClorey - background vocals
* Laura Jennings - background vocals
* Charlie Leake - unknown
* Ollie Brown - unknown
* Thomas Wolseley - unknown
* Simon Oscroft - engineer
* David Wrench - mixing engineer
* Heba Kadry - mastering engineer

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://web.archive.org/web/20230920225955/https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/antidote/pl.2e5ee4612fd246529e9e34d23549dc98
2. ↑ https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/declan-mckenna/2023/delmar-hall-st-louis-mo-3a42d37.html
3. ↑ https://www.tiktok.com/@declanmckenna/video/7247542364028357930
4. ↑ https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/declan-mckenna/2023/bramham-park-leeds-england-33a51881.html
5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvfCgXSHXS0
6. ↑ https://forms.sonymusicfans.com/campaign/columbia\_declanmckenna\_fs\_nothingworks\_2023\_09/
7. ↑ https://www.tiktok.com/@declanmckenna/video/7276132093397142830
8. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001q5kx
9. ↑ https://qprime.com/artist/declan-mckenna/
10. ↑ https://www.anglocelt.ie/2023/09/14/indie-star-shoots-music-video-in-the-imperial/
11. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6g0NU1cWjA
12. ↑ https://twitter.com/DeclanMcKenna/status/1709656395853808069
13. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S\_\_pMuXjklg
14. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYXXlvR\_\_5E