"Robbers" is a song by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

The 1975 The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew "Matty" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer G ...

, released as the sixth single from their self-titled debut on 26 May 2014.

Background

The concept of the song, about an ill-fated robbery heist, was inspired by the 1993 film ''

True Romance ''True Romance'' is a 1993 American romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. It features an ensemble cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, with Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, ...

'', particularly

Patricia Arquette Patricia Tiffany Arquette (born April 8, 1968) is an American actress. She made her feature film debut as Kristen Parker in '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'' (1987). Her other notable films include ''True Romance'' (1993), ''Ed Wo ...

's character Alabama Worley. Following its release, it debuted at number 179 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The song, thematically, is an ode to toxic relationships. This song's lyrical content concerns two lovers who aren't good for each other. With the message that they know that their relationship will one day end, but they are still holding each other, robbing happiness from each other and pretending that they will be happy forever. Healy has stated that the song and music video was inspired by one of the singer’s favorite movie characters. "I got really obsessed with the idea behind

's character in ''

'' when I was about 18," he said. "That craving for the bad boy in that film, it's so sexualized," he added. "It was something I was obsessed with." "'Robbers' is about a heist that goes wrong," Healy added. "I suppose you can read it as a metaphor, and a girl who's obsessed with her professional killer boyfriend. It's a romantic ideal."

Music video

The official music video for "Robbers" was released on 27 April 2014, directed by Tim Mattia. A large portion of the video was filmed in Taft California The video depicts a couple who rob a shop to obtain money to "fund their alcohol and drug addiction."

Personnel

Adapted from liner notes.

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control Songs about crime Songs about criminals 2013 songs 2014 singles Songs written by Matthew Healy The 1975 songs Cultural depictions of Quentin Tarantino