Over a powerful drumbeat, Idles tackle the topic of machismo maleness. Man up Sit down Chin up Pipe down Socks up Don't cry Drink up Just lie The Bristol punk band takedown the pressure on men to be alpha males and the issues on mental health this creates. "I truly believe that masculinity has gone from an evolution of cultural praxis to a disease," explained frontman Joe Talbot. "I wanted to encourage a conversation about gender roles by writing this song."
During The Great Escape Festival, held between May 17-19 2018 Talbot told the BBC how he believes that "pop culture breeds ignorance." He added: "There is a long way to go to change the narrative of what it is to be a man, and more so that of women in music and popular culture."
Joe Talbot was absent when the rest of the band came up with the music for "Samaritans." The Idles singer told NPR that when he heard it for the first time he "wrote the lyrics on the spot." Talbot took inspiration for the tunes from Grayson Perry's autobiographical exploration of masculinity The Descent of Man. "I'd just read The Descent Of Man and Grayson Perry's words struck me with such vigor that it all just came out immediately," he said.
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