This is the title track of British indie rock band White Lies' third album. The record loosely tells the story of a girl leaving home for some unnamed metropolis. Bassist and lyricist Charles Cave told NME that it's based on friends of his moving away. He explained: "I'm envious and I think they're very brave for doing it, going away and starting again – is that irresponsible, or is it irresponsible to not look for something better?"
This song finds the disillusioned girl leaving her small provincial town for the Big City. Cave told NME: "She's got a horrible room downtown. It's the first time she's owned a TV."
Cave told The Sun: "'Big TV as come to represent the vacuous ambition this girl has. It sits totally out of place with her small, humble home in this new city. It's a superficial badge of achievement or success that is as empty as the black screen on its face. It's disposable and will be outdated soon, possibly like the city. The album is a story of empty hope in many ways or at least the mortality of satisfaction. At one point or another you'll just want to change the channel.
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