Tag: Depression

My Sunday Song – “Defying Gravity” by The Veer Union

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For My Sunday Song #457, we are talking “Defying Gravity” and no, this is not the Wicked song of the same name. This one is by the band The Veer Union and is off their 2016 album ‘Decade’ which celebrates the band’s 10 years of existence. The song was the first and maybe only single and was released on December 11, 2015 while the album was not released until January 29, 2016. For this album, the band wrote five new songs and pulled five songs from around 10 years back that were never used. But we are here to talk “Defying Gravity”.

The song was written by Crispin Earl and is about his battle with depression. The song details how the singer has been impacted by depression. How it weighs him down and he has no energy to do what needs to be done to fight it. He is looking for the strength as he knows he has to lift himself up to beat this horrible disease. If you have suffered from depression, you know how the weight of it holds you back. For him, defying the gravity that is holding him down is what it will take to fight his way out of it. It is such a hard battle fighting the demon inside. It is a daily struggle, a constant struggle. It can be fought and you don’t have to do it alone. There is help out there, but asking is the hardest part.

Musically, it is heavy like the subject matter. If you haven’t heard The Veer Union before, think a cross between Breaking Benjamin and Sevendust. Those are probably two good bands to compare them too. The guitar riffs are brutal by Dan Sittler, the drums are destructive from Tyler Reimer and I love how it goes from really heavy in the chorus while being melodic to a softer tone during the verses. Crispin Earl handles the clean vocals and you can hear the pain and emotion in his vocals. He is singing from his heart. I’m not one that usually likes unclean vocals, but bass player, Amal Wijayanayake, does a great job with the screaming vocal parts not to mention his bass playing along with rhythm guitarist Ryan Ramsdell keep the song moving forward. The unclean vocals aren’t overdone and only serve as an added texture to the song. I think it adds to the overall darkness of the heavy subject.

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My Sunday Song – “TV” by Billie Eilish

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For My Sunday Song #369, we get Morgan’s 9th Choice and this time we have Billie Eilish’s song “TV” from her 2022 E.P. called ‘Guitar Songs’. The E.P. only has two songs and they thought about including them on her 3rd album, but instead she felt they needed to be heard immediately so they released them. The song “TV” was written by her and her brother, Finneas O’Connell who also produced the song.

The song is about depression and it talks about a lot of issues including abandonment which makes her want to curl up on the couch and watch TV. She wants to watch Survivor so she can see other people suffer. There is a strong desire to numb the pain and get away from all that plagues the world. There also seems to be worry about her celebrity and the effect that has on her relationships. There is a lot of loneliness coming from this song. And be the end, she blames all of her issues on herself and watching TV and all the problems flashed on that tiny little screen. Celebrities suing each other, the downfall of Roe v Wade and so many more world events playing out on TV.

The song is an acoustic performance and damn, it is sad and depressing just like the lyrics. There is a darkness to it and a loneliness. It opens with a soft, lonely acoustic guitar and Billie’s haunting vocals. The bass, keyboards and drums come in later (all played by Finneas) and it picks things up, but the drone of the music still has that melancholy feel which never goes away in the song, but during the last lines of the song “Maybe, I’m the problem”, there is a cheering crowd that brightens things up a little, only a little. The crowd sound was sampled from the the crowd noise from her debut performance at Manchester.

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My Sunday Song – “Cigarette Daydreams” by Cage the Elephant

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For My Sunday Song #362, we are covering the 2nd song in the Morgan’s Choice 10 song set. This time around we are talking about the song “Cigarette Daydreams” by Cage the Elephant. The song is off their 2013 album ‘Melophobia’ and was the 2nd song off that album to go #1. Released on as a single on August 26, 2014, it has sold over 3,000,000 copies of the single and has over 42 million views on Youtube. Pretty dang impressive. It was credited to the whole band, but it was mostly the singer Matt Schultz who wrote it. Matt thought about giving it to someone else to play because he didn’t think it was a Cage song, but his brother Brad said that why can’t they write any song and play it. It doesn’t have to be a so called “Cage the Elephant” song, they should just write and play what they want.

Matt was sitting around strumming his guitar when the melody came to him and then the words flowed. It was inspired by a personal experience he had and that experience helped write the song and it all came quick and easy. The experience is about isolating yourself from everyone. Even from those that could help you. They feel lost in life and that loneliness grows the more they isolate themselves from the world. It is a conversation on depression and we should be talking about it more. The thought is it is about his relationship with his first wife. Whoever it is about, it is a sad, melancholy tune that is so simple and so beautiful.

What I love about this song is the acoustic styling of the song reminds of my favorite Guster song “Do You Love Me”. It has that same rawness to it and quirkiness that speaks to me for some reason. The music is as sad as the lyrics, but it has such a pretty melody and a chorus that is a little upbeat and happier. Matt’s vocals are smooth, with a little whine to it that fits perfectly with the song and its lyrics. The keyboards add a nice flair to it and the rhythm section keeps the song moving and on point. A sweet, yet sad track that is nothing short of perfection.

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My Sunday Song – “Sweet Euphoria” by Chris Cornell

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For My Sunday Song #337, we are going to explore the song “Sweet Euphoria” by Chris Cornell. The song was off his debut solo album ‘Euphoria Morning’ from 1999 and wasn’t a single but probably should’ve been as it is one of my favorites from that album. The album did really well going to #18 on the Billboard 200 list.

The song was written by Chris Cornell and the meaning can be different to every listener but to me it is about his struggles with depression or even bipolar disorder. Apparently, euphoria is a symptom of bipolar disorder in a roundabout way. You have the depression side, but there is also the mania side that can make you be full of energy, full of great ideas that might seem like it euphoria. That up and down feeling can be exhausting and so hard to handle and he battled with it and hid it well most of the time. The song feels like his confession and an opening up of his problems.

Musically, it is just Chris with his voice, armed with his lyrics and an acoustic guitar. The song feels like pain, like sorrow, like sadness and at the end when he screams “save my love’ it almost devastatingly heartbreaking. There is nothing else to it and yet, it is more than enough to convey his feelings and for something so sad, it is also so hauntingly beautiful. This might be the most powerful song he’s ever written.

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My Sunday Song – “I”m Not An Angel” by Halestorm

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For My Sunday Song #234, we are going to dive in to “I’m Not An Angel” by Halestorm which was off their debut album ‘Halestorm’. The song was written by Lzzy Hale, Howard Benson, Kara DioGuardi and Marti Frederiksen which are some heavy hitters in the song writing department. Kara has written a ton of hits and was a judge on American Idol and Marti, who hasn’t he written for might be easier. Pretty strong group for a band’s debut album. The label must have thought very highly of this band and rightfully so.

The song is a sad power ballad. It chronicles a very tragic relationship with Lzzy. Lzzy has been very open about her mental troubles and good on her for that as more discussion is always needed around that topic. The song talks about how the person she was with couldn’t handle all her emotional roller coasters. He saw the issues but tried to stick it out anyway. She tried to push him away, but at the same time couldn’t resist him. It was a very turbulent sounding relationship and she goes on to admit that she wasn’t an angel in this relationship. It is really a beautiful, yet very tragic story.

Musically, the band shows a much softer side to their sound. They are able to tone things down, but keep the talent shining. Lzzy shows that her powerful vocals can be also be so tender, thoughtful and bring the emotion needed to convey the story. Everyone’s playing served the song with no showboating and it was great to see this side of the band.

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Needtobreathe – “Who Am I”

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Sometimes when you hear a song, it connects with you, it moves you, it touches you in a way that few songs can do. Well, this is one of those songs. The first time I heard it immediately caught my attention. There was something special about it, I could tell. I listened to it again, I mean I really listened to it. I took in the words and absorbed them in to my mind and then in to my heart. Yes, this song IS Special!!

Sometimes an artist can write a song that you feel is written especially for you or for something going on in your life. Well, this is one of those songs. If you know anyone that is suffering from depression, then this is a song that you need to hear. Depression can make a person feel worthless, can make a person feel like there is no hope, can make a person push their loved ones away. Depression is cruel and it is so hard to watch someone go through it and it leaves you wishing there is something you can do.

“Who Am I” is a song that can be interpreted in a couple ways. The first way is more religious. It is God telling us that no matter how unworthy we feel, he will always be there. No matter what we do or say, no matter how bad it is, God will love us unconditionally. All we need to do is accept him in to our hearts

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My Sunday Song – “Car Crash” by Matt Nathanson

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My Sunday Song #213 is the song “Car Crash” by Matt Nathanson.  The song is off his 2007 album ‘Some Mad Hope’ and it was a single and got a relatively fair amount of airplay. Not as much as another song on that album which will be the final post of this 10 song series.

The song is rather dark in subject matter.  It seems to be about someone that has kept things inside for so long that they have become numb to everything around them.  They want to so desperately to feel something.  They want that “car crash” moment to wake them from the darkness and let them feel life again.  They need that dramatic cataclysmic catastrophe to be alive as they are dying on the inside.  It is rather heartbreaking that the person feels so low and depression is so rampant in today’s society which even today is easy to see how the darkness can consume.

Musically, the song fits the lyrics as the chorus explodes and the drum beats and cymbal hits sound like a crashing sound.  While on the verses, the electric guitars fill the image with a rich tone and texture that accompany the vocals to give it a sound that is uplifting despite the darkness. The sounds feel like everything is about explode and all will be right with the world.  It is a perfect blend of the dark lyrics with the light instrumentation.

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My Sunday Song – “Keep Your Eyes Open” by Needtobreathe

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For My Sunday Song #168, we are going to discuss one of the band’s more popular songs called “Keep Your Eyes Open” from the 2011 album ‘The Reckoning’. The song was released as a single and even as a 5 song E.P. with two versions of this song, one being acoustic, and 3 bonus tracks, two of which end up on the vinyl release of the album.  And one of those bonus tracks we discussed as the first one in this Needtobreathe series.

The song can be interpreted in many ways.  I look at it as a song of encouragement that no matter how bad things get, keep soldiering on and pushing toward the light.  Keep those eyes open for whatever positive might come along.

It also seems to be about depression and that God is there for you if you keep those eyes open and accept him in, but I don’t think it is that easy.  Depression is a powerful force and although I think God can help maybe keep you on this side of heaven, he is not the be-all, cure-all solution as I know someone very close to me that suffers from depression and it is tough road to travel even with God fully in their life.  Okay, I might burn in hell for saying that, but sorry that is how I feel.  Unless you have been through depression or know someone who has, you don’t know the daily struggle they face.  I prefer the song as a shining example of hope and encouragement that can help you push through those dark days.

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Tuesday’s Memes – The Cure

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Who doesn’t like Robert Smith and The Cure?  Let me see those hands…keep them up, I’m still counting.  I can’t count that high, okay put them down, let’s move on.  Today we are going to celebrate all things The Cure in this collection of memes.  I have been all around the internet gathering memes for the band.  And it took all of like 10 minutes as there are so many.  I hope you enjoy them!

Friday, I’m In Love…

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Scott Stapp – “Purpose of Pain” – Single Review

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Scott Stapp is back and he is back with a vengeance.  Scott is set to deliver his first solo album in 6 years since the sensational ‘Proof of Life’ back in 2013 which I think is his best album he has ever done.  So for me, anticipation is high for the new album called ‘The Space Between The Shadows” to be released in July.

As it has been well publicized, he had a meltdown back in 2014 as he suffers from addiction, depression and bi-polar disorder.  Scott is sober now and seems to be ready to take on the world again.  The first single from that album is “Purpose of Pain”.  It is a hard rocking, melodic song that seems to tackle Scott’s struggle with the pain he feels. It has heavy guitars and for me picks up where he left off with the last album.

Scott’s songs really shine when they are personal and this one is no different.  The darker tone and theme are a big draw for me.  You can feel his pain and the emotion in him which adds so much texture to it.  If this any indication of what is to come, I can’t wait!!

Per blabbermouth.com…Scott’s take on the song…

“‘Purpose For Pain’ is about seeking a higher meaning, a spiritual mentality when dealing with our struggles and life’s painful moments,” says Scott. “There are unexplainable, dark times that everyone goes through, and that pain is real. If we can dig deep and hold on to hope during the most difficult situations, believing there is a purpose waiting for us on the others side, we can find meaning and clarity that gives us the strength to keep fighting.”

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