Week of Reviews: Mental Health in Music
First things first: I survived my second to last round of finals (barely)! I am also not-so-patiently waiting for June to come, and for my study abroad program in Scotland to begin. I have yet to take a creative or fiction writing class in my college career, so when I tell you that I'm BEYOND excited to be taking a short stories class in at the University of Stirling, one of the top research universities in the United Kingdom, please note that BEYOND is even a huge understatement!
And now on to our regularly scheduled program!
My original idea for the month of May was to have a week dedicated to reviewing some of the books I've read over the past few months. But, I was inspired to extend this to music as well after a few new songs grabbed me by the ear in April and May...and since it's Mental Health Awareness Month, why not wrap them all into one since?
Let's take it back for just a moment--back to senior year of high school, where I first started listening to alternative rock. For several years now, I have been a fan of a band called The Maine, but within the past couple of years, I've noticed some of the subliminal messages and hints at an internal struggle from the main (no pun intended...or is there?) vocalist, John O'Callaghan. Their 2013 album had songs expressing the one question we often ask ourselves: when will I ever be happy again? It illustrates a man searching for joys in all the wrong places--alcohol and meaningless sex, to name a couple. The chorus always comes back to that pressing question:
I'm half crazy, all just cracked up When will what I have ever be good enough? I'm sad, funny it seems lately this ain't a fairy tale And I don't think I'll ever be happy.
Fast forward two years, around which time I remember watching an interview where he talked about having dealt with depression, and putting it into song--the clearest depiction of which in a song called 24 floors, which is about a man contemplating suicide. The verses express this man's thoughts as he sits in a hotel room alone while the chorus is the words of a loved one saying:
"You don't wanna die tonight Take one more breath to clear your mind Every moment's relevant Bittersweet and delicate Tomorrow may not come again."
Now, back to the present! The Maine's sixth studio album was released this April, where the persistent theme was loneliness, an everlasting sadness, and nostalgia. There were several songs touching on each of these topics, but the lyric that stood out to me most was in an anthem dedicated to a group of folks we don't like to think of as facing internal problems:
Dearly depressed and broken hearted I'd like to let you know that boys cry too.
A month later--and coincidentally, a month after watching 13 Reasons Why--I stumbled upon a song on a playlist of today's top hits titled 1-800-273-88255. At first, my only thought was "is it necessary to have all them numbers?" But then I googled what the number was, and saw:
After listening to the song, I was floored and moved to write this status on my personal Facebook page:
Forgive the cliche, but without art, the earth is just "eh." Art is the essence of life because art captures and emulates the human experience--be it through visual art or music. And the truth of the matter is that life is pretty terrible sometimes. Death occurs. Illness strikes. Not everyone in this world is good, and some folks do horrific deeds to their fellow man. But, all of this makes up our time here on Earth, and artists have the talent to capture it all--the good, the bad and everything in-between. In my own art--the art and craft of the pen as well as my drawings and paintings--I try to capture the human essence. In my artwork, I like to capture innocence, youth, and joy; with my writing, I tend to write what evokes emotion, which is what the toils and trials of life will do. I applaud artists in any realm who try to do the same.
Art emulates the human experience. We relate to it, and we feel it deep within ourselves and long after the song has ended, the credits have rolled, and long after we've left the museum and marveled over works. Art is a saving grace--especially so when it touches on the darker aspects of life because it makes it known that we're not alone. You're not the only guy suffering from depression. You're not the only one who tries to drown your sorrows in a bottle. Art can make you feel when you're numb and void of emotion. Art will connect you to your innermost self, and the innermost selves of those around you. For many such as myself, art gives way to a purposeful life.
Not only are these artists using their art to create memorable and meaningful music for others, but they are breaking down the stigma that mental health illness is a hush-hush subject that we can't talk about. Countless individuals skip going to talk to a professional, or even confiding a friend on their illness, and instead get to the point where they are so worn down by their disease that for them, it becomes easier to die than to live.Why? Because it's hard to address a sickness that we can't see. It's easy to brush it off and pretend that it's not there--but the consequences are fatal, just the same as it would be to pretend someone didn't have cancer a physical, visible illness.
So, back to the music. The scores are in:
Album: Lovely Little Lonely by the Maine
Rating: 5/5 Stars
The Maine is a band where you can hear progress, maturity and growth from one album to the next, and this album is their best yet, with their previous album titled American Candy, coming in as a close second. The transitions from one song to the next make half of the album feel like one song with various parts. Lyrics are powerful and relatable, the bass is bumpin', and the musicality overall is incredible. One of my favorite songs off the album is Lonely, which is a short transition song that describes the sinking feeling of lonelinesss and depression, saying : "I remember feeling weightless/ In the deeper end/ And drowning In the fear again/ And the lovely little loneliness/ Would hold me down/ Under the sound of being found."
You would like them if you like: Alternative rock, pop rock
Song: 1-800-273-8255 by Logic feat. Alessia Cara and Khalid
Rating: 5/5 Stars
If I could rate it higher, I would. Logic describes this song as an anthem for anyone who feels like they don't matter. The song "reads" like the story of one who is contemplating suicide, but by the end of the song, desires to keep on living. It presents the point of view of one who is depressed as well as a loved one and a suicide hotline operator who try to convince him that he matters. The beat is melodic and melancholy but lovely, and the song was well-intentioned, as Logic said that he hopes it will bring help to those who don't want to go on, and help people appreciate the little things in life that would drive one to keep living.
You would like this song if you like: rap, hip-hop, R&B, pop, top 40
Love and light,
Reina M
