Day 18: Castle On the Hill by Ed Sheeran
I like this song a lot because it reminds me of when I was growing up. Listening to this always gives me flashbacks to hanging out with my friends, having drinks and laughing our asses off to stupid jokes. Good times.
Day 19: Raised By Wolves by U2
From what is, in my opinion, one of U2's greatest albums. Most people are still riding the U2 Hate Train for no reason and missed out on the entire Songs of Innocence album, which contained some of their best songs to date, and that's saying a lot. Raised By Wolves stood out to me because of how visceral it is. We open with an act of terror:
"Metal crash
I can’t tell what it is
But I take a look
And now I’m sorry I did
5:30 on a Friday night
Thirty-Three good people cut down."
Later on we get this chilling verse:
"Boy sees his father
Crushed under the weight
Of a cross in a passion
Where the passion is hate
Blue mink Ford
I’m gonna detonate and you're dead.
"Blood in the house
Blood on the street
The worst things in the world
Are justified by belief
Registration 1385-WZ"
Bono said this song was based on the brutal honesty he read in the Psalms, and I can believe that. This one pulls no punches and forces us to stare at the ugly side of humanity and deal with our doubts.
Day 20: Break It Down Again by Tears For Fears
I love this song. I remember the first time I heard it, then kept hitting repeat, ignoring the rest of the album. That's a rarity for me, and only happens when a song resonates strongly at the time, so I knew this song was special.
I've heard multiple interpretations of this song over the years, but for me, the most basic ones seem to be the most accurate. Roland mentions "waste seeping underground" and "they make no mention of the beauty of decay." This seems to be pointing the finger at corporations destroying the earth with their greed, keeping themselves alive as long as possible. Another line "When it's all misxed up, better break it down" could be saying that, when things get too out of hand, sometimes breaking things down to their core and going back to basics is the only way to move forward.
But, with that, I'll let you guys listen and decide for yourselves.
Day 21: Bullet Proof by The Goo Goo Dolls
First off, don't ask me why it's "Bullet Proof" and not "Bulletproof," because I've been asking the same question since I heard the song. But, questionable name aside, this is a great song. Both parties in this song are self-destructive, not wanting what's best for them. I've known way too many of these people in my lifetime, and I always tend to get too involved, trying to help. I think that's why this one resonates so well with me.
Day 22: Breaking the Habit by Linkin Park
I'll admit, I didn't like anything the band put out after this album, but it still felt like a gut-punch when I heard about Chester Bennington's death. And now, going back and listening to the first two albums with that in mind, you start to realize just how close he was to death all these years.
And yes, I've read all the rumors about Chester and Chris Cornell. About how they were actually murdered because they were getting ready to expose a massive pedophile ring, but let's be real ... there's a 99.99% chance that's all made up bullshit because people just can't seem to deal with their idols killing themselves. They're human, just like the rest of us, and the average songwriter deals with a lot of depression. Why do you think it's so easy for some of us to describe pain an anguish? Because we feel it all the time! And I feel like running with these wild stories spits on the memory of who they were. I imagine they'd like to be remembered as a cautionary tale of how fame and fortune don't solve all your problems.
Anyway, this has always been my favorite Linkin Park song, and I hope you guys enjoy revisiting.
Day 23: Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden
And speaking of Chris Cornell, here we are with his Magnum Opus. It's a very trippy dreamscape of a song and I think that's why it worked so well. The chords were a canvas and Cornell painted them with whatever lyrics sounded best at the time. Because of this, while the song doesn't have a definitive meaning, you can pull so many different messages out of it. It's really interesting to go read lyric-theory threads on this song and see just how different people see this song.
Personally, the message that always came to me was that, because humans will be humans, the only way the world will ever be fixed is for it to be sucked away. I know that's dark, but that felt like the mood of the song to me. What do you guys think?
Day 24: Twenty-Four by Switchfoot
Yes, I put this one at this spot on purpose, because it seemed funny. Anyway, this was the second song I ever learned to play on guitar. My fingers were to the point of bleeding that weekend from learning this and On Fire over a weekend, but that didn't stop me from pressing on until I could play these two blindfolded.
Nowadays, when I play this song at a show, it always seems to make the room go quiet. I don't consider myself religious by any means, but the spiritual aspect of this song still rings true to me. You don't have to be religious to find truth in this song. We all want to be more than we are, and we all struggle to get there. I sincerely hope you give this one a shot. You might be surprised at what you find.
Day 25: If You're Gone by Matchbox 20
Yeah, you knew I had to put a sappy love song up here at some point, so here it is, one we all know and either love or hate with a passion. I fall into the former, but I completely understand if you're not a fan of this one. It's very much a product of it's time, and it's very simple. I think that's one of the reasons I like it. Sometimes love songs can get overly-complicated when they need simplicity. That's not to say EVERY love song needs to be simple, but a lot of them try to be more than what they are. If You're Gone doesn't have this issue, and that makes it special to me.
Day 26: Some Fantastic by Barenaked Ladies
Yes! Another cheesy love song! This one's completely insane and out there, rejecting every archetype for a standard love song. I'm not even going to go further into this one. Just have a listen for yourself!
Day 27: Betrayal by Fiction Family
Now we'll take a detour and go from a love song to a song about a love betrayed. Don't let the catchy tune fool you, this one ends poorly for our protagonist. Enjoy!
And that's it for now. See ya next time!
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