Songs with 'dark' or disturbing backstories
May 13, 2022 20:34:46 GMT 10
Post by SharksFan99 on May 13, 2022 20:34:46 GMT 10
I tried to find a similar topic on here, but it turns out that we surprisingly don't already have one.
What are some examples of songs which are painfully poignant to listen to retrospectively due to the context or 'backstory' surrounding the release of the song?
I decided to listen to Minutes at Midnight at work earlier this week, and found it very difficult to continue listening once this came on. "Leave Out All The Rest" would have to be most haunting song that I am personally aware of. Nirvana's "You Know You're Right" is similar in it's context, but it's more of a big middle-finger to various people (e.g Courtney Love, the music industry) rather than a song straight-up preparing us for the lyricist's suicide. I honestly can't think of another song which is so blunt with it's foreshadowing of someone's death. Take a look at the lyrics of the chorus:
The entire song is basically Chester's message to the world to not dwell over how he decided to take his own life and to instead only think of the positive memories. That is particularly surreal, as Chester did take his own life ten years after this song was released and he had also attempted to commit suicide during the writing process for the album. It's as if he knew all along that was the way he was going to leave this world. As a lifelong fan of Linkin Park, "Leave Out All The Rest" has really hit me hard ever since I heard the news of Chester's passing and I can no longer listen to it without thinking about his suicide. It feels like a message beyond the grave, which is the most eerie aspect to it.
Nirvana's last-recorded song, and it only saw the light of day as a commercial release eight years later due to a lawsuit between Dave, Krist and Courtney. Listening to this song, you can really get a sense of the state of mind Kurt was in at the time and how he had become disillusioned from everything in his life. His life was falling apart. Also, the music video only adds to the overall 'dark' feeling of the song, with the video simply being made up of past interviews, concerts etc. and the TV static at the end.
I would be interested in learning about other songs with similar 'dark' backstories or contexts. Can you think of any other examples?
What are some examples of songs which are painfully poignant to listen to retrospectively due to the context or 'backstory' surrounding the release of the song?
I decided to listen to Minutes at Midnight at work earlier this week, and found it very difficult to continue listening once this came on. "Leave Out All The Rest" would have to be most haunting song that I am personally aware of. Nirvana's "You Know You're Right" is similar in it's context, but it's more of a big middle-finger to various people (e.g Courtney Love, the music industry) rather than a song straight-up preparing us for the lyricist's suicide. I honestly can't think of another song which is so blunt with it's foreshadowing of someone's death. Take a look at the lyrics of the chorus:
"When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed
And don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory
Leave out all the rest"
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed
And don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory
Leave out all the rest"
The entire song is basically Chester's message to the world to not dwell over how he decided to take his own life and to instead only think of the positive memories. That is particularly surreal, as Chester did take his own life ten years after this song was released and he had also attempted to commit suicide during the writing process for the album. It's as if he knew all along that was the way he was going to leave this world. As a lifelong fan of Linkin Park, "Leave Out All The Rest" has really hit me hard ever since I heard the news of Chester's passing and I can no longer listen to it without thinking about his suicide. It feels like a message beyond the grave, which is the most eerie aspect to it.
Nirvana's last-recorded song, and it only saw the light of day as a commercial release eight years later due to a lawsuit between Dave, Krist and Courtney. Listening to this song, you can really get a sense of the state of mind Kurt was in at the time and how he had become disillusioned from everything in his life. His life was falling apart. Also, the music video only adds to the overall 'dark' feeling of the song, with the video simply being made up of past interviews, concerts etc. and the TV static at the end.
I would be interested in learning about other songs with similar 'dark' backstories or contexts. Can you think of any other examples?
