Music Saved My Life
Music and Me
I’m sure you’ve all heard the phrase “music saved my life” before. And I’m sure you’ve thought, ‘what is that even supposed to mean?’ For some, it literally does translate to, if I didn’t have this music I would have no reason to live. Most artists respond to this statement by saying “the music didn’t save your life, you did. It just gave you the strength to do so.” That’s what music does for me. It gives me the strength to make it through situations I can’t make it through on my own. It’s everything I’m feeling finally being said out loud. Finally, finally someone is acknowledging my problems. Music never fails you. It’s always there when you need it and those lyrics you memorized always provide the same comfort.
If you’re like me you probably want some of those lyrics tattooed somewhere on you so you don’t have to actually listen to the song to make it through. If you’re even more like me you’re afraid to do so because your parents despise tattoos. If I were to ever get one I have it all planned out. I’d get “Don’t Lose Your Fight, Kid” from All Time Low’s Missing You tattooed on my right wrist. On the left wrist I’d get a simple set of mountains to represent Neck Deep’s “Sometimes things will bend you, but trust me you’ll be fine, cause I’ve been moving mountains that I once had to climb” from their song Gold Steps. Part of the reason why I identify with these songs so much is because they don’t shy away from the fact that people are messed up and depressed and anxious and sometimes they just need someone to tell them that life is worth living.
Over the course of this blog I’ll probably reference two bands multiple times, All Time Low and twenty one pilots. All Time Low has some more lighthearted and ‘dancey’ lyrics compared to twenty one pilots, but with songs like Missing You, Therapy, and Weightless they constantly show album after album that they get it. Not only do they understand us, but they’re just genuinely nice people. All Time Low is my absolute favorite band and I’ve been lucky enough to have multiple opportunities to meet and interact with them. Every single time I have met them they each took the time to ask me “how are you?” and actually be interested in the answer. Ask anyone I know and they’ll tell you I have never once missed on opportunity to see them in concert. My happiest memory is of the first I saw them live. The moment I can clearly remember the most is the end of the show where the lead singer, Alex Gaskarth, was walking by me and stopped on his way out of the venue. He grabbed my hand, looked me in eye, and thanked me for being a fan. I’d been to concerts before that one and I’d heard artists give thanks, but until that moment I never encountered an artist who truly meant it.
Twenty one pilots (and yes, their name is supposed to be uncapitalized) is a band I found as recently as last summer. Sure, I’d heard of them before but never really took the time to check out their music. When something terrible happened in my life that summer I somehow knew in my heart that twenty one pilots was going to be the band that got me through it, and they did. This tiny little duo from Columbus, Ohio was doing something no one else was doing. They were actually talking about mental illness and treated it as something that makes a person stronger not weaker. They put all of their experience into their songs and poured their heart into every single live show. Their new tagline is “who is blurryface and why does he want me dead?” Blurryface is never given a name that only relates to members Josh or Tyler. Instead they tell us that blurryface symbolizes our inner demons and that we all the strength to defeat him. Every single time twenty one pilots puts on a concert they bring together thousands of people who want to dance away with those understand what they’re going through. As of right now I have tickets to their massive arena tour Emotional Roadshow that they kicked off two days ago. Given extenuating circumstances I may not be attending my date. Hopefully it’ll work out, if not there’s another date I have my eye on that also has bad circumstances attached to it. All I know is that I have to see the band that’s gotten me through so much. Given the year I’ve had, a twenty one pilots concert is the exact place I need to be.
Of course I have a plethora of other bands that mean the world to me and have helped me get through the worst moments of my life. But I also have bands like One Direction, the Jonas Brothers, and 5 Seconds of Summer who just have catchy songs and ridiculous members that automatically make you happy. Sure, other people find the idea of liking these bands stupid and immature, but who’s to tell me what I am and am not allowed to listen to? Society can suck it. If you find a band or an artist that gives you the strength to keep going hold onto them and don’t let go. There’s nothing better than knowing there’s a group of individuals who have your back through everything. Remember that, even if the band breaks up and you’re so incredibly sad you can’t think straight. You still have the music and no one can take that away from you.
Recommended music for this post (also my two favorite music videos): twenty one pilots - Car Radio
Comments
Post a Comment