Top Five Songs Part 2: Depressed Rock

So, let's get a little more serious.  While it's very true that Metal gives me energy and puts me in a good mood, my writing usually comes the easiest to me when I am somewhere between depressed and thoughtful.  In order to completely tap into that state of mind I listen to what I like to call Depressed Rock.  You know the types of songs I mean.  The ones with a Rock beat, but the lyrics and tone make you want go see a psychiatrist so you don't slit your own wrists.  It's good stuff.

             5. Blurry by Puddle of Mudd.  This song isn't so much depressing as it is thought provoking.  Don't get me wrong it has its depression element, but to me it's more about a father wanting to simply be with his child and protect him, which I must admit is kind of sad, not that he wants to be a father, but that he is in a position where it has been made difficult.  He obviously cares for his child, but he isn't around much so he wonders about his child and what he is doing.  It makes me think, and when I think I write, a lot.

             4. Jeremy by Pearl Jam.  Do I really need to explain this song?  Good, it could not be any more self-explanatory.  I will say one thing about the protagonist/antagonist I can relate to him on some levels not the mass murder level, but some other ones.  I think in a way many people could relate to a tormented boy, who just wants to fit in.  Just don't go on a shooting spree, talk about solving absolutely nothing!  I prefer to just hide within my words; there I can do whatever what want, including shooting everyone.

             3. Nothing Else Matters by Metallica  This song was on the last album Metallica put out that could be considered Rock.  Anyway, the lyrics and the tone of the song often take me to a place in my mind where I find some of the more depressed ideas I get for writing.  Are you starting to see a theme develop here?  To be honest I'm not totally sure I even get the song on a conscious level, but it hits my sub-conscious like a Mack truck.

             2. Bother by Stone Sour  This is another I don't really need to explain, it is just dark.  The tone is dark, the imagery of the lyrics is dark.  The video, oh man, the video is the shadow of darkness.  I don't listen to this song much, for obvious reasons, but it still ranks high on my list because it is so dark and that's just how I roll.

1. Epiphany by Staind  This song is the closest I have to what I really feel when my mood crashes.  It simply is the way the I feel.  It's a powerful song with a tone that speaks to me on a level I cannot even begin to describe.  I hope one day that I can verbalize these feelings, when I can I believe I will have a best seller on my hands.

           So this is how it is.  Depressed Rock is how I tap into the region of my mind where my creative juices (I hate that expression) flow from.  Sometimes I wonder if it is good that so much of what I write ends up with so many dark tones, or comes from dark places, but it is simply the way things are.  I embrace who I am and who I am is, read my work and you be the judge.

           For my next list I'm going to get a little mushy, sorry.