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I chose to work with depression specifically targeting those who suffer and find a lot of struggle in finding help or feeling lost. I chose this because not only I but many of my friends and family members have suffered from depression in many forms. It affects everyone differently but everyone needs help. I want everyone to know that they are never a burden or hindrance and asking for help IS OK.

Song title: Burn Butcher Burn

Artist: Joseph Trapanese and Joey Batey

What does this song say to you? This song shows the pain and raw emotion of losing someone important. At the beginning the singer is almost angered and snarky with the line “… you’re alive how disappointing.” However next he sings about the consequences and how they affect him with a tone more of longing and regret. Next is a false confidence to a crowd hiding how he feels building a facade to bottle the emotions. Then He questions WHY did these have to happen and places blame to push his emotions away from him. However, at the end he cant hide it forever and the sadness and despair come to realization that his past is gone

Why did you choose this song to connect to depression? I chose this because I believe it shows a great way of how people really don’t want to have these lonely, sad, and depressing moods where they hide it with false glee or let it turn to blame and anger. It also portrays how this character is alone and that he no longer has anyone to help him. He struggles with no support. This can really help those who may not understand the emotions that they are feeling understand and relate to someone and understand that they are not alone.

Song title: Asleep

Artist: The Smiths

What does this song say to you? I believe this song relays the thoughts of depression and how it creates that somber null void that envelops a person’s mind. This feeling can be worse than death for many people. It’s the sense of not existing and when you do it’s nothing but doubt, pain and suffering. It talks about wanting to be sung to to move on to a better world. Many people want this sense of being fulfilled, no regrets, and just bliss. However, no response is ever heard instead it slowly fades with longer times between phrases. This shows how he is really alone with nothing left in his life except a memory of a better time. In passing that small sense of contentment feels euphoric, forgetting for a moment the lifetime of being alone and leaving “happy”.

Why did you choose this song to connect to depression? This song’s solemn background and simple words really help make clear the sense of extreme pain in the past wishing for a better present and future, and that being alone and wallowing led them to passing or wanting to pass. It can both resonate with those suffering and offer aid by showing how there are people that are worth connecting with and bonding with who can help make the pain disappear.

Song title: HAPPY

Artist: NF

What does this song say to you? This song shows the internal struggle about self image, motivation, and self realizations. He says how he knows how he knows everything that is hurting him, how he needs help but he says that he doesn’t recognize himself when he’s happy. He also states how he has been depressed for so long that being happy feels wrong. He knows what he needs to do to connect with people, forgive, give, therapy, and express his emotions, but each and everyone of these actions feels bad and goes against how it is to live. It goes against a very strong sense of self where even if the brain may understand the issues the mind refuses to change. He watches his life fall apart and burn up but it’s been too long and too numb so he simply just watches. He wants help but that help is terrifying.

Why did you choose this song to connect to depression? This song shows really well the struggle of living with depression and how it can seem like a vice grip on your life. This song also shows that people suffering in silence hiding themselves from loved ones and limiting time with friends that they aren’t alone there are people like them and there are people who think the same way and there are people who have asked for help and there are people who have gotten better. This song can really relay the damage that doing nothing can do when dealing with depression where emotions snowball and being alone feels like the only way to live, but you have to realize these imperfections and you have to act on them to ever get better.

Tracks:

1. Des Rocs Collection

• “Imaginary friends”
  • This song shows the struggle of a man and struggling to not listen to his own dark thoughts or his imaginary friends. With lyrics like “give into the fear and the fire, the liar in your ear”, and “why do these voices always try to change me”, they show the burden of negative self-identity that flows with depression.
• “Ruby with the Sharpest Lies”
  • A buildup of emotion is shown throughout this song. The narrator knows the pain that is guaranteed “Here’s a drink to our impending doom”. However, they can’t let go and be alone to the point of hopeless optimism that only hurts them with the statement “I’ll surrender to the tears in your eyes… But I’ll never survive”
• “Hanging by a Thread”
  • Within this song is the story of a lonely man who has become alone where they constantly feel like tipping over the edge. A relationship with someone who understands and cares for him is the only way he can see to save himself. “I’ve been hating myself. You’re the only one who can see me for somebody else.” He wants to be seen for who he is and who he wants to be versus his mental illness.
• “Nowhere Kid”
  • This is the story of a person lost without hope, a path, a purpose, or a will to go forward. They struggle feeling as though everything against them is a trap or that they don’t deserve help.
• “Suicide Romantics”
  • Within this song is the battle in someone’s head between wanting to be happy and live and the final romanticization of suicide. “Staring down the barrel of your gun. If you shoot, then there will be nothing here worth saving” and it’s the struggle of how both sides want to live but can’t lie to the perceived truths “I wish I could prove to you there’s so much more worth saving.”

1. “Ottawa Rockstar” by WHALES•TALK
   • This song is a mellow devolving personality losing control over wanting to have someone to share life with and not wanting to be isolated any longer. “Just another season that I can not control.” He slowly stops being able to control his thoughts and feels as though he can’t control his future either.

1.  “Sweater Weather” by The Neighborhood
   • This follows the joyous bliss that melts away pain, insecurity, and sorrow when they meet with the person that mutually means the world to each other.”Nothing that I wouldn’t want to tell you about.” This song describes simple actions but lets the listener feel the weight and deep impact they have on a person’s mind.
2.  “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan
   • This song encapsulates the slow seemingly inevitable rift that grows between people where lies are told and feelings are shut out. It talks of the struggle of wanting to love someone but realizing that you can’t. “And I’ll dream each night of some version of you.”
3.  “False Confidence” by Noad Kahan
   • throughout Noah talks about how he is empty and void and how he tries to fill up the pit of his self-identity and emotions with lies. “I fill up the void with polished doubt, fake sentiment.” He hopes that by lying he can have shreds of happiness and return to a life that was worth experiencing
4.  “Fake It” by Seether
   • Coming from this song is a hypocritical warning and guide. They talk about how if you have nothing left, fake it, try your best, and don’t be scared to move forward. “Fake it if you’re out of direction”. However, they also show that faking it doesn’t fix anything and it can lead to more harm and losing one’s self. “You should know the lies won’t hide your flaws”. Where you should both fake yourself to be better, But stay authentic to yourself.
5.  “Numb” by Linkin Park
   • This song shows the woes of someone who lost their sense of who they are and went numb to life trying to fill in gaps they couldn’t fit in. “All I want to do is be more like me and be less like you” Their struggle of living a lie for so long molds their perceptions. However, it is more important than life itself to become themselves again “Every second I waste is more than I can take”.
6.  “Freaks” by Surf Curse
   • This is a very short but very precise song. He thinks of himself as a freak that people can’t relate to and doesn’t want to live in that world anymore.”I am just a freak!… I won’t wake up this time!”
7.  “Sleep Alone” by Two Door Cinema Club
   • This song can convey many meanings to many different people. However, it mainly tries to verbalize the want to escape into dreams and the escape of your life into one that is much more livable. “And they can’t hurt him if they can’t see him”. This song tries to share the idea that you need to mold your life whether it be consciousness or not. “Let it be known I was worthy”.
8.  “Fire Fire” by Steam Powered Giraffe
   • This is a space opera following the emergency calm panic and despair of the narrator finding that everyone around him is burning and dying. “Flames scorchin’ them, but they’ll be out soon”. It conveys the intricate ideas of how many extremes can push someone to do things they might have sworn against. “And fire, fire is killin’ there desire”.

Extra

1.  “Danny Don’t you know” by Ninja Sex Party
   • While this band may be vulgar they are able to easily relate the struggles of growing up as an outcast or loner to a listener. The self-doubt and loneliness can make it feel as if there is no future worth fighting for but through passion and effort, you can find your calling. “But now you’ve finally found your tribe”.
2. “Galaxy Hamster” by Ninja Sex Party
   • This song follows the escapades of a galaxy-faring hamster who is portrayed as an intergalactic hero. The hamster fights for justice in proportions fit for a rodent. The hamster goes through many trials, tribulations, and even death.

The topic of focus that I decided to try and help was depression with an emphasis on isolation. People with depression can have a multitude of different causes and unique “cures” or ways to help them. Every case is personal and beyond unique. However, everyone is human and we all share some sort of expires. The songs chosen are not chosen because of the music genre nor the internal message of an individual song. These were chosen because the ideas that they try to relate can be covered and expressed by other songs. It’s the way that a song makes you think and how it makes you feel in the moment. Depression isn’t constant; variety can help the most for different stages and moods that exist within the vague condition. Artists such as “Des Rocs” or songs like “Numb” and “False Confidence” can help to be able to relate to something. The simple act of empathizing can help create a path to understanding a current mood and preventing it from flowing into something worse. Others like “Sweater Weather” or “Sleep Alone” can help create the ideas of hope or motivation to better oneself and try and find a better future path. Each song selection should be personal to each listener. Each song can have nostalgia or remind people of better happier memories that allow for a much deeper emotional change when that music is heard. The “Extra” category is for songs that can simply be a distraction, make you laugh, and let you forget the current struggles. These will be different for every person and most likely won’t have any effect from one to another. These could use the memories tied to them to create a better mood than the lyrics or rhythm. Lastly, the most important part of a song’s ability to speak to a person is if it sounds good. Finding a song that sounds good, that you can sing along to, and that can allow your mind to focus on that helps fortify the song as a memory. This strengthening makes it so these songs will have an impact and be able to create footholds to trudge through depressive episodes. Creating a playlist for isolative depression should follow the above ideas, but the order matters more than all else. First, you should be able to relate and have the music match your feelings. Then slowly ramp it up to more and more positive or memory-inducing until an individual’s needs have been met.