What’s a depression anthem? I never expected sufferers of depression to feel like singing a theme song to it.
It’s a song that speaks to your flavour of depression. Makes you feel like someone feels the exact same way you do. That in turn makes you feel sane. Like you’re heard. Even understood.
Over time, songs (or movies or other things) can become a ritual - you feel awful, listen to the song, eventually you come out the other side as the depressive episode fades. Then the next time it happens you associate the song with your recovery. So over time it becomes What You Do when you Feel That Way.
What song would you recommend to someone who has done things she regrets when she had the opportunity to have something good and lives with the still-ongoing snowball effect that she is so used to seeing as karmic that she doesn’t typically bring up any of the issues?
Here’s the closest I’ve got.
Priest is an electronic music project originally formed by ex-members of the hugely popular band Ghost. I’d call this Darkwave, but the label doesn’t matter, it’s depeche mode-y and don’t let the gimp mask put you off, I believe the song is very sincere.
I can't stop, it's too late, it pours out, it's my fate My legacy in black Looking in to my eyes, see the things i despise My soul is tainted black I traveled with the enemy, i thought it was my destiny I'm free of all the lunacy I never want it back, my history in black Silent screams longing voice, violent dreams, ringing noise My memory is black It's not a mask, it's my skin Please don't ask where i've been My heart is painted black I traveled with the enemy, i thought it was my destiny I'm free of all the lunacy I'm never want it back, my history in black I escaped from the cage inside I traveled with the enemy, i thought it was my destiny I'm free of all the lunacy I never want it back, my history in black My history in blackYes, that works. I definitely feel this song.
Swans - Song for Dead Time
So bury your trust beneath the ground with me, dear
And lay your loneliness down for the sun to burn
To sand…
Yes. Swans have several beautiful crushingly dark songs. God Damn the Sun is one I go to.
Depression is a mess, it can have lots of symptoms. Same as antidepressants kek.
True, though I thought being “not in the mood” (for a lack of a better word) is required before all diagnoses of depression.
It depends on what you mean.
A single song: Hurt - Jonny Cash
Playlist to feel that:
- Pergunta Urgente - Frejat
- Broken Heart - White Lion
- Hurt - Jonny Cash
- Shake It Out - Florence & The Machine
- Best Thing I Never Had - Beyonce
- Dos Margaritas - Herbert Viana
- Depois - Marisa Monte
To recover from that:
- Ain’t no grave - Jonny Cash
- Where Angels Fear to Fly - Battle Beast
- Hurt - Jonny Cash
- Fire in Bone - The Killers
- Semana que Vem - Pitty
- Life Won’t Wait - Ozzy Osbourne
- Broken Heart - White Lion
- Temporal - Pitty
- O Poeta Está Vivo - Barão Vermelho
- Could Have Been Me - The Struts
- This Time - Guano Apes
- Spirit Never Die - Masterplan
- Sem Parar - Gabriel o Pensador
- Tente Outra Vez - Barão Vermelho
- Carry On - Angra
- Levanta e Anda (feat. Rael) - Emicida
- What a Wonderful World - Joey Ramone
- Rising Fire - Firewind
- Let Me Hear You Scream - Ozzy Osbourne
- Heavy Metal Never Dies - Iron Savior
- Born to Survive - Myrath
- Amnesia - Red Sun Rising
- Dance - Myrath
- Freak Like Me - Halestorm
- Where My Heart Will Take Me - Russel Watson
- Saga Cega - RAPadura
- Farol - Supercombo
- I Like It - Lacuna Coil
- Beyond the Burning Skies - Battle Beast
- Reason to Believe - Arch Enemy
- Moving On - Jimmy Cliff
- Conselho - Almir Guineto
- Unstoppable - Sia
- A Beautiful Life - Dorothy
- Nothing is Forever - Iron Savior
This second playlist is named “Keep Walking”. The first one, translated, could be “wheel’s bottom”.
Where My Heart Will Take Me
JONATHAN ARCHER INTENSIFIES
Exactly
Honestly hurt is my go to song when I’m feeling like shit.
The Cure, Disintegration
This is probably the best answer I’ve seen. Watching them build the song over the OK Computer tour when you were sure they were going to implode… It hits just right.
The Great Below – Nine Inch Nails. (About 5 months in 2001 while addicted to Everquest).
The Beginning is End is the Beginning – Smashing Pumpkins (this version: https://youtu.be/0fDZD46IZ5Q?si=CyfMtrWL7YbtsEs7) (during my undergrad thesis crunch time crisis circa 2009)
There’s more but these are good examples.
Roads by Portishead.
She knows. She gets it.
Oh, solid track
It’s not really a single song for me, it really depends on how depressed I am and whether I want to dive deeper into it (which really helps a lot sometimes) or make myself feel better.
Dive-in (including, but not limited to):
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The album Spiderland by Slint is pretty much full of depression songs for me, gloomy and full of dread. Don, Aman and Washer in particular are very hard hitting for me.
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F#A#∞ by Godspeed You! Black Emperor has similar vibes but is a lot more dystopian and pessimistic. Ever since hearing East Hastings in 28 Days Later it’s been my favourite song on the album.
Feel better (including, but not limited to):
- Everybody Hurts by R.E.M.; I normally don’t like this kind of songs but this one just feels honest and sincere which I can appreciate, plus Michael Stipe just has a great voice.
- Down Under by Men At Work; Pretty much the polar opposite of the post-punk/-rock songs mentioned above. I really want to move to Australia one day and this song reminds me of that goal.
- Happiness/The Gondola Man by Elliott Smith; just a nice song and I really like Elliott’s voice.
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Sea Change album by Beck
Nine Inch Nails album With Teeth. Every Day is Exactly the Same, Only, and Right Where it Belongs.
This by far my favourite album of theirs. Every one a banger. Especially those you listed.
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills, and Nash (and sometimes Young). Also, Wooden Ships, same band. Four Way Street is an outstanding album full of heavy hitters
Stone Sour - Bother
These songs will always make me cry when I’m down in the dumps
- Liability by Lorde
- All I Want by Kodaline
- Thursday by Jess Glynne
- Heavy by Linkin Park ft. Kiiara
I’ve got a playlist, “Everything sucks but that’s ok”. This Year by The Mountain Goats is usually a solid pick. It’s wistful and defiant without being too sweet.
Misanthropic Drunken Loner by Days N Daze is bleak with a wry smile.
Nausea by Jeff Rosenstock.
I got so tired of discussing my future I started avoiding the people I love Evenings of silence and mornings of nausea Shake and sweat and I can’t throw up
And if things are starting to get a little better Good As It Gets by Little Hurt is great. It is incredibly catchy.
The Wall is a special album for me, usually makes want to kill myself so I have to carefully pick the moments I listen to it.
On GP - Death Grips
