โช โแต๏ฝ๐ง๐ผโ๐ฐ ๐โ ๐๐ฆโ๐ฆ๐! โช
๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ!
To go along with the March Madness Theme, I am closing out the month with 10 of my favorite songs about MADNESS!
NOTE: This was rejected for word count, so I am amending the story to add some selected song lyrics for each selection.
Basket Case by Green Day
Green Day actually had a few pieces in contention, but Basket Case just HAD to be included! It is about anxiety attacks and a feeling that you are going crazy.
โSometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think Iโm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Or am I just stoned?โ
Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
This is another tune that absolutely could not be left off this list! Weโre all a bit crazy when seen through each otherโs eyes.
โI remember when
I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that place
Even your emotions have an echo in so much spaceโ
Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne
Crazy Train is the classic CRAZY song and includes one of the greatest guitar riffs in music history. The song is actually about the madness of the Cold War which plagued the era.
ALL ABOARD!
โMental wounds not healing
Lifeโs a bitter shame
Iโm going off the rails on a Crazy Trainโ
Mad World by Gary Jules
It was a difficult choice between this more somber cover or the original Tears for Fears classic. I am a big TFF fan. The songs are like opposite sides of the same coin, but the Gary Jules version truly captures the downbeat, depressive madness of this world and that feeling of being alienated.
We are trapped in a mundane and circular routine, the daily grind of living, and it has sucked the sanity right out of the world. What hope is there of coming to terms with your own sanity when the whole world has gone mad and is running in circles? What does it suggest about life when the dreams in which youโre dying are best youโve ever had? (Very Freudian)
โAnd I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which Iโm dying are the best Iโve ever had
I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take
When people run in circles, itโs a very, very
Mad world, mad worldโ
Disturbia by Rihanna
โDisturbiaโ was co-written by Rihannaโs then-boyfriend and fellow recording artist, Chris Brown. In an interview, Rihanna described the song as being about the general feelings of mental anguish, anxiety and confusion.
โNo more gas in the rig
(Canโt even get it started)
Nothing heard, nothing said
(Canโt even speak about it)
All my life on my head
(Donโt want to think about it)
Feels like Iโm going insane, yeah.
Itโs a thief in the night to come and grab you
It can creep up inside you and consume you
A disease of the mind, it can control you
Itโs too close for comfort.โ
Crazy on You by Heart
โCrazy on Youโ was released in 1976 by Heart, led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The Vietnam War had recently ended, and, not unlike today, it was a time of great political and civil unrest. According to Nancy Wilson, this was a call to your partner: โI know the world is just insanely crazy here right now. But I just want us to go crazy together. To let it all just fall away so itโs only just you and me here!โ (Or cast in todayโs terms, let us be one anotherโs safe space to go crazy.)
โWild manโs world is cryinโ in pain
What you gonna do when everybodyโs insane?
So afraid of one whoโs so afraid of you
What you gonna do?
Ooh, crazy on you
Crazy on you
Let me go crazy, crazy on youโ
Mad Hatter by Melanie Martinez
The phrase โMad Hatterโ is often used to describe an eccentric or erratic person. Mercury poisoning was prevalent in 18th and 19th Century hatmakers due to their prolonged exposure to toxic mercury fumes, leading to the term โMad Hatters Diseaseโ. The โMad Hatterโ is also a character in Lewis Carrollโs 1865 fantasy novel โAliceโs Adventures in Wonderlandโ. This song reminds us that it is okay to be comfortable with who you are. Embrace your unique individuality. ALL the best people are crazy!
โIโm peeling the skin off my face
โCause I really hate being safe
The normals, they make me afraid
The crazies, they make me feel sane
Iโm nuts, baby, Iโm mad
The craziest friend that youโve ever had
. . .
So what if Iโm crazy? . . .
All the best people are crazyโ
Insane in the Brain by Cypress Hill
โInsane in the Membraneโ was a gang term used by the Bloods and Crips as an informal insanity plea upon arrest. It was one of the first songs I thought of when I was compiling this list.
Insane in the membrane
Insane in the brain
Insane in the membrane
Insane in the brain
Insane in the membrane
Crazy insane, got no brain
Insane in the membrane
Insane in the brain
Unwell by Matchbox Twenty
In an interview, Matchbox Twenty lead singer, Rob Thomas, said: โUnwell is about having a despondent relationship with yourself. In the end, itโs a positive song, because you come to terms with the fact youโre not crazyโ (just a little unwell).
โAll day starinโ
at the ceilinโ makinโ
Friends with shadows on my wall
All night hearing voices tellinโ me
That I should get some sleep
Because tomorrow might be good for somethinโ
Hold on, feelinโ like Iโm headed for a breakdown
And I donโt know why
But Iโm not crazy, Iโm just a little unwell
I know, right now you canโt tell
But stay a while and maybe then youโll see
A different side of meโ
Donโt Give Up by Peter Gabriel (with Kate Bush)
I will finish this list on a much more serious note. I have played on the theme of Madness for March, but mental health is no laughing matter. If you are struggling with issues in your life, know that you are NOT alone. This is our community; here you are surrounded by friends. PLEASE reach out. You are not alone, nor do you have to face your demons alone. Also, you can always Dial 9-8-8. YOU MATTER! Donโt give up!
โNo fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
Iโve changed my face, Iโve changed my name
But no one wants you when you lose
. . .
Donโt give up
โCause you have friends
Donโt give up
Youโre not the only one
Donโt give up
No reason to be ashamed
Donโt give up
You still have us
Donโt give up now
Weโre proud of who you are
Donโt give up
You know itโs never been easy
Donโt give up
โCause I believe thereโs a place
Thereโs a place where we belongโ
About the Creator
๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐๐ค๐ญ๐จ๐ง
หโ*ยฐโข.หโ*ยฐโข Time is our most valuable asset. Thank you for spending some of your time with me! โขยฐ*โห.โขยฐ*โห
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Comments (21)
Congratulations! <3
Congrats on top story. I love all these songs. Thanks for writing about mental illness.
I love Mad World sung by Susan Boyle. "Don't give up cause you have friends" is excellent advice. Thanks for the gift of musical healing.
Bravo for standing up for Mental Health! Congrats on Top Story...well deserved.
Congratulations ๐๐ for top story You're making significant strides with your hard work and commitment. Keep up the momentum
Wowโhalf these songs Iโve heard a million times and never stopped to contemplate the lyrics! Super interesting story here!
I love how your brain works, sir! That Insane in the Brain was the first song you thought of. Love the fact that you turned this into a nice plea for people to get help and not give up. All of these songs are perfect...and I actually will stand by your decision to take the Donnie Darko version of Gary Jules, as that film is also very much about mental health, so it fits. Plus that version really makes you think about the words more deeply. There are some I would have included...Sweating Bullets by Megadeth is at least one that always comes to mind when I think about mental health and madness. the irish band called Therapy? has a few songs too. One called Trigger Inside is particularly dark. Their album Troublegum has a lot about depression, anxiety and mental health. And obviously, Brain Damage by Pink Floyd is probably one of my favourite. Coming Undone by Korn and of course, why is this even the last thing I mention The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails. It is not the easiest listen...not by a long shot...but I've always felt it was brave and uncompromising in dealing with all the most troublesome of issues. Anyway, thank you for doing these pieces, Rob, I really love the sensitivity you take and your thoughts and insights! I saw the AI challenge. Dunno if I commented on it yet, but shall! Well done on this getting Top Story too.
"Don't Give Up" is always part of my song list; great mix and subject! Well done!
All great songs, I like that you added the Katee Bush and Peter Gabriel song in this mix. Congratulations
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! ๐๐๐๐๐๐
Bravo! ๐ this is fantastic! Thank you for sharing ๐
Wow I love this list, I am adding them to a Spotify list. You did such a great job in selecting these. It's been so long since I last listened to Matchbox20 Unwell. Thank you, thank you! Congrats on top story too!
Great list. I love the Gabriel/ Bush song... That is classic. Of course I love Mad World and Gary Jules does a fantastic rendition but it is Tears For Fears' original that is my favorite. If I may add a few Brain Damage by Pink Floyd and The Lunatics by Fun Boy 3.
Congratulations ๐๐ for top story Your perseverance is both admirable and motivating. Keep forging ahead!
Wonderful list with some great tunes. Congrats on the TS.
Congrats on Top Story!! Well deserved!
yay!...Congrats!
Oh my, I remember that time when I was so addicted to Disturbia. It's so nostalgic listening to that again. These were all great songs Rob!
Loved the whole madness theme! It was a great idea!
I (and many others) had a wonderful time slipping darkly into madness this past March, but some forms of madness are no laughing matter. Thank you for including an all-important reminder, "You are not alone, and you do not have to face your demons alone. Also, you can always Dial 9-8-8. YOU MATTER!"
LOVE this playlist!!