Songs of Grieving

Hi guys. I wasn't gonna post anything else, but recent events moved me to do so.

Late in the evening, a dear friend of my Mom & my family died due to a tragic car accident. Although I do know the details as to what happened, I'm keeping them to myself to respect the recently deceased and the deceased's family. In times of grieving, many of us (Otaku or not) turn to the sounds of music to heal our hearts. So, join me into this bonus mini-trip of my mind, and take a look at some songs that have healed me during a time of suffering. Enjoy!

1) Weird Al - The Majority of his Songs (Example: "***")

Everybody needs goofy songs to heal every once in a while!

There's plenty of comedic singers out there, but Weird Al Yankovic still sits at the top of the throne of spoof music. Cranking out side-splitting tunes since the 80s, the way that Weird Al warps an otherwise normal pop song into a comedic abomination (I mean that in a good way) is nothing short of genius. Not only that, none of his songs are malicious or mean, and in fact are funny and, dare I saw it, sweet.

In short, listen to Weird Al when you need something sunnier to heal yourself.

2) Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy

This one's really more for my Mom than for me, but I figured I'd put it on here regardless.

The basic message of this song is simple: don't let shit slop all over your face. Just walk through life with a smile on your face, and don't let the bad stuff get to you. As the song says:

"Don't Worry.....Be Happy"

3) Type O Negative - Everything Dies 

Compared to the rest of the songs on this list, this one is perhaps the darkest. Given the material, however, it's understandable. 

I wouldn't necessarily say that Everything Dies is a song that heals. I would say that this song is something akin to reassurance, basically that everything will eventually die. People, animals, even ideas, will eventually die & float away like ash. It's not the brightest of messages, or even the cheeriest of messages, but it is the most truthful of messages.

4)  U.D.O. - I Give As Good As I Get It

Ironically, I just discovered these guys last night.

For starters.......why the hell did it take me this long to find these guys! As most of my friends know, I'm a fan of heavy metal. I've heard many metal bands from the past-present-future, but not finding out about U.D.O. until now is just a disgrace as a fan of metal. Secondly, this song has helped me grieve because the band in question is German, and my mother's friend was German as well.

As for why this song helped me grieve, it's kind of interesting. My mother's friend was a very kind & caring person, who often got just as much kindness given back to her from people she knew. In my opinion, this song seems to embody that ideal: you get as much good as you give out. Plain & simple.

5) Ministry - Lies Lies Lies

Taken from my "Top 10 Singers & Bands" post:

"Let’s take a personal trip through time. It’s August 27th, 2006, a day before my Fall 2006 semester at college. I wake up and come down stairs as usual, and I see my day hastily putting some clothes in a travel bag. When I ask why, I was told that my uncle (Which I saw a week prior at a family reunion) had died in a plane crash. I was in a state of shock. I couldn’t even cry because I was so shocked by what I was told. I didn’t even go through the day normal, but sometimes fate moves you in the weirdest of directions.

I think a couple weeks prior to his death, I was surfing through the TV, when I came across MTV (When they still kinda sorta played videos). On the screen was Ministry’s latest music video, Lies Lies Lies. I liked it, but I didn’t think much of it. About a week or two after, I was with my girlfriend at the time, and I managed to find a copy of the album the song came from. When my uncle died, I listened to the whole album, and somehow I was healed.....for the most part. Due to that act, Ministry will be my number 1 band for all time. "

Nuff said!

See you all next week. Until then, stay Otaku