“Life Support” by Belle Mt. – A Song Feature

 

      “Life Support” is not merely a song that includes a metaphor. Rather, the entire song from Belle Mt. functions as a metaphor. Songwriter Matt Belmont had no reason or desire to disparage the U.S. in view of its political and social climate, so he cast the U.S. in the role of a girl on life support and himself as someone with a love for the girl.
 
     The song joins our short list of favorites that utilize the full-song metaphorical approach to draw attention to concerning circumstances. Reaching back to 1939, Billie Holiday released “Strange Fruit,” a somber single about lynching. In 1967, “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane was a metaphor-heavy release inspired by the 100-year-old book “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.” Grace Slick later explained that the song was intended to be a slap in the faces of parents who read their children such novels and then wondered why their children later used drugs.”
 
      While “Life Support” does not include an intro or an instrumental bridge, the instrumentation is noteworthy. Particularly enjoyable is the crescendo having a start that can be traced to the 2:17 mark. Throughout the song, the guitar and percussion are skillfully used to emphasize the lyrical message.
 
          Belle Mt. is a London trio. They are Matt Belmont (vocals, guitar), Ben Worsley (lead guitar), and Chris Burgess (drums). In explaining “Life Support,” Matt said:
  “’Life Support’ was written in the midst of what may have been the most chaotic 12 months in modern US history. There I was in mid 2019 planning my own move from London to Nashville (intended for mid 2020) while watching escalating US civil unrest and division on the TV, I was torn between that image of America and the inspiration and warmth I feel when I visit the US to write, record and perform. As I sat down to write about this I was determined that I didn’t want it to feel like I was kicking America when she was down, I toyed with the idea of using a metaphor and the scene in the song came to me; America cast in the role of the girl on Life Support and myself as the confused & delusional patient who has wandered out from the safety of the psych ward and ended up at her bedside. Convincing myself that we should be together with a vision informed only by one rosy picture I see on her bedside table illustrating an idealised vision of the past, determined not to give up on her and to see her returned to that.”
 
     Quoting the bio of Belle Mt., the band is recently independent after a pandemic stunted two-year stint with a US major label (Feb 2020 - Feb 2022), but they returned with a more evolved sound. Belle Mt. have been collecting serious momentum in 2022 and attest that their upcoming project constitutes a watershed moment, their best work yet. 
 
      “Life Support” by Belle Mt.

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Website: https://www.bellemt.com/

Lyrics of “Life Support” by Belle Mt
I fell in love with a girl that is on life support
Her doctor said she might not last the week
She needs a medicine like me
So here I sleep
 
I know she hears all the stories that I tell
Oh I believe she understands
I put ring around her finger
In the hope she’ll squeeze my hand
Ohh
 
You should’ve seen her
So full of life
‘Cause I found a picture
And she’s the one alright
I’m dying to save her
But she comes with a price
Well love it ain’t easy
And it’s just my luck that I
It’s just my luck
 
I fell in love with a girl that is on life support
Oh I’d been wandering ‘round these halls myself
Am I the one that needs a doctor?
I need some help
 
What if she doesn’t need
All of the wires and machines?
What if I break her free?
Well she belongs with me
Ohh
 
You should’ve seen her
So full of life
‘Cause I found a picture
And she’s the one alright
I’m dying to save her
But she comes with a price
Well love it ain’t easy
And it’s just my luck that I
 
Ohh
She might never pull through
I don’t know what I would do now alone
She might never pull through
So she might never know
 
You should’ve seen her
So full of life
‘Cause I found a picture
And she’s the one alright
I’m dying to save her
But she comes with a price
Well love it ain’t easy
Is it just my luck that I
 
You should’ve seen her
So full of life
‘Cause I found a picture
And she’s the one alright
I’m dying to save her
But she comes with a price
Well love it ain’t easy
It’s just my luck that I
It’s just my luck that I
It’s just my luck that I