In
the last several years and particularly during the lockdowns, the consciousness
of and the sensitivity to the challenges of mental health struggles have been
magnified. It’s not surprising that songwriters have addressed the issue. “Baudelaire
Waltz” stands above the others in terms of its impact upon listeners. Waste of
Paint wrote the song in the voice of a person who recognizes that losing the battle
is on the horizon. “This button is red for a reason… We both know I’ll push
it one day.”
The
song has been re-released as “Baudelaire Waltz 2022,” and we thank Waste of
Paint for bringing the song to an expanding audience. Our perhaps flawed
understanding of the lyrics sits at the bottom of this post. The lyrics are
subject to interpretation, as is the case with most well-written songs. The impact
of the song is based on several factors. The protagonist is speaking to the
person (“My love”) most likely to be a helping hand when needed. But he tests
the other person in order to see is she/he will run.
Waste
Of Paint is from Hull, UK and is driven by Adam Brodie and Dan Spooner. The other
two members are drummer Jamie Dean (a founding member) and bassist/multi-instrumentalist
Paul Sargeson. Brodie and Spooner note that “Baudelaire Waltz 2022” was inspired
by the work of French poet Charles Baudelaire who wrote, amongst other things,
about the self-destructive nature of the mind. They add:
“This
is something we can relate to. Sometimes you can be perfectly happy, but that
part of your brain will not trust that happiness so ruins it. Destroys it just
to see if it was real. It’s the mind craving misery just to feel alive. It is a
horrible place to live. If this is you then understand, you are not alone.”
Speaking
about the video, Adam Brodie – with typically stark and brutal honesty –
explained: “I had to let go and ‘break down’ in front of camera … I had to
bear my soul, I had to cry. And I did, a lot. It was the only way I could do
justice to the words that had poured out of me when writing the song. I had to
tell my truth.”
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wasteofpaintband
Bandcamp: https://wasteofpaint.bandcamp.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wasteofpaintband/
Hah, I mean, I don’t have any
I don’t believe I have any chemical predisposition toward depression
But, huh, let’s just call it I was suffering from spirituality, I suppose
Move your hand
This button is red for a reason
I’m sure you understand
I know you’ll push it one day
We both know you’ll push it one day
Cause you need to fell lose
Throw it all away
There’s no drug like a broken heart
So give me that pain
I will get drunk
And full of hate
And I’ll burn the whole world around me in a fit of rage
You can call me a mess
A shell of a man
But I’m a victim, complex
I struggle to understand
Know that I’ll push it one day
We both know I’ll push it one day
My big red button
Sometimes I cry “Wolf”
Just to see if you run
When my self-loathing gets too much
And I need someone
And I know I hurt you
But it’s not by design
It’s just that the darkness inside of my head
Must extinguish the light
Know that I’m pushing you away
We both know I’m pushing you away
My love
No comments:
Post a Comment