Fuck The Sad

Failed attempt to write a song about depression from a few years ago.

A story without an ending. Sometimes that happens, kids.
2nd or 3rd attempt at this song at the time.
Roughed-in, trivial, cringey half-assed chorus, bridge with harmonies but no words yet, guitar solo, then nothing.
I hated the title...Fuck the Sad? Like fuck sad people? No. Or like a Peaches "fuck the pain away" kind of thing? Not really. So I sang "fuck this sadness" instead but then depression isn't just "sadness" so the whole thing just stalled and I didn't want to go back to it. Festering on my hard drive ever since, so here it is so I never have to complete it.
I did like the bass though.

• play
• pause
• min volume
• max volume

posted by chococat (10 comments total)

The bridge with harmonies but no words sounds ready to me.

I have often heard/read people who struggle with depression as complaining that the rest of us reduce depression to "being sad". As you said above, depression isn't just sadness, and people who suffer it have a hard time getting that point across. Perhaps (perhaps, perhaps), instead of trying to "defeat" depression, the song can focus on "explaining it". I think it would work very well because the song isn't particularly melancholic but rather forceful, so it (musically) makes the point that depression is more than the obvious lack of joy -or energy. And then it just stops as it does. Because, yeah, depression may make you not want to carry on explaining.

I think with a little tweaking of the words, the song can be finished. Musically it sounds very good, and its whole "uncompletedness" can very well be the point of the song.
posted by micayetoca at 3:06 AM on March 25, 2017 [4 favorites]

Yeah, it definitely sounds like it's missing some elements, but it doesn't sound incomplete per se. I can see why you kept it on yr hard drive (and why you want to set it/yrself free).
posted by comealongpole at 2:53 PM on March 25, 2017 [1 favorite]

I can relate to the wanting to finally get a song that's been pestering you for a zillion years but never gets done right, so you just throw it to the wind. It's a freeing feeling, and I hope it opens the gates to stuff you'll be satisfied with soon, and later on, too.

As a song in and of itself, it's very catchy, and it would have been interesting to see what became of the middle bridge part, because it was a nice shift in dynamic and mood. Unfortunately I pay little heed to lyrics, but that part would probably have been a good place to provide a response to the premise you'd already laid out. That said, you coulda changed the title of the song entirely and used the music for a completely different set of lyrics. But yeah, I get the idea, doot dah dah, it's a poppy catchy tune.

Now go and write that masterpiece, with this in the rear-view mirror.
posted by not_on_display at 12:47 AM on March 27, 2017 [2 favorites]

I love it! Words are overrated anyhow. I hear a synth line over the outro, it would be a nice left turn.

The whole thing has a Wilco feel to it which really, really works.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:10 AM on March 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I love that bass (and the fuzz guitar!).
posted by uncleozzy at 5:08 AM on March 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

I agree with grumpybear69, i think this could be nearly finished if you wanted it to be, but the icing on the cake would be to add in either a synth, or violins/cellos, or a xylophone, doubling up the bass melody over the outro, and perhaps on that first middle 8 too.
posted by greenish at 8:14 AM on March 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

Hey, wow, thanks to you all for listening and for your considered, thoughtful comments.
At this point I think the song is relegated to the trash heap, it just frustrates me now. But you never know.
posted by chococat at 2:41 PM on March 31, 2017

That was no "failed attempt", that is a success! This is great!
posted by the quidnunc kid at 11:39 PM on April 9, 2017 [2 favorites]

Wow, if this tune is for the trash heap, it speaks wonders what isn't in your trash heap. Hard to believe the tune is only 1:46, given all the ground it covers.

I dig the tune and the mix. In addition to what others have noted, the ringing of the guitar on the bridge just grinned.

I've stood too long too close to loud amps and crash symbols to make out all the lyrics. But you may be just a turn of phrase away from breaking through. The "Eureka!" moment will come, maybe tomorrow, maybe years from now. Of course the simplicity of it will be equally as maddening as the creative block itself.

Keep it on the trash heap for now and move on, but don't throw the heap away. Save it for dumpster diving later.
posted by Flippervault at 3:51 PM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

I agree I would not call this a failed attempt I've been listening to things here for the past few hours and yours is the second one that thought was really good. It's not fail this is not complete yet there are times I started writing something and so many years later I finished it and they're still things that I haven't finished after years and years of getting an idea
You definitely have Talent and it has its uniqueness doesn't sound like everything else out there some things that I started listening to that I couldn't get away from fast enough so I say go forward with braveness!
posted by RhonnyGee at 9:55 PM on May 5, 2017 [1 favorite]