(no subject)

[chess]

Evanescence is *not* happy music, and I should not wander around the house singing it cheerfully.

I probably ought to write about my weekend in Edinburgh with vililee (and ylla, and I saw albanach too). It was a very nice weekend. vililee is very nice indeed, and so is ylla, and albanach is nice too. And we went and looked at toyses, and vililee was scared of all the dolls looking at her. And we went to the zoo and saw pinguins in the snow, and felt sorry for the rhinos because one of them almost fell over on the icy snowy ground. And then ylla and albanach slid down a slidy bit of ice, but managed not to fall over, which was quite impressive. It was all very slidy, but I didn't fall over once, which I was proud of, although vililee and albanach had to help me over some of the icy bits, and ylla went first and slid on all the slidy bits so I knew where they were. And we watched Neverwhere and I read The Wee Free Men. And vililee's parents were very nice too, and the food was very nice indeed. And it snowed, and was all very picture-sque.

Today I went to eat lunch at Pete and Ju's, and was reintroduced to their small children. Their small children are cute and generally well-behaved and reasonably intelligent, which meant it took a full three hours for them to reduce me to muttering about fixing them with their magic fixing hammer and decided it was really time to take my leave. Pete and Ju gave me a Christmas present, which I think has been quite destroyed by being thrown around and sat on, but I suppose that depends on what it is. At least it has nice Winnie the Pooh wrapping paper. I've always tended to like the wrapping paper either better or just as much as the present, when it comes to Random Christmas Presents... I hope their children will be happy with theirs.

Comments

[tienelle.livejournal.com]

And what's wrong with singing depressing music? For bonus marks, go for happy-bouncy-depressing music (though Evanescence don't really do happy or bouncy), and see if anyone notices.

[ptc24.livejournal.com]

Evanescence isn't entirely bleak. In a lot of the songs there's a very definite sense of some sort of struggle, some feeling that there's at least something that can be done, even if it's not sure to work or the results won't be ideal, rather than a completely resigned, "I'm utterly doomed and there's not a thing that can be done about it".

[tienelle.livejournal.com]

For most of "Origin" I'd agree with you; "Fallen" seems to have more completely depressing songs. They are, however, still quite sad songs, and delivered in generally depressing style. Which I quite like.

[pepronei.livejournal.com]

What I see as hopeful notes:

1. "I can't keep going under..."

2. "I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems, got to open my eyes to everything."

3. "I know the truth now, I know who you are"

4. Er... I'm stumped on this one.

5. "I won't let you pull me down"

6. "Return to me salvation"

7. Well... I find "Imaginary" quite different from the rest (in a good way), but since I'm choosing one lyric from each song, "the nightmare I built my own world to escape".

8. (Ah... one of my favorites.) "I believe in you"

9. "Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken"

10. Okay, this is about death. I think it's an even sadder song than "Tourniquet". "Say goodnight, don't be afraid"

11. "Don't give in to the pain."

I feel dorky now. :D But this could be debated for hours, I just felt like throwing in my own two cents.

[tienelle.livejournal.com]

I was going to go into more detail, but didn't want to disturb everyone with my geekiness. Disturbing (everyone - 1) is obviously much more acceptable, so here are some thoughts for anyone who feels like tearing apart badly-formed impressions.

"Going under" sounds like a song about breaking up. It's not clear whether it's about doing so or failing to do so, and dying/breaking as a result, though.

"Bring me to life" and "Whisper" are both of the "Way out of bad situation" type, even though it appears to be fatal in W. BmtL is probably the happiest song on the album - pity about the rapper, really.

"Everybody's fool" is, on reflection, relatively cheerful. Seeing through lies shouldn't be depressing, I just found it so on first thought. Probably the lies' existence in the first place. Putting it immediately after "Taking over me" would have been fun.

"My Immortal" - a dead love. Very sad, though the saying about loving and losing applies here.

I'm not at all sure what "Haunted" is about. It must be zombies.

"Tourniquet" is about suicide. Seems to be in response to a crisis of faith, at that. I'm not sure killing oneself is exactly the wisest approach here. Oh, and tourniquet isn't pronounced like that! Sorry, just needed to say that.

I find "Imaginary" very depressing, mostly since I've a tendency to retreat into fantasies myself. This is not to say that fantasies are unconditionally bad, or that they've nothing to teach; just that I don't think it's good to hide from the real world in them.

"Taking over me" sounds as though it's about unrequited, and quite consuming, love. That's going to sting.

"Hello" also confuses me. It sounds like denial.

I really like "My last breath", though you're right about the death bit and it is quite stunningly depressing.

I think that's it. I've probably got completely the wrong ends of most of these sticks, but never mind that. For my next trick, I'll show that "Lucretia" is about the decline of the traditional English way of life in the aftermath of the second world war.

[pepronei.livejournal.com]

I agree with most of your descriptions, except "Haunted" and "Hello". :P I think "Haunted" isn't about so much lover-love as more like family-member-type love, probably a family member who didn't approve... but then the "watching me, wanting me" part makes it sound like maybe sexual abuse. "Hello" is the confusion/loneliness resulting after a loved one has just died.

Also, how is "Tourniquet" pronounced, then? I'm one of those eeevil Americans *grin* and I pronounce it the same way she does.

[tienelle.livejournal.com]

I agree with most of your descriptions, except "Haunted" and "Hello".

Bother. How am I meant to argue if people keep agreeing with me? <G>

I'd think "Saving me, raping me" would be a much better quote, if you were trying to support the idea that sexual abuse was involved. A family member who didn't approve of what? I still think it's zombies, though. Colon-pee.

I'm one of those eeevil Americans

My sympathy. Tourniquet is French, and should end up something like turn-i-kay. I'm sure someone will jump down my throat for getting the vowels wrong, but that's close enough.

[chess]

Uhm, I read 'Tourinquet' as suicide in response to random-stuff which is followed by a 'oh no, I'm dying, and I'm not sure where I'm going, or rather I am pretty sure and I've suddenly decided I don't like the idea any more'...

I don't think 'Going Under' suggests a success or a faliure, just an attempt.

'Haunted' looks like it can refer to any abusive/dependant pair.

I find 'My Last Breath' quite cheerful, actually. It's quite a childlike voice, in the lyrics; a reassurance that it'll all be okay, even if things are sad now, a reminder of the shared past to be thankful for. Maybe it's because I don't view death as so final and necessarily a bad thing, though.

'Hello' sounds like denial to me; or repressed-memory of some description, anyhow, causing dissociation.

[tienelle.livejournal.com]

I think you're probably right about Tourniquet. This raises an interesting (to me) question: suicide is, we're told, a pretty serious sin. God is very forgiving. What is the status of someone who (for example) slits their wrists (getting it right, which most people don't seem to), and repents while dying?

I wasn't sure "Going Under" even included an attempt to leave; just a realization that it was necessary.

"My last breath" cheerful? It's as good as can be expected under the circumstances; I suppose if you don't view death as final it's not too bad, though.