Have you ever had that feeling that you needed to hear a song but didn't know that you did? It's not like you've been singing the song over and over but the moment you hear it you just understand that you needed to hear this song. Well that happened to me this morning. As soon as Down started to play I knew I needed to hear this song. It was exactly what I wanted to hear.
Lately I haven't been feeling top notch. I'm not really happy with where I've let myself go. I've gained quite a bit of weight, I'm tired a lot, I don't have a lot of energy, I've grown a bit lazy, it's safe to say I'm in a bit of a funk and it's taking it's toll on me. It's not like I'm depressed it's just I'm not me and that needs to change. This week I have started to turn over a new leaf and get back to the old me. The person who has energy, who isn't constantly tired, who is willing to shed some of these pounds. I mapped out a plan and everything that I have quite a lot of confidence in. I really feel that this plan can start turning out positive results. As of today (Tuesday) it's been going according to plan. The playing of Down was like my ipod telling me that it's all going to be okay.
First things first, Down would probably make my top 25 favorite Pearl Jam songs. I love the studio cut, this live version, and the regular live version (where Eddie Vedder sings "I think I'll throw these fucking pills away"). It's a solid song from start to finish with a positive message. We start off with someone who isn't feeling at the top of their game. Things aren't going their way lately and they feel like they're kind of down and out. What I love about this song is that the person who is feeling down who is feeling beyond repair never gives up, and today that's what I needed to hear.
It's such a positive song despite the negativity of the title (lets face the word down comes with negative connotations). Yes things are bad but there's this silver lining at the end of the tunnel. I love, love, love the lyric "if hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done". It's just a hopeful lyric. It's like saying I know things are bad now and may seem like they're never going to be better, but let me assure you things will improve. If they can get better for me then they can get better for you. It's such positive energy, I'm a sucker for songs that send messages that things will improve.
What I love about Pearl Jam is how very rarely Eddie Vedder will discuss what the meaning of a song is. He likes to keep it up to the listener. They don't give away a songs meaning because a song can mean different things to different people and it should be up to the listener to make the song their own. There's nothing better then a band fully giving up it's song to it's listener. It's almost like once it's recorded it's not longer theirs it belongs to us the listener. I find that to be very, very cool.
So when I woke up this morning I had no idea that Down was the song I needed to hear. It was that glimmer telling me that things are going to improve. "If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done". I sang this song all day during work and each time I did it made me smile. Things are going to improve and I'm going to start taking better care of myself. This knowledge has me very excited. How can I feel down this morning knowing that things are going to get better? Hell, Eddie Vedder told me they would.
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