As Aristotle wrote in his classic songwriting treatise Rhetorock, there are essentially three different ways to write a song about killing yourself: When most metals bands write their obligatory suicide song, they employ Ethos, convincing you through extended guitar solos that the singer knows what he’s talking about when it comes to suicide, either because he is a seriously bad dude, or because he is already dead, perhaps by his own hand. Most non-metal bands use the Pathos approach, tugging at your emotions by pointing out how very sad it is when someone kills his or her self, and employing acoustic guitars and string sections. Deleted Scenes go with the oft-overlooked Logos technique, telling me, in a cheery, glorious sing along, that once I “take my life” I will be dropped off “in a better place,” logically suggesting that if there is no God or heaven or hell, and your life even slightly sucks, then, faced with oblivion as an alternative... well, anyway, it’s a hell of a catchy song.Friday, September 18, 2009
999,995: Deleted Scenes — Take My Life
As Aristotle wrote in his classic songwriting treatise Rhetorock, there are essentially three different ways to write a song about killing yourself: When most metals bands write their obligatory suicide song, they employ Ethos, convincing you through extended guitar solos that the singer knows what he’s talking about when it comes to suicide, either because he is a seriously bad dude, or because he is already dead, perhaps by his own hand. Most non-metal bands use the Pathos approach, tugging at your emotions by pointing out how very sad it is when someone kills his or her self, and employing acoustic guitars and string sections. Deleted Scenes go with the oft-overlooked Logos technique, telling me, in a cheery, glorious sing along, that once I “take my life” I will be dropped off “in a better place,” logically suggesting that if there is no God or heaven or hell, and your life even slightly sucks, then, faced with oblivion as an alternative... well, anyway, it’s a hell of a catchy song.
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I think I like this, but I also think it's a bit longish. Why does the vocal melody on the chorus change throughout? It becomes really evident at about the halfway mark and then again at the end. Is this song about suicide or about moving, changing jobs, and breaking up with girls? Take my life, please? Rock music is confusing.
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