Antique Memes Roadshow

"Saved my life" - that would be Pink Floyd's The Wall. Growing up in a small town with extremely uptight to the point of abusive middle class parents, it was a revelation: I'm not alone in my fight against this sort of oppression!

"All in all it's just another brick in the wall" is still something I think of often.

Originally I was going to just comment flippantly, two meme songs:

• Scrub scrub scrub (not finding the original, this one has redone animation I guess) helped me find some of my closest friends that I've had for almost 20 years now. Can and do go years without talking due to life "lifing", and pick back up like no time has passed. Wonderful people who are altogether more than I deserve.
• Knee deep in the Doot helped me find the joy of playing OG Doom and Doom 2, that in a very round about way eventually gave me the kick in the pants to get my life moving again after a depressive period.

They did change my life, but I remembered some serious ones too:

• Pendulum - The Tempest: This song, and the amount of catharsis I felt with the line "I know I can help you, I just don't fucking want to and the feeling's getting stronger by the day" was the first early sign that my first serious relationship wasn't OK. It took a few more years for it to all come crumbling down, when a police investigation knocked enough sense into my head to realize that she hadn't just for no reason had friend group after friend group turn on her in increasingly malevolent ways, but instead that she had been stealing from literally whoever she thought she could, those "boo hoo everyone is always so mean to me" things all been cover stories, and it had finally come to bite her in the ass with inarguable evidence. Also helped me get over childhood trauma of being the child mediator between my parents' fights. I still try to help people more than I probably should, but I no longer feel bad cutting it off so I can care for my own problems. Secure you own mask first and all that.
• fun. - Take Your Time (Coming Home) (Live at Fingerprints): Not sure if this is the specific acoustic version from the Live at Fingerprints album, or just a acoustic version, but this song has carried me through a lot of hard times and big moments of change in my life. I take it to be about not rushing to find your place and to be confident in the choices you've made, even if you're terrified. It tends to surface from my shuffle at big moments in my life, but I'm sure it's confirmation bias. Either way, it's helped me a lot. The specific "Live at Fingerprints" version makes me teary. I've not taken as many big leaps and risks as some, but this helps to see me through it. Peter Gabriel's - Solsbury Hill is a good companion to it.
• The Longest Johns - Hard Times Come Again No More: this is a more recent one, and helps me get the sadness out over the big rough things in life that hit you when you least expect them and you can't do any damn thing about. Elderly family members declining, fertility issues, people dying that you had told yourself you'd have an opportunity to reconnect with but were just too busy too do right now. The deep hurts that can only heal over time. The song helps me in the shorter term.

Aenema - Tool, the whole album. Came into my life just at the time I needed it and helped me come to new conclusions about religion and society.

Harry Mack’s “Omegle Bars”

My wife left me right before I lost my job due to Covid. Hit some really dark places. His talent and positivity really helped me through it.

Sia - Breathe Me

The Government Knows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zH9Zca1vRM

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life

Someone Saved My Life Tonight

I may have misunderstood the assignment.

Frightened Rabbit - Swim Until You Can’t See Land https://youtu.be/dSCQLEzm0nw

I found and listened to it a lot through a hard time. A few other songs of theirs grew on me as well. The lead artist also did a solo album that is moving. They later sadly took their own life. In retrospect, it kind of feels like we shared a struggle that they helped me through.

Hutchison had tweeted “Be so good to everyone you love. It’s not a given. I’m so annoyed that it’s not. I didn’t live by that standard and it kills me. Please, hug your loved ones”, followed by “I’m away now. Thanks.”

Mine: https://youtu.be/S_LQz-g64gs

Friska Viljor - The Cure