When I first heard "Stressed Out" on the radio, I immediately liked it, although I didn't look to see who the band was because it was on the today's hits radio station (see aforementioned dislike of bandwagons). But when "Ride" was released, I decided I had to find out more, which of course, prompted a YouTube search. And the rest is history.
The name, it seems, has a rather unique origin. From Wikipedia: "Tyler came up with the band's name while studying All My Sons by Arthur Miller, a play about a man who must decide what is best for his family after causing the death of twenty-one pilots during World War II because he knowingly sent them faulty parts for the good of his business. Tyler explains that this story of moral dilemma was the inspiration for the name of the band."
Interesting.
Twenty One Pilots fans insist there is no way to classify what genre they belong to, and I'll agree, it is difficult. There is certainly rap, though not in the traditional sense. There is also rock. You may know I'm a fan of the combination of the two. But what makes them stand out for me are the lyrics. Most times I don't give a shit about lyrics of a song I like, instead relying on the melody to affect me. But these lyrics are different. Unusual. Intriguing. Full of genuine human sentiment about uncertainty and conflict. I mean, how often do you hear a rap song about insecurity? I haven't yet found a song by them I don't like, but my favorite is "Car Radio." It alludes to the voices in one's head, something I've been battling as of late.
Here we go again. Forgive me. From Wikipedia:
"The bandwagon effect is a phenomenon whereby the rate of uptake of beliefs, ideas, fads and trends increases the more that they have already been adopted by others. In other words, the bandwagon effect is characterized by the probability of individual adoption increasing with respect to the proportion who have already done so.
"...The tendency to follow the actions or beliefs of others can occur because individuals directly prefer to conform, or because individuals derive information from others.
"...When individuals make rational choices based on the information they receive from others, economists have proposed that information cascades can quickly form in which people decide to ignore their personal information signals and follow the behavior of others."
See? We just can't help it. It's what we humans do. But I want to believe this is genuinely my own belief and behavior. So come on, people. Jump on my bandwagon, it's the coolest.
J. L. Dodd
P.S. I made a Twenty One Pilots Pandora station, It has played Arctic Monkeys, Jack White, Cage the Elephant, The Black Keyes, and Panic! At the Disco. All alt, apparently. I guess that makes sense, alternative, by definition, being the catch-all for anything different.
(Partial) Lyrics for "Lane Boy"
They say, "Stay in your lane, boy, lane boy,"
But we go where we want to
They think this thing is a highway, highway,
But will they be alive tomorrow?
They think this thing is a highway
If it was our way
We'd have a tempo change every other time change
'Cause our minds change on what we think is good
I wasn't raised in the hood,
But I know a thing or two about pain and darkness
If it wasn't for this music, I don't know how I would've fought this
Regardless,
All these songs I'm hearing are so heartless
Don't trust a perfect person and don't trust a song that's flawless
Honest,
There's a few songs on this record that feel common
I'm in constant confrontation with what I want and what is poppin'
In the industry
It seems to me
That singles on the radio are currency
My creativity's only free when I'm playin' shows
They say, "Stay in your lane, boy, lane boy,"
But we go where we want to
They think this thing is a highway, highway,
But will they be alive tomorrow?
Will they be alive tomorrow?
I'm sorry if that question I asked last
Scared you a bit like a hazmat
In a gas mask
If you ask Zack
He's my brother, he likes when I rap fast
But let's back track,
Back to this
Who would you live and die for on that list?
But the problem is
There's another list that exists and no one really wants to think about this
Forget sanity,
Forget salary,
Forget vanity,
My morality
If you get in between someone I love and me
You're gonna feel the heat of my cavalry
All these songs I'm hearing are so heartless
Don't trust a perfect person and don't trust a song that's flawless
Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty_One_Pilots
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwagon_effect
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/twentyonepilots/laneboy.html
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