Nash Flash

Even before there was Blink 182 or emo became mainstream, songs that hit you where it should hurt abound. Most of the time, you could already feel the pain on your first spin of the cd. Some times though, they mask it with an upbeat rhythm, but upon further probing, you discover it’s actually an anger song. Take for example Third Eye Blind and their debut album.

Originally, it’s just supposed to be a list of ten songs, but it expanded to 20 with still more on the special mention list. And this is with the one song-per-artist rule. But I had to make exceptions, as you would find out later.

20 Your Woman
White Town
killer line: I could never be your woman

Actually, this wouldn’t sound comedic if someone didn’t point out to me a long time ago that it’s a man who sang that song.

19 A Love to Share
Rivermaya
killer line: Nobody cares for me, nobody here needs me

This is actually a feel-good song masquerading as an I’m-so-depressed-I-suck tune.

18 Push
matchbox twenty
killer line: I wanna push you around, I will, I will

Nothing states the obvious than that line.

17 Brick
Ben Folds Five
killer line: She’s a brick and I'm drowning slowly

Initially, it’s a song I despise for being too melancholic. Apparently, it grew on me. Plus the fact that this became number one in NU107’s Midnight Countdown and it was heavy played during its prime and is still much requested during Remote Control Weekends.

16 Sunday Morning
No Doubt
killer line: Thank you for turning on the lights, thank you, now you’re the parasite

Actually, no one beats >Don’t Speak as the ultimate No Doubt sob song, there’s no doubt about it, pun intended. But I discovered a more emotional track in their Tragic Kingdom album without the melodrama.

There was also one time while watching a concert they performed in the Netherlands, Gwen Stefani changed the second ‘thank you’ to ‘F U’. Now, that’s cool.

15 Mariposa
Sugarfree
killer line: Nagsisising gigising sa katotohanang 'di ka naman talaga akin

Sugarfree’s ultimate feel-my-pain song. Killer lines abound, had to choose only one.

Only if emo is a generic musical term like adagio and not boxed as a genre, Sugarfree would be definition 1 in the dictionary.

It’s with this kind of raw emotion that the band gets compared to the Eraserheads.

14 This Love
Maroon 5
killer line: I tried my best to feed her appetite, keep her coming every night, it's hard to keep her satisfied

The catch with the other popular Songs about Jane cuts is that Harder to Breathe is too edgy while She Will be Loved is too mushy. This Love is more middle of the road.

Besides, you have a lot of killer lines to choose from. There’s the chorus, the whole second stanza, then there’s the bridge.

13 Silvertoes
Parokya ni Edgar
killer line: 'Di kami na-tuturn on sa kutis mong kulay champorado, 'di kami naaakit sa labi mong garabucho

Nothing reeks more of pure sarcasm and outright insult than this ditty. Halaga is a close second though. My fault it didn’t get in the list.

But at least, P ni E is represented. So don’t tell me I’m biased against Ateneans that bash the EHeads.

12 Teenage Dirtbag
Wheatus
killer line: But she doesn't know who I am, and she doesn't give me a damn about me, 'cos I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby

Wheatus’ one hit wonder initially would make you sit up and ask, “What or who is a teenage dirtbag?” From there, you would start listening to the lyrics and it goes into you. Eventually, you would empathize with the character.

Then, it would reach number one in the Midnight Countdown. A few weeks later, you post its lyrics as wallpaper and turn the mp3 file into the opening theme of your computer.

Happened to me because I’m a just teenage dirtbag like you.

11 Everything You Want
Vertical Horizon
killer line: I mean nothing to you and I don't know why

They were mistaken to be a Christian rock band because of this song. Maybe they are. But releasing You’re a God as follow up is taking the joke a bit too far.

10 Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Smashing Pumpkins
killer lines: Despite all my rage, I’m still just a rat in a cage

Released during the time when grunge was on its peak and was on its way to its downswing, it sure caught my attention when Billy Corgan whined, “The world is a vampire”. Then came D’Arcy Brown’s booming bass.

Frustration locked up in a bottle, or in this case, in a cage. What is more frustrating than that?

To accentuate, became my LSS anthem when I met someone with the same name. Guess who. Clue: She’s from DLSU-CCS.

9 Last Resort
Papa Roach
killer line: Don’t give a f*** if I cut my arm bleeding

A suicide song if there is one.

8 Adam’s Song
Blink 182
killer line: I never thought I’d die alone

Reportedly the song the Columbine kids were listening to before they started shooting their schoolmates down. Yet another suicide soundtrack.

But as a friend of my defended, give the song justice. Doesn’t mean that because people started slashing their wrists after listening to this track on repeat means it’s a bad cut, pardon the pun.

7 Ang Huling El Bimbo
Eraserheads
killer line: Lahat ng pangarap ko'y bigla lang natunaw, sa panaginip na lang pala kita maisasayaw

Sheer poetry, that line is. Bow down to the masters.

6 Sorry
Teeth
killer line: Akala ko bagay tayo, hindi pala

Include in the Can Dogs Fly? album, Shooting Star demonstrated cleverer writing and at the same time evicted a more effective response to the listener.

However, nothing beats an in-your-face straight to the point (how’s that for redundancy and emphasis) one-liner in vernacular to state your point across. Sourgrapes central for short.

5 Pare Ko
Eraserheads
killer line: O Diyos ko, ano ba naman ito, diba tang ina, nagmukha akong tanga

The line that launched the career of a modern day legend, endeared them to their fans, and sold a million copies of their albums. The anthem of the lovelorn.

How timeless is the Eraserheads? Let me.

First heard the song when I borrowed my friend’s Ultraelectromagneticpop back when I was in grade five. Was scolded by the owner of the cassette when I recorded myself a copy. The tape is now buried somewhere along with the rest of my tape/cd collection.

Got my own original copy, this time a cd, for myself ten plus one years later. Back then, was just singing along because I already got to memorize the lyrics from repetitive listening. A decade later, I could see myself in the words of the songs.

Then came Pare Ko, and unbelievably, I was singing with aplomb my throat hurt. I was telling myself, "Wah! Ely’s describing what I just recently went through."

And this was written when? 1989? My brother even claims of having a copy of the lyrics way before that.

Pay homage to the gods.

4 Happy Birthday
itchyworms!
Killer line: Happy birthday sa iyo, walang gustong maging katulad mo

My friend berated the Worms for imitating the Heads. The hell. Their albums are being produced by Bhuddy Zabala.

Nothing hits the nail on the coffin more than a birthday song that I actually play during my birthday. Played it during my second debut to amuse myself and my guests. Played it on repeat and with the volume on very loud a year later, berating myself because I lost my phone three days prior.

A year later still, I find myself without a mobile phone a few weeks before my 23rd. Dassucks.

3 Cute Without the E
Taking Back Sunday
killer line: Which would you prefer, my finger on the trigger or, me face down, down across your floor

Emo at its best.

2 Flavor of the Weak
American Hi-fi
killer line: I wish that I could make her see, she's just the flavor of the weak

Before emo, and about the same time of Third Eye Blind, but not as big, there was this punk-ish hymn about two-timing. I was in third year high studying in an exclusive boys (and gays) school back then, what do I know of females, girlfriends, relationships, and third parties?

Fast forward to a few years later, someone commented "ouch" while hearing the song. The rest is his story.

1 Last Train Home
Lostprophets
killer line: Sing with out a reason to never fall in love (fall in love), to never fall in love again

Dedicated to the Pare Ko girl. But could also be interchanged with the more recent... ahem.

My belief system still remains so far.

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There you have it. I know there’s a lot amiss. Like I mentioned of Third Eye Blind, yet not one of their songs is on the list.

Come to think of it, none struck as describing a certain disappointment. It’s more of how singer belts out that gives the perceived emotion of the song. Lyrically closest is Semi-charmed Life.

I also missed former rant queen Alanis Morissette. Current rant princess Avril Lavigne is plain laughable. She is a boy, he is a girl, my ass.

Some songs, although emotionally neutral, may strike a chord to me. Examples are the lines "Can I graduate" from 3eb’s Graduate and "Hey dad, what do you think about your son now" from Take a Picture by Filter.

The former is self-explanatory and is another blog entry altogether. The latter, on the other hand, became a personal testament because of its timeliness. It came out during the time I was having my first big-time academic crisis while my father was in the hospital. Considering the circumstances, it sounded more like a mocking slimeball more than an arrogant brag of achievement.

On a similar but lighter note, it was also during this time that Foo Fighters released Learn to Fly. I was on an airplane on my way to Davao. Nuff said.

I also want to mention REM’s It’s the End of the World as We Know it. Nothing emo there, but nothing rocks your world more than Michael Stipe chanting again and again it’s the end of the world and he just feels fine.

Finally, other bands that make the best depressing songs:
The Used
Yellowcard
Thursday
Our Lady Peace
A Perfect Circle

// posted by Unknown @ 20:51