Or maybe you still love it, but now you have a different perspective.

  • nowherelord@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    Semi-Charmed Life, by Third Eye Blind. Basically, it’s a song about doing meth… Spent almost twenty years just singing the chorus with absolutely no idea what the rest of the lyrics were. Now, it kinda feels weird, ngl.

    • undercrust@lemmy.ca
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      8 days ago

      I, as a child, did a music class presentation on “my favourite song of the year” on this little ditty.

      Whoops!

      Edit: To clarify, then, much like now, I listened to the music and not the lyrics. I don’t know if that’s common at all, but the singing is basically another instrument to me, and I hardly ever pay attention to the actual words.

      • Lookorex@lemm.ee
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        8 days ago

        Much of the time I can’t even make out the lyrics, so I listen to music the same way

      • nowherelord@lemmy.world
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        8 days ago

        I think it’s fairly common to not always pay close attention to the lyrics. Most of the time, you hear a song on the radio, and you can’t always make out what it’s saying, but you’re still able to enjoy the music and the singing melody. Until you pay more attention or you seek out the lyrics, then you’re often surprised about what it’s saying, cause the lyrics weren’t the point when you used to listen to the song. It doesn’t mean that it’s world-changing or anything, but it just takes you by surprise.

      • Subtracty@lemmy.world
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        8 days ago

        I listen to music the exact same way. I will maybe pay attention to the chorus or catchy line, but a lot of lyrics are lost on me.

    • WhiteOakBayou@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      But it’s about how the excitement of meth, like that of a new relationship, fades and leaves the speaker wanting something more substantial while still fondly reminiscing about the good times.

      The speaker thinks of the girl as a “sunburn” he “would like to save.” He describes meth as something that “will lift you up until you break.” I think these characterizations point very strongly toward nostalgic longing and away from the glorification of addiction or even that of drug use. So no reason to feel weird I think.

      • everett@lemmy.ml
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        8 days ago

        I think these characterizations point very strongly toward nostalgic longing and away from the glorification of addiction or even that of drug use.

        There’s also an extra verse, which wasn’t in the radio edit, that I think further supports what you’re saying.

      • nowherelord@lemmy.world
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        8 days ago

        I guess you’re right, I just never gave the song much thought. It’s just that it kinda felt like some happy song and I never paid attention to what it was saying, then I looked them up one day, out of curiosity, and I guess it juat felt unexpected to me, and that’s why it felt weird. Thinking about what you said makes me want to give the song another listen with an open mind, I guess.

    • zaph@sh.itjust.works
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      8 days ago

      Not so much a song about doing meth as it’s a song about the ramifications of doing meth. “Doing crystal meth will lift you up until you break” it mentions lockjaw at the end and even talks about watching the love of his life die to an od.

    • nafzib@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      I didn’t know it was about Crystal meth for a really long time because I only heard it on the radio for many many years and they only played a clean version where the phrase “Crystal Meth” is cut out in a way that’s not really obvious it was edited so I just never understood the lyrics.

      • frostysauce@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        “The sky was gold, it was rose, I was taking sips of it through my nose…” didn’t clue you in?