For My Sunday Song #457, we are talking “Defying Gravity” and no, this is not the Wicked song of the same name. This one is by the band The Veer Union and is off their 2016 album ‘Decade’ which celebrates the band’s 10 years of existence. The song was the first and maybe only single and was released on December 11, 2015 while the album was not released until January 29, 2016. For this album, the band wrote five new songs and pulled five songs from around 10 years back that were never used. But we are here to talk “Defying Gravity”.
The song was written by Crispin Earl and is about his battle with depression. The song details how the singer has been impacted by depression. How it weighs him down and he has no energy to do what needs to be done to fight it. He is looking for the strength as he knows he has to lift himself up to beat this horrible disease. If you have suffered from depression, you know how the weight of it holds you back. For him, defying the gravity that is holding him down is what it will take to fight his way out of it. It is such a hard battle fighting the demon inside. It is a daily struggle, a constant struggle. It can be fought and you don’t have to do it alone. There is help out there, but asking is the hardest part.
Musically, it is heavy like the subject matter. If you haven’t heard The Veer Union before, think a cross between Breaking Benjamin and Sevendust. Those are probably two good bands to compare them too. The guitar riffs are brutal by Dan Sittler, the drums are destructive from Tyler Reimer and I love how it goes from really heavy in the chorus while being melodic to a softer tone during the verses. Crispin Earl handles the clean vocals and you can hear the pain and emotion in his vocals. He is singing from his heart. I’m not one that usually likes unclean vocals, but bass player, Amal Wijayanayake, does a great job with the screaming vocal parts not to mention his bass playing along with rhythm guitarist Ryan Ramsdell keep the song moving forward. The unclean vocals aren’t overdone and only serve as an added texture to the song. I think it adds to the overall darkness of the heavy subject.
Give the song a listen and let me know what you think. I think it is great to see bands tackle a subject that needs more discussion. Depression is not something that should be hidden or held back. It should be talked about that way people know there are others out there with the same affliction and that there is help to be had, even if asking is the hardest part.
“Defying Gravity”
…I will be, defying gravity!
Heavy is the heart I’m holding
(it’s holding me down)
With the weight of the world with no wings
(I’m stuck to the ground)
What was once a dream?
Is lost inside a scream?
I just need the energy
So I can fight the enemy in me
(I won’t let go, I won’t let go!)
I’ve been six feet underground
Fighting to be found
But I won’t let go
I won’t let go!
I’ve been locked inside a cage
Left to rot away
But I won’t let go
I won’t let go!
(I will be, defying gravity!
I will be, I will be defying gravity!)
This is not a revelation
(It’s what I’ve become)
This is just a destination
(To where I belong)
So I will right the wrong
And rise up to the sun
I just need the energy
So I can fight the enemy in me…
(I won’t let go, I won’t let go!)
I’ve been six feet underground
Fighting to be found
But I won’t let go
I won’t let go!
I’ve been locked inside a cage
Left to rot away
But I won’t let go
I won’t let go!
(I will be, defying gravity!
I will be, I will be defying gravity!)
(I will be, defying gravity!
I won’t let go… I WON’T LET GO!!!)
I’ve been six feet underground
Fighting to be found
But I won’t let go
I won’t let go!
I’ve been locked inside a cage
Left to rot away
But I won’t let go
I won’t let go!
(I will be, defying gravity!
I will be, I will be defying gravity!)
I fell into the fire,
Then stepped into the storm
The truth is but a liar
The day that it was born
I’ll erase the lies within
To find the truth again
I will be, defying gravity…
I will be defying gravity!!
Writer(s): Crispin Earl
