Welcome to the next entry in the exploratory series of Mental Health Themes in Music! Today we’ll look at an alternative rock/folk song released in 1996 on the album “Recovering the Satellites” by Counting Crows. You may have heard it on the radio at some point, but have you taken a moment to look at the lyrics? Either way, here’s your chance!
“And it's one more day up in the canyons
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think that I could be forgiven
I wish you would”
I believe that this lyric is getting at the concept that no matter where you go, there you are. It would be rather convenient if changing environments was always the answer to letting go of painful memories and/or emotions, however, this is not always that simple. Ultimately, our emotions exist for a reason and generally don’t disappear unless we listen to what they have to say to us. In the narrator’s case, their emotions allude to an interpersonal rupture that they feel some residual or unaddressed guilt/shame about.
“The smell of hospitals in winter
And the feeling that it's all a lot of oysters
But no pearls”
The holidays can be a painful time of year for many, which is supported by the general pattern of increased volume of folks accessing mental health services this time of year. Perhaps the narrator is referencing this idea in this lyric as well as the feeling that there are many treatment options, but not always a clear “pearl” of an answer, which speaks to the nuanced nature of healing.
“I guess the winter makes you laugh a little slower
Makes you talk a little lower”
I really appreciate this lyric, because I think it highlights how this time of year makes people feel like they need to be more “happy” to fit in with what they perceive the rest of the world is feeling around the holidays. This dynamic often exacerbates mental health symptoms because it adds a layer of “what’s wrong with me?” if you’re having a hard time. However, I can assure you that you’re not alone in the ways you might be feeling.
“And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass”
This speaks to a subtle and somewhat melancholy optimism that the narrator is feeling despite and in spite of what may have been many hard years for various reasons. It also speaks to the repetition of encouragement that is necessary for resilience as well as perhaps the values of trying to engage in the present moment to avoid feeling completely overwhelmed.
“It's been so long since I've seen the ocean
I guess I should”
And finally, I wanted to include this lyric because of the existential interpretation of it. In the grand scheme of things, we and everything else can feel so small in comparison to the vastness of the ocean, and while that doesn’t diminish the importance of ourselves and our experiences, it can provide some comfort all the same. It can also help us to connect with moments of beauty in the world despite the chaos.
There are endless ways to interpret these words, so I invite you to keep whatever resonates with you and leave what doesn’t. And regardless of how this time of year is for you, please know that your experience is valid and that you are not alone in it.
Kim Johnson, LMHC, MT-BC, is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) and board certified music therapist (MT-BC) who graduated with her master’s from Lesley University in 2017. She has experience with adults and adolescents in group private practice and community mental health settings. The levels of care she has worked in are outpatient, with both individual and group therapy and in partial hospital programs for mental health and substance use disorders. Additionally, she has had intensive training in dialectical behavioral therapy and cognitive processing therapy for PTSD.
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