Now we come to Nick Drake’s last, shortest, and (if you ask me) best album, Pink Moon. Okay, it is kind of bleak if you pay attention. But it is so beautiful. On this album it is hard not to hear an unnerving personalizing of the material. Supposedly, he was not depressed when he wrote and recorded this album. But I know from my own depression that it informs the way that I see the world when I am not suffering from it.
Consider today’s selection, “Road.” It has an incredibly great guitar part and not many lyrics. But the lyrics that are there seem telling, “You can take a road that takes you to the stars now; I can take a road that’ll see me through.” No one can say what it means, but it is the case that not long after finishing the album, he found he couldn’t deal with the world and returned to live with his parents for what turned out to be the rest of his life.
What do you call depression when it isn’t flaring up into crippling emotional sadness? Pessimism? I’m not sure pessimism is unwise. Certainly an overweening belief in one’s own awesomeness isn’t particularly helpful, either, or Trump wouldn’t have wasted most of his inheritance doing things like picking fights with Scottish farmers over where to build golf courses.
Anyhoo, it’s a great album, I’m glad I learned of it here awhile back.
All these things are a delicate balance. Ultimately, all we can hope for is what he says in this song, “I can take a road that’ll see me through.”
Here’s a nifty little song I heard on the radio tonight after the ballgame. (Cheesy video, but I’m not in charge, so I assume no blame.) I’m pretty sure it’s about how mental see-saws can leave one thinking that one’s perspective is amazing and awesome when it’s really just a chemical imbalance. And I’m on the side of thinking that slight chemical imbalances do provide a valuable perspective — but when they get out of control, they need to be treated as a serious risk to people’s lives.
Or it could just be a kiss-off song to an ex, or a song about a dead hamster, or whatever — never wise to assume one knows what musicians are singing about. Neat little song, though.
“Crazy,” by Gnarls Barkley (I like the name!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd2B6SjMh_w
It’s a good song. But you are overthinking it. It’s definitely about a dead hamster.