Last year, I flirted with re-becoming a wrestling fan. Like most things I attempt, I failed. Miserably. While I still follow it through internet updates, I haven't really watched it in a couple of months. Mostly because it was hard to commit a three-hour chunk of time on Monday nights, partly because the storylines were really terrible. But during that time, I was introduced to CM Punk, and my life is definitely better because of it. This post isn't about that, though- it's about Punks' entrance at Money in the Bank 2011, which has quite possibly changed my life forever.
Pretty powerful statement, I realize- let me just say that it's more about his entrance song being the life changer with overall entrance functioning as more of a conduit. There- now it doesn't sound so ridiculous. Anyways, back to the entrance. Punk comes out after this whole crazy summer storyline where he's going to leave the WWE and wants to take the championship with him. Whatevs. They made a really cool promo video for it, which caught me up to speed and sort of got me excited. The Pay-per-view took place in Chicago, which is apparently CM Punks "hometown". Aside: I'm a little skeptical about everything in wrestling- like, is it really his hometown? Would anybody in the arena known it was his hometown unless the WWE announcers told us? Maybe he's not really from Chicago. Maybe he's just from Aurora.
And wow, I'm really getting off track. The point is that the atmosphere was wonderfully electric- one of the most electric I've ever seen. Over 14,000 people in attendance, most of them chanting Punks name in anticipation of his entrance (BTW, the WWE has the science of the entrance down pat. The repetition which rewards our expectations and heightens our excitement and connection to the wrestler- WWE may be many things, but brilliant is one of them)- and then I hear it, for the first time- the searing guitar intro, the 32nd notes, the dancing riff, the dramatic breath before the chorus...and months after the fact, I am transported ringside, rooting against the evil McMahon empire and pledging allegiance to the Straightedge Society.
I pretty much went right out and downloaded the song immediately, and over the past few months it has really been an important coping mechanism for me. My goal for this post (and hopefully in the future for different songs) is sort of break down the song and what I like about it. While I'm no Simon Cowell, I do hope that my years of experience as a drummer combined with my one semester of Music in Society and all those times my dad played in bars on the weekend when I was a kid will help me to not make a complete a** of myself. Really though, all musical knowledge contained in this post is compliments of my wife. Who is awesome.
"This Fire Burns" by Killswitch Engage (with bonus Titantron)
Eh? EH? Effing awesome, right?
Clearly this song is all about the chorus. Not that the verses/bridge are bad necessarily- indeed, they're adequate and there's definitely some nice things going on- the screaming intro (excellent drawing out of the "YEAH"), a nice chunky guitar riff/pounding drum combo, the varied screaming (moving very nicely from the bark to the guttural whine). Lyrically though, it doesn't blow me away- destiny blah fulfilled blah in my hands whoopdy proving ground darn do. In fact, if I didn't like the vocalist so much, I'd probably be tempted to just skip (or "fast forward" if you're using a 'tape' player) right to the chorus.
Because it's so freaking awesome.
The verses are like stockings on Christmas morning, and the chorus is the biggest present under the tree. I've had some really great stockings. ITunes gift cards, candy, Burt's Bees- stockings are definitely an underrated part of Christmas and you totally want what's inside of them. But you pretty much power through them because you're really just there for all that swag under the tree. And that's what this chorus is, a big ol box of Official-Red-Ryder-Carbine-Action-Two-Hundred-Shot-Range-Model-Air-Rifle-Turbo-Man-Jelly-of-the-Month-club Christmas swag.
Still, you obviously can't open the biggest present first- otherwise Christmas would be a huge letdown. So you get some other gifts to sort of build the anticipation. Socks, underwear, notepads, a gun rack...
For the record, I've now given you a picture and video clip from Wayne's World. You're welcome.
Back to the point, the smaller gift from Killswitch Engage is that hauntingly beautiful arpeggiated chord right before the chorus, which as I alluded to before is this really dramatic moment- it's like you're hanging there right on the edge of a precipitous drop off and you have no idea what's going to happen- you just know it's going to rock your freaking socks off.
And then BAM- it totally does.
This is, hands down, one of my top five favorite choruses of all time. Easily. Mostly because of how the words, melody, and instrumentation all work together to create this very powerful musical moment that resonates deeply inside of me. One of the reasons that music is absolutely essential to the human experience is it allows us to experience things in much more tangible, powerful ways than mere words can. For instance, here are the words to the chorus of "This Fire Burns":
Even through the darkest days
This fire burns always x2
On paper, in black and white, they're pretty meh, actually. I can't really grab onto them- they aren't saying anything to me. It's not a very interesting rhyme. Yawn. Next.
But when you hear them through Howard Jones dancing around the very edge of his vocal range (it feels like it, anyways), along side the clean guitar picking over top of the dirty slough, to the chromatic movement of a melody tensely building a mood of despair and angst while the driving drums, words, and melody resolution promote a sense of hope...you can't help but be taken to a place where you feel like you can take on whatever challenges and hard times that come your way. It's the Growing Pains theme song on steroids.
Life has been hard for awhile. I know that in context of the whole of humanity I have it pretty darn good- but just because you can be thankful doesn't mean you can smile, and my life has had more despair and hopelessness than I ever thought it would. This chorus is like a proudly-waved middle finger to the things that would keep us held down, a poignant reminder that we are here now, and that while life is rough and none of us make it out alive, we each have it inside of us to move forward, to live, to survive, to say that no matter what happens, I will wake up this morning, hold tightly to those I hold most dear, and put on my a**-kicking boots and get ready to do this thing we call existing.
If you didn't get the chills while reading what I just wrote, please go back and read it again while you're blasting the chorus to "This Fire Burns".
That's it for this edition of Anatomy Of A Song. Tune in some future time where I'll likely discuss some other song and how it has impacted me...or something.
PIC- http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/22616252.jpg
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