"I'm not sad anymore."
Growing up isn't easy. Figuring out who you are and where you fit in isn't easy. Battling anxiety and depression isn't something that you can s imply overcome in an evening. It takes time and hard workand maybe some of your best friends to figure it all out.
This week begins Part one of three in The Trilogy of Growing Up. The Trilogy is made up of three records by the Lansdale, Pa band, The Wonder Years. Anyone who is a fan of this band knows what I'm talking about when I mention the Trilogy. For those of you who aren't, the Trilogy goes through three minor themes in one overarching theme of anxiety and depression. Part one focuses on the TWY's second LP, "The Upsides."
"The Upsides" is a record about not giving up, about not letting life leaving you feeling defeated at a young age. The record kicks off with the first minor theme I mentioned earlier, I'm not sad anymore. Lead singer Dan "Soupy" Campbell said on the back of the record that the phrase, I'm not sad anymore, "...is a record about fighting back." That's exactly what "The Upsides" highlights. Fighting back.
This record is full of lines that tell you it's okay to be down, but you're going to get better. That it may be dark right now, but it’s going to get lighter, just wait around and see. To me, this shows the mindset of a lot of young adults in their early 20s, feeling like most every day is a bad day and not sure how we ended up so weak. Some of us aren't really sure what to do next or where to go or how to feel so we resign ourselves to accept being miserable and feeling so down. "The Upsides" tells us that we don't have to accept that fate. That we don't have to stay down or wait for someone to help us up. Soupy sings in the song "It's Never Sunny In South Philadelphia, Cause most days are bad days/ we can't wait for someone to pull me off of the concrete." This meaning you have to pick yourself up and stand on your own two feet.
The record also touches on the good and bad of relationships, with tracks "Melrose Diner" being more negative and "Hey Thanks" being more positive in nature. One of the last tracks on the records leaves a lasting impression that really is about standing up for yourself instead of staying down and defeated. "The whole world's full of losers/ if you get the chance to win take it." Why stay down if it means skipping out on a chance to get better? Dan goes on to sing that "if no one's in my corner, since everyone left/ I'd better make it worth it." That sometimes you have one chance to get something right or make a lasting impression. That even if you are all alone with no one at your back, that you should give it your all and make the most of an opportunity.
"The Upsides" is track for track a record that anyone can listen and relate to. Soupy translates every feeling you may have had about feeling defeated, feeling alone in your battles with anxiety and depression. "The Upsides" helps pick you up on a crappy day or in the middle of winter when you're walking across campus to class. "The Wonder Years" found a great starting place in dealing with anxiety and depression; getting off your ass and standing on your own two feet again.
I leave you with a picture of a passage on the record of "The Upsides." A note of sorts written by Dan Campbell.
Upsides Soupy Passage
