Twenty One Pilots is a two-man band from Columbus, Ohio. Recently they've been making it big with radio air play, with the songs "Stressed Out" and "Ride," and occasionally "Tear in my Heart." This group mostly sings about mental illness and religion, with a completely different sound each song. Their music ranges from electropop to pop to rap, all within the same albums. Today I'll be putting together a very opinionated list of my top 10 songs by this group, and what makes them so special.
1. Migraine
Album: Vessel
"Migraine" is the most relatable, as it strings together thoughts of depression and unequivocal sadness like no other. For once there is a rap song that isn't a stereotypical story of sex and drugs, but with deeper levels of human emotion involved. There is a hopeful verse of telling the listener to keep living, but the rest is a downward spiral of pain - a migraine.
2. Car Radio
Album: Vessel
Another song about depression, also rapped, only this one has a hint of electropop. The formatting of this song is completely different to anything on the radio, considering it ends with a heavy beat and no lyrics until the last second. "Car Radio" speaks of what it's like to be driving in the silence and contemplating life. It's unique message is told like a poem, with deeper meaning than what is really said. This makes it differ from migraine, which more or less spells everything out. Car Radio is slightly more subtle in the way the message is portrayed.
3. Trapdoor
Album: Twenty One Pilots
The common trend with my favorite songs should be the topic of loneliness and depression. This speaks of a man who hides his true self, his depression. He goes throughout his life pretending to be someone he isn't. He wants to die, but he's afraid to. This is perhaps the most relatable song, as for a long time, I was the same way. The last lyric "Cause nobody knows he's alive" is perhaps the saddest thing I've ever heard, as the man feels as if he's already dead to the world, that nobody would care if he died.
4. Isle of Flightless Birds
Album: Twenty One Pilots
I am not a very religious person, so the message of this song is different for me. Though it's true that many of TOP's songs have a religious meaning, this seems more of a wake-up call. It begs the listener to stop wasting the life they have, to use the wings they have and take flight, igniting their life. It explains that we are flightless birds that need to take action and do more things that help us eternally.
5. Tear In My Heart
Album: Blurryface
This is one of the happier, upbeat tracks they sing, about finding someone you love and wanting to be with them for a long time. Said person is the tear in your heart, the one that you makes you feel amazing and weightless. It's one of the happiest and most upbeat songs I've listened to. It makes you realize that the person you're with should, and does, make you feel "higher than you've ever been."
6. Glowing Eyes
Album: Regional At Best
This song is very different in terms of message than all the others. It's basically Tyler thinking out who he wants to be vs. what society wants. It talks of when we are younger, difference is okay, but now "culture forbids" that. It's an upbeat look on how society is messed up, and shouldn't restrict individuality.
7. Holding On To You
Album: Regional at Best
A rap about getting out of depression and holding on to the things that make a person happy. Much like "Car Radio," it has a slower tempo for the majority of it. "You are surrounding, all of my surroundings" is a perfect example of how depression surrounds you, engulfs you. The music video is also rather artistic, as it show cases people dancing around with a skeleton face, representing all the dark thoughts and suicidal feelings that surround him.
8. Heathens
Album: Suicide Squad (single)
Heathens is their newest single, which came out for the "Suicide Squad" movie. On the surface, it's about the evil, imprisoned people in the world. In the music video, it specifically uses the characters in the upcoming movie. It's done in a fast singing, almost rap, sort of way. Though it's incredibly catchy, there isn't much of a meaning we know of yet. Some speculate it's about TOP's fanbase, being rude and "heathens" toward new comers. Others think it's about his religion. I, on the other hand, think it's a kick-ass song about villains.
9. Friend, Please
Album: Twenty One Pilots
Both: "Friend, Please" and the the next song have something in common. Both are electropop songs about Tyler telling a friend they should stay alive. This one is more upfront about it, asking the suicidal person how they feel and describing them. They go on to beg the person to stay alive, by yelling "friend, please don't take your life away from me." It's a good song for those who are suicidal, because it begs them not to, and gives them reasons to live.
10. Lovely
Album: Regional at Best
Like "Friend, Please," this asks someone to stay alive. This time, using a different, hidden approach. They use the words "You say things with your mouth, cobwebs and flies come out" meaning nothing but lies come out. They say things like "I'm fine" when things are far from it. This time it's the singer telling the person that if they stay alive, he will make them feel lovely. What a suicidal person needs to hear most is that they will be loved and remembered.
