Music Review: Simple Plan "Untitled"
Simple Plan
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Untitled
Album: Still Not Getting Any
Year: 2005
Pierre Bouvier awakens in a hospital after a suicide attempt in the bleak "Untitled."
A grim piano and mournful strings open the single, setting a dire tone. In the first verse, he first hears people talking and feels a tube being shoved down by his throat. The fluorescent lights make it hard for him to see and figure out his surroundings. He sees the intravenous on his arm. He can't think of what he did or why to have in there.
In the pre-chorus, he says he cried every day and didn't want to get out of bed. He's tried distracting himself from it with music and his journal. But nothing worked. He still felt the dull ache inside of him.
In the chorus, he grieves for who he used to be. He's told his parents off and bailed on his girlfriend without telling her. However, he feels like he has no one to confide in. He doesn't have the will to live anymore. He wished he would've died on his bathroom floor.
In the second verse, he says his family is sitting by him, sobbing and wailing. He opens his mouth but his voice is barely a whisper. He says that he's ready to attempt suicide again. He wants to live his life over and have another chance.
Album: Still Not Getting Any
Year: 2005
Pierre Bouvier awakens in a hospital after a suicide attempt in the bleak "Untitled."
A grim piano and mournful strings open the single, setting a dire tone. In the first verse, he first hears people talking and feels a tube being shoved down by his throat. The fluorescent lights make it hard for him to see and figure out his surroundings. He sees the intravenous on his arm. He can't think of what he did or why to have in there.
"I open my eyes/I try to see but I'm blinded by the white light/I can't remember how/I can't remember why/I'mlying here tonight."
In the pre-chorus, he says he cried every day and didn't want to get out of bed. He's tried distracting himself from it with music and his journal. But nothing worked. He still felt the dull ache inside of him.
"And I can't stand the pain/And I can'tmake it go away/No I can't stand the pain."
In the chorus, he grieves for who he used to be. He's told his parents off and bailed on his girlfriend without telling her. However, he feels like he has no one to confide in. He doesn't have the will to live anymore. He wished he would've died on his bathroom floor.
"How could this happen to me/I made my mistakes/I've got no where to run/The night goes on/As I'm fading away/I'm sick of this life/I just wanna scream/How could this happen to me."
In the second verse, he says his family is sitting by him, sobbing and wailing. He opens his mouth but his voice is barely a whisper. He says that he's ready to attempt suicide again. He wants to live his life over and have another chance.
"Everybody's screaming/I try to make a sound but no one hears me/I'm slipping off the edge/I'm hanging by a thread/I wanna start this over again."
In the pre-chorus, he remembers his childhood. At age 8, he and his younger brother would play Scrabble together. They would make up words and tease each other. He thinks of his mom's funny voices as she told him a story. He doesn'tknow what in particular triggered him to slit his wrists. He also realizes that he can't go back and live life anew."So I try to hold onto a time when nothing mattered/And I can't explain what happened/And I can't erase the things that I've done/No I can't."
The chorus is sung again.
An anguished electric guitar has a solo. It segues into the grim piano.
The chorus is sung again to close the single."I made my mistakes…How could this happen to me."
Bouvier has been living in misery for over a year. He doesn't understand his depression. He would rather be his old self, playing videogames and listening to music. However, none of it appeals to him anymore. He wishes he could muster the enthusiasm for it. He's weak from being tired and sick all the time. All he knows that he can't be like much like this any longer. His suicide attempt was a way for him to leave his pain behind. But it didn't work and he's still alive. He sees the heartache and questioning in his family's eyes and he wants to tell them it wasn't their fault. Their not the problem, he is.
Bouvier's doleful vocals scream for answers and help. He wants to escape and become another person. He feels like he can't be saved.
The somber piano and strings arrangement is sympathetic and glum. The electric guitar, while brief, piles on the cheese. It breaks the mood and makes it the capital of the neo-hair ballad territory. The emo transformation of the band is a calculated move to remain relevant. However, they are able to cover the topic of suicide with firmness and sensitivity.
"Untitled" is a stunning surprise from a once pseudo-punk band.