Navigating Seasonal Depression
Background: When I was a sophomore in college, I got my heart broken one February. Being from Minnesota, it was an added level of awful because it was in the middle of February. There was snow on the ground, and it got dark super early in the day. I didn’t realize until way later than I should have, that it was the darkness that got me down more so than the snow on the ground. Because I would feel down in Memphis in winter, but there wasn’t any snow on the ground. Though these songs are no substitute for formal therapy, these are tunes that might help you navigate through those times of the year when you aren’t feeling at your best, and were written by songwriters who felt the same when they wrote them, or were reflecting on a time when they did feel that way. Both will be helpful for you as a writer!
“Stick Season” by Noah Kahan
Lyrically: Noah Kahan grew up in Vermont and refers to a point in New England between Halloween and when winter begins that’s kind of a point of uncertainty — will it snow, or will it be temperate? No one is really sure. And those uncertainties play into the lyrics perfectly, as he’s trying to navigate his personal romantic life and his personal family life, as he also tries to figure out how he’s supposed to feel mentally with the changing of the seasons.
Most of my favorite songs are thought-provoking, while also letting me drift off for a second. That way, the thought-provoking lyrics stand out a lot more. For example, the first verse says, “As you promised me that I was worth more than all of the miles combined, you must have had yourself a change of heart like halfway through the drive because your voice it trailed off as you reached my exit sign, kept driving straight and left and our future to the right.” Now that’s chalk-full of excellent lines, including the line about the change of heart halfway through the drive, which lent its name to my blog about non-sequiturs in songs. Then you kind of drift off for a second as he talks about his doctor’s suggestion to travel, but the fact that he can’t due to COViD — relatable, but so much so that it doesn’t stand out (this is not a criticism — it’s necessary for the song, but isn’t poetic per se).
Then in the second verse, he discusses his personal life and his desire to “Cancel out the darkness (he) inherited from dad”, which again is very relatable, but is then (albeit not directly) followed by one of my absolute favorite lines, which is both poetic and relatable: “You once called me forever, now you still can’t call me back.” As I said in the intro to this blog, the winter months are usually hard for me because of relationships, but also because of the change in the darkness throughout the day. This song discusses the hardships of the weather and then also lumps in all the other things that make the narrator sad, so that’s why it’s so relatable — he doesn’t need to be poetic all the time for the listener to relate to the song.
Melodically: The song uses A, E, F#m, and D in the verses. Written in the key of A major, this is a I, V, vi, IV pattern. The chorus then uses A/E, E. F#m, D A, E, F#m, D, E, and A, a I, V, vi, IV, I, V, vi, IV, V, I pattern. The bridge uses A, E, F#m, D, and E. As you can see, the chord progression remains largely the same throughout the whole song, and even the bridge is basically just a re-hash of the verse, plus an E chord at the end. It’s interesting, because my first reaction to the bridge when I heard this song was that it wasn’t as complicated as it needed to be. But the more I analyze this song, I realize that the whole thing, whether written in the moment or not, perfectly encapsulates someone who’s living with a bout of seasonal depression. It’s the perfect mix of pop sensibilities, with a I–IV and I–V progression, and actual craftsmanship, recognizing that both the tension built with said chords and the repetitiveness of their usage, fit well with both the uncertainty of the lyrics and the fact that when you’re going through it, everything feels the same. With the combo of those two things, it’s no wonder the song blew up as much as it did. Instrumentally, the song contains acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and drums. I had two separate conversations with two separate MSA board members about how much I resent the term “indie folk” because the desire to be hip and non-mainstream often overrides the actual message of the song, but this one is about as simple as it gets melodically, while still having something to say lyrically. So props to Noah for that!
Structurally: The song uses a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus format. There’s a certain reality that comes with this structure. If this person were telling a story about a specific event, a chorus after the verse might be the better call. But having two verses in a row communicates that there’s so much stuff piling up and you need to hear about almost all of it before you hear the reason for the depression (stick season in Vermont). The first two verses discuss his personal problems through relationships and how he copes with them, while the third verse discusses his family trauma. But regardless, all of it is magnified by the weather, a season of uncertainty. The bridge offers a little hope, but that hope is immediately dashed when he says, “I hope this pain’s just passing through, but I doubt it.” It is, for me at least, a spectacularly relatable song.
Closing Note: One thing I love about singer-songwriters is the personal nature of the songs they write. Noah has been open in interviews about his struggles with mental health, but also that growing up, talking about your feelings was the norm at the dinner table. He has done terrific work, starting up The Busyhead Foundation, which was named after the title track of his first album, co-written with Dan Wilson, and also about struggles with mental health. The foundation helps people in Vermont find resources to get through the winter months, which are historically brutal up in New England. This whole blog started because I wanted to talk about “Stick Season”, but I wanted to give Noah a shoutout for helping others put in the work, in addition to taking care of himself.
You can listen to “Stick Season” below.
2. “Breathe (2 AM)” by Anna Nalick
Lyrically: “Breathe” differentiates itself from the other songs in this blog in the sense that it’s written from a third-person perspective. It begins as the narrator’s friend calls her at 2 AM, knowing that the narrator will be awake and willing to bail her friend out of whatever situation she’s in (chalking it up to the fact that “Winter just isn’t (her) season.” The way of coping is presumably some sort of substance, as we are quickly taken to a rehab facility: “We walk in through the door, so accusing their eyes, like they have any right at all to criticize. Hypocrites, they’re all here for the very same reason.” The second verse focuses on the person the friend and narrator meet while the other person is in rehab. The line “Ain’t been sober since nearly October of last year” always sticks out to me. The pre-chorus and middle 8 emphasize that this could happen to anyone, and the very simple (by design) chorus encourages the narrator’s friend to just breathe and everything will be okay.
Melodically: The song uses A, G, D and A in the verses. Written in A mixolydian, this is a I, VIIb, IV, I pattern. The pre-chorus then uses Bm, D, A, and E, a ii, IV, I, V pattern, played twice. Let’s talk about these two choices for a second. Starting and ending on the I chord in the verses makes perfect sense. Although there’s some uncertainty within the verses, there’s a power in the narrator knowing exactly what to do — that’s why the other person in the song calls on the narrator. The pre-chorus, although told from a point of certainty (the narrator having been there before and having some sort of knowledge about life that the person in trouble does not), the uncertainty of the ii and V chords somehow lets us know it’ll be alright by the end of the chorus, which uses a G, D, A pattern (played twice). It ends on the tonic chord, letting us know it’s going to be fine, even though there is a VII and IV chord played in between. The bridge uses a ii, IV, I, V pattern that gets played twice. This is the same chord progression as the pre-chorus, and I’ve said in previous blogs that the pre-chorus often substitutes for the bridge or middle 8. In this case, there’s both, but the middle 8 functions in the same way as the pre-chorus, with the same tension built up and same chords used. Instrumentally, the song contains piano, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, drums, strings, and harmonium.
Structurally: The song uses a verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, middle 8, and chorus. The power of this song comes with the narrator’s empathy, even though we never know if she’s been through what her friend has been through or if she’s just straight up empathetic. This is why it works to have the same pre-chorus after both verses, and although the same chords are used in the chorus, there’s some new information given, though not any more hope. The third verse is relatively mysterious, and breaks the fourth wall to an extent, but it deals with an all-knowing narrator who needs someone to talk to about their problems (akin to a therapist who needs a therapist of their own). It’s a tremendous skill to be able to write beyond your age, and Anna Nalick was 19 when this song came out. The structure reflects both of those things — someone wise beyond their years, but someone who needs help processing all the things her friends were going through, and the structure allows for both to be heard in the song.
You can listen to “Breathe (2 AM)” below.
3. “The Summer Place” by Fountains of Wayne
Background: This is the first of two songs in this blog that focuses on seasonal depression in the summer, which developed as this blog did, as I associate seasonal depression with the winter. But to quote George Costanza, “Anyone can grieve in the winter!” The other common theme among these last two songs is more of depression by association. By that I mean that once the summer comes around and the narrator gets into an old routine, they start associating the things and people involved in that routine with the time of year it happens.
Lyrically: “The Summer Place” has one of my absolute favorite opening lines: “She’s been afraid of the Cuisinart since 1977, now when she opens up the house, well she won’t set foot in the kitchen.” It then dives into more detail about her family: Her brother, who’s “Dating an architect” who “Never gave her the proper respect but she still meets the ferry to greet them.” It then is revealed that everyone described meets up at “The Summer Place” and plays out as somewhat of a “Hotel California” advertisement, saying, “We’ve got the space if you’ve got the time,” but warning, “It’s another state of mind.” Speaking of that other state of mind, it also talks about the woman in question taking “A handful of mushrooms that she obtained from a surfer” and later talks about “She ran away back in ‘78 down the beach to the neighbors, they brought her back after sunset, her dad said, ‘Don’t do me any favors,’” which further describes how she never feels welcomed by her family. In the middle 8, it talks about how she resorted to shoplifting when she was 15, and thought about it again when she was 40, but “The decides to pay,” while still recognizing “Those good old days don’t seem so far away,” and longing to feel normal again. So in terms of the discussion on seasonal depression, it’s the idea that every summer, she’s forced to deal with her family and find a way to cope with it — again, getting into that routine seasonally and being powerless to feel empowered to stand up to them. At first listen (and second and third, frankly), it feels like it’s going to be a goofy song, with the reference to the Cuisinart, that never gets mentioned again, but there’s a deepness to the lyrics that gets at seasonal depression, through the lens of family traditions that are toxic for one member.
Melodically: The song fits well with the alt country vibe present on the parent album, Sky Full of Holes. It’s written in the key of C major. The intro uses Am, F, C, and E7, a vi, IV, I, III pattern, played twice, before ending on F and G, the IV and V chords. The verses use C, Em, Am, played 3 times. This is a I, iii, vi pattern that is followed by E7, and F, the III and IV chords. That whole pattern gets played twice. The chorus uses F, C, E7, Am, G, F, C, G, E7, a IV, I, III, vi, V, IV, I, V, III pattern, that is followed by Am, F, C, E7, Am, F, C, E7, F, and G (the same chords as the intro). The middle 8 uses Am, G/B, C, Fmaj7, a vi, V, I, IV pattern, that gets played twice, before ending on D/F#, G, and E7, the II, V, and III. The outro uses F, G, and A (more on that below). Instrumentally, the song uses acoustic and electric guitar, bass, and drums.
Structurally: The song uses a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, middle 8, verse, chorus, chorus format. The structure is an interesting one because each verse contains two stanzas, except for the last one, yet despite that, you still feel like there’s not enough information in the verses — even the ones that have the two stanzas. I don’t mean that negatively — I wouldn’t be talking about the song if I thought that affected its quality. Ending the verses on the subdominant IV chord in the verses, the V chord in the chorus, and the III chord in the middle 8, takes the listener from tension to anticipation, to uneasiness, and to some sense of resolve each time the verses start off. Furthermore, the choice to end the song on the A major, which is the VI chord, is a cool one. It creates the tension that was there from the first chord, which was a minor vi, but using the Ab major, coming from C minor, rather than the song’s key of C major, where the A would be an Am, gives us something different, something that makes us think there could be more coming, but there isn’t. As I was typing this, it felt like an extension of the melody section, but that’s because those two things play into each other so well, and one can’t function without the other. You could argue that about any song we’ve looked at, but Adam Schlesinger’s attention to detail was stunning, and all the best songwriters meld the three categories together seamlessly.
You can listen to “The Summer Place” below.
4. “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals
Lyrically: “Heat Waves,” as its title suggests, is about sadness that comes as the weather gets hotter. Lead singer and writer David Bayley said in an interview that the song “Is about loss and longing and ultimately realizing that you are unable to save something.” The cool thing about this song, lyrically, is that when I first looked at the lyrics to the first verse, I was confused by the line “Road shimmer, wigglin’ the vision,” but in all likelihood, it’s a clever way of talking about a mirage, that you would see in a heatwave. The main hook is, “Heat waves been fakin’ me out, can’t make you happier now,” so the narrator sees someone he has lost, recognizes it’s not real, but immediately spirals because they realize they can’t do anything to help the person. The other interesting thing about this song is that my first instinct, when I read what the lead singer had to say about it, is to associate the word loss with someone’s death, maybe that person died in June and that’s why the narrator keeps thinking about them and thinking they saw them when June rolls around again. There are references to the person being better off with someone new, so that could be another person (so maybe the relationship got called off in June) or it could be someone in the afterlife. Either way, it’s very easy to visualize both characters in the song and we can feel for the narrator, whichever type of loss he might be grieving.
Melodically: The song is built over a synthesizer riff (listed in the personnel section as “programming”), but also contains guitars, keyboards, strings, drums, and other percussion. If you want to play it on guitar, you would play the chords relative to the capo on the first fret. Melodically, the song uses Am, G, Em, and D in the intro and outro. With the song written in Ab major, this is a I, VI, v, IV pattern. The pre-chorus and chorus use the same pattern, but adds in a C and a G (the III and VII chords), and the bridge uses C, D, Em, and G, a III, IV, v, VII pattern. The choice of chords throughout the song plays to the emotional journey that the narrator is on. The choice to end the intro on the IV chord gives us some sense of anticipation before heading back to the tonic chord in the verse. The addition of the III and VII chords in the verses creates a tension, and with the last part of the song with lyrics being the chorus, you never get back to the I chord that started out the song. In a previous blog, we talked about how a few simple changes to the lyrics of “Summer Girls” by LFO could have led to different chord choices, like finally finding “the one” and giving up on the summer girls. In this song, the last two sections end on the VII chord (the chorus) and the IV chord (the outro), creating that tension and anticipation either way. But with the outro’s anticipation, it doesn’t lead anywhere, and that’s exactly how you’re meant to feel.
Structurally: The song uses an intro, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, outro format. This is a very interesting song structurally because there is an intro with lyrics and a pre-chorus that only gets sung once. The main crux of the song is the hook/chorus, and making the chords speak to the anticipation and tension, rather than forcing the lyrics to do so the whole thing becomes more powerful. As a writer, my instinct is always to end a song with a double chorus. But the cool thing about using the outro is that you just have to sit with what was just said over the past 3 minutes or so. It’s a great way of keeping the listeners hooked, interested, and serving the song.
“Heat Waves” is embedded below. I hope you’re happier now.
