When was the last time you felt out of control?
And I don’t mean “out of control” like “wild and crazy and unhinged.” But when was the last time you came to the realization that a lot of things in your life are outside of your agency? It’s a terrifying feeling that can leave you feelings small.
For example, let me take you back to high school. When I was seventeen, I drove a crappy-yet-somewhat-reliable car: a 1997 Oldsmobile Intrigue with cloth seats and a rusting-away coat of white paint. It was hotter than Hades on the inside in the summer time, but it had a dope sound system. Towards the end of its tenure, it had a lot of problems. One day it was a leak in the gas line, the next it was faulty breaks, and the next it was the battery or transmission or who-knows-what. One cold, snowy morning, I trudged out to my car and tried to start it. It didn’t start. Literally nothing.
So that morning, my dad drove me to school, and my mom drove me home, like I was freaking nine years old again. It was unexpected and out of my control. I was expecting to get into my car like I did every morning and drive myself to school, showtunes blasting. But life had nother plans.
It’s situations like that that remind me sometimes life just happens. Life itself is a narrative of highs and lows – not everything always goes our way. But it’s how we react to the highs and the lows that define us as a person.
Day Seven: Hopeless Opus – Imagine Dragons
Smoke + Mirrors is the sophomore album of the pop group Imagine Dragons, who launched into stardom with Night Visions, that featured well-known hits like “Radioactive” and “It’s Time,” both of which still snap, by the way. However, Smoke + Mirrors recieved more mixed reviews. It is still their least commercially-successful album, although it has great tunes like “Friction,” “I’m So Sorry,” and “I Bet My Life.” It may because Dan Reynolds and his gang got a bit more experimental, maybe moreso than what was palatable. It’s definitely a significant deviation from their first album, but that’s not neccesarily a bad thing. It’s just sometimes hard to change your sound as a band and expect everyone to still be on board with you.
“Hopless Opus” is not only a great title that rolls off the tongue, it’s also just a great little song. You see, Reynolds is really diving deep into his struggle with depression in this album. You can hear it in this song and others, including “Polaroid,” which I covered last year. I know, it’s surprising that the rich and famous also struggle with human things like depression. But Reynolds hasn’t had the easiest life. He’s struggled with a lifelong autoimmune disease and split from his wife (they have since gotten back together and are expecting their third child – yay!) The road isn’t easy for anyone, and that’s what this song talks about.
We have characters in this song – characters that represent some of the more difficult aspects of life. Vices, money, power, fate. So let’s meet them all, shall we?
Hey, Mr. Cage Man
Let me get a fresh breath
Cherry bomb, head strong
I can fake my own death
Our first character is Mr. Cage Man. Reynolds uses prison imagery to introduce “him,” although Mr. Cage Man is a metaphor for things that hold us back. Mr. Cage Man can look different for everyone – it looks like whatever you’re holding onto that keeps you from moving forward in life.
Hey, Mr. Fate Man
Shuffle me a ninth life
I’ve been wrong, go along
Throwin’ me a sharp right
Character #2 is Mr. Fate Man. Reynolds seems to be pleading with all of these characters as though they control his life. And sometimes it can feel like they do. Why do the “fates” have to align in this way instead of this one?
Then, in the refrain, Reynolds declares his agency in the midst of all this.
It’s not a picture perfect life, not what I had in mind
Let me write my own line
He’s like, “No, give me the pen. I’m sick of allowing people, places and things to dictate who I am and what I do.” I imagine it’s hard to say that as a popular artist under constant scrutiny. Even though he declares this, it’s still an uphill battle. Yes, life sucks, but what are you gonna do?
I’ve got this place that
I’ve filled with empty space, so
I’m trying not to face what I’ve done
My hopeless opus
I’m in this race, and
I’m hoping just to place, so
I’m trying not to face what’s become of me
My hopeless opus
Sometimes we come to the shocking realization that we are not where or who we want to be. We’ve either let our circumstances change us, or we’ve become bitter about those circumstances, or all of the above. It happens slowly until you wake up one morning not recognizing yourself. I’ve been there. And it seems like Reynolds has been too. He’s waking up feeling “hopeless,” like his art is for naught and his life is pointless. Because a few more characters come into play:
Hey, Mr. Safe Man
Hustle me an okay
I could slide, take a dive
Take it for the home team
So my vices didn’t work, Fate didn’t pan out – what about safety? I’ll do whatever it takes to be safe in my own little bubble. With that safety comes financial security, right?
Hey, Mr. Post Man
Slip me one more green note
I’ve been low, hit the floor
Looking just to make broke
Where my money at, though? Obviously it’s here today, gone tomorrow. The way he pleads with all four of these characters makes me think he’s not going nowhere fast. So what can he rely on?
His hopeless opus, of course.
Life is a funny thing. It’s sort of a hopeless opus in and of itself. We’re all just a bunch of humans trying to do a few good things with our life, and to make it out without hurting too many people. Maybe fall in love, maybe make some friends, be kinda successful financially. We’re all striving for something. We write our opus for someone, or something, or ourselves (which isn’t a bad thing at all.) Sometimes the way the music is written is out of our control.
But don’t let that keep you from writing your own line.
Audrey D. DeBoer 