I believe I have mentioned several times how I stumble across a song I like by letting an auto-play music list just go. Naturally this is always a gamble, because there is never any certainty that I will end up listening to any songs I enjoy. Other times, I will discover something completely unknown to me that I really like, when this happens it feels like the best possible material for writing a blogpost, because usual everything about these sorts of songs is a surprise to me.
Nearly a year ago, I was down an indie rock auto-play list, which is typical of me, and only relistening to the handful of tracks that really jumped out at me did I realize there was a shared theme of mental health. I am not sure how I caused auto-play list to be focused on such a subject matter, but things worked out well, many of those songs were rather comforting in their own unique way. Chiefly among them was Radical Face – “Hard of Hearing.”
From the lyrics alone I knew this song was about struggle and bearing with it as best as one can.
“I know I’m not well,
But I’m alright.”
This end to the chorus really resonated with me. You know, because I am not okay, but I am doing alright.
After recording “Hard of Hearing” to memory, I did the logical thing and sought it on youtube for my future casual listening. That music video was a wonderful gem, it was delightfully sad and funny.
A quick synopsis of the music video is there is a man experiencing an increasing amount of damage from scene to scene, and when anyone asks him if he needs a napkin due to his uncontrollable bleeding, he statically replies that he is fine. This video made it very clear to me that the struggle being depicted in “Hard of Hearing” is depression. The depressed man is trying to get better by taking the advice from a self-help book, but none of it prevents the ever-increasing damage upon his person. It is funny, because he is clearly not okay, and even though things are getting worse and worse, he holds strong and continues to tell everyone he is fine.
Very sad, but also very funny. The experience showcased in the music video really elevated the song for me. Excellent execution.
I showed this video to one of my friends going through some hard times, I thought he might appreciate it, and he did. What he liked about it so much was, as he put it, “this guy is trying so hard and nothing is working.” This is exactly what I find so likable about the man in this video. He was trying so hard and nothing was making him feel better. Despite the scenarios being rather humorous, we are not really laughing at him, but laughing at the challenging dimensions of how his struggle manifests. Some of the advice he was prescribing to was terrible. No one understands or appreciates what this guy is going through, and they stare uneasily. While humorous it really made the poor bleeding man highly relatable. Every time I watch this video I am routing for the guy. I want him to feel better.
I think it is important for us to be able to make light of even our darkest troubles. Combining the human condition and humour can easily come across as crass or in poor taste, but “Hard of Hearing” fully humanized the entire experience and works successfully as a positive message for awareness. I suspect this would not have been as successful without the humor.
The man behind Radical Face is Ben Cooper. Ben is close to my age, and like me, Cooper wanted to become a writer when he was young. Since the year 2000 Ben has been writing music, and in that time has composed six albums and a number of EPs. His most recent EP “Therapy” was released this year and includes “Hard of Hearing.” Sensibly “Therapy” is exactly about that. Everything comes full circle. It would appear, that Ben is writing about depression from personal experience.
I hope others enjoy “Hard of Hearing” the same way I do. I also hope “Therapy” aids in expanding our empathy towards those who need it the most. Lastly, I hope Ben is doing okay; I’m routing for him.
- King of Braves
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