Man, this track got me right in the feels straight from the get go. Em immediately opens by discussing depression, which is something I’ve struggled with. The feelings of darkness, of the walls closing in, of curtains being snatched closed and of overall helplessness and hopelessness are bitter old enemies of mine. He then talks about dulling the pain with alcohol and drugs. The idea that beer isn’t enough, he’s gonna need vodka. Again, this all seems too familiar.
I didn’t think much of the references to Vegas and gambling at first, but the full frontal assault with double entendres referencing firearms definitely hit their target. I thought this song might have a happy ending of sorts. I was wrong. I still wasn’t sure exactly where Mr. Mathers was going with this, but I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty.
Into the second verse, I started hearing about anxiety over the future. Panicking over what-ifs and situations that almost certainly won’t happen. He’s talking about freaking out before a show, but I’m hearing the anxiety I sometimes battle over my own job. And then here comes all the sneaky double talk about guns and shooting again. When the 3rd verse begins, it hits me. Eminem has been covertly talking about the Las Vegas mass shooting this whole time, from the viewpoint of the shooter no less. Now there’s no more hiding, he’s shooting from a hotel window with limitless firepower. Darkness, indeed.
This track is aptly named for sure. The first single off of Eminem’s surprise album is definitely DARK. With so many mass shootings and gun violence in general here in the USA, I’d say it’s right on time and directly on point, too. The problem begins with mental health, and so does this song. Common sense gun control is needed also, and that is touched on too. Eminem does a brilliant job tying together the troubling issues of lack of mental health care and mass shootings in the USA. If this song doesn’t touch a nerve, then I don’t know what will.
Man, this track got me right in the feels straight from the get go. Em immediately opens by discussing depression, which is something I’ve struggled with. The feelings of darkness, of the walls closing in, of curtains being snatched closed and of overall helplessness and hopelessness are bitter old enemies of mine. He then talks about dulling the pain with alcohol and drugs. The idea that beer isn’t enough, he’s gonna need vodka. Again, this all seems too familiar.
I didn’t think much of the references to Vegas and gambling at first, but the full frontal assault with double entendres referencing firearms definitely hit their target. I thought this song might have a happy ending of sorts. I was wrong. I still wasn’t sure exactly where Mr. Mathers was going with this, but I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty.
Into the second verse, I started hearing about anxiety over the future. Panicking over what-ifs and situations that almost certainly won’t happen. He’s talking about freaking out before a show, but I’m hearing the anxiety I sometimes battle over my own job. And then here comes all the sneaky double talk about guns and shooting again. When the 3rd verse begins, it hits me. Eminem has been covertly talking about the Las Vegas mass shooting this whole time, from the viewpoint of the shooter no less. Now there’s no more hiding, he’s shooting from a hotel window with limitless firepower. Darkness, indeed.
This track is aptly named for sure. The first single off of Eminem’s surprise album is definitely DARK. With so many mass shootings and gun violence in general here in the USA, I’d say it’s right on time and directly on point, too. The problem begins with mental health, and so does this song. Common sense gun control is needed also, and that is touched on too. Eminem does a brilliant job tying together the troubling issues of lack of mental health care and mass shootings in the USA. If this song doesn’t touch a nerve, then I don’t know what will.