Although Twenty One Pilots’ Stressed Out was released in April of 2015, it has enjoyed a spot on the Billboard top 40 since. Although many of the other tracks dominating the Billboard chart have levels of popularity that leave me confused and somewhat frustrating, I find this one really refreshing.
The first, and most obvious, great thing about Stressed Out is its lyrical content. In a musical climate where relationships and sex are the theme of most of the radio-ready songs producers and musicians are making, it sparks my interest when an artist takes on a different topic. Perhaps as popular, if not as common, is the element of nostalgia.
Lorde’s Ribs references “...sharing beds like little kids” while Ellie Goulding’s Lights expresses longing for the past with the lyric, “...and I think back to when my brother and my sister slept in an unlocked place, the only time I feel safe”. John Mayer’s 83 is perhaps the best example of nostalgia for childhood with the chorus’ lyrics being, “And these days, I wish I was six again. Oh make me a red cape, I want to be Superman.” But Twenty One Pilots take it a step further and contextualises the longing for the past in the context of a stressful present reality. “Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days, where our Mama sang us to sleep when I was stressed out” and “Out of student loans and treehouse homes we all would take the latter” create a wonderfully concise image of the growing pains that come with leaving home. The musical style is a bit of a throwback to famous tracks of the 00’s, with hints of BoB and Hayley Williams’ Airplanes as well as the Black Eyed Peas’ Where is the Love. Perhaps this enhances the strong feeling of nostalgia that this piece evokes. There’s a really refreshing honesty to the lyrical content and style of Stressed Out which makes it easy to listen to. I’d love to see more songs along this line getting the recognition that they clearly deserve, perhaps even on the Billboard Top 40.
