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    Thoughts on music video

    Rohelf
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    Thoughts on music video Empty Thoughts on music video

    Post  Rohelf October 13th 2018, 5:23 pm

    I heard the last 1/3 of this song on the radio the other day, and felt compelled to look it up online... not because I liked it, but because I had to confirm that someone actually wrote a pop song that sampled "I've got that joy down in my heart."  Yes, they really did. Rolling Eyes Then I saw the video, and... wow.  Not a good wow, either.  Behold, and comment:


    My primary thoughts are:

    1. Seriously, guys, no one can make that chirpy children's song cool.  Stop trying.

    2. Do the artists not realize how unsympathetic the protagonists of this video appear to people outside their subcultural bubble?

    3. Painting a smile on it doesn't make it go away.

    4. Holy crap, they infected her against her will.  That's creepy.  Don't they understand how creepy that is?

    5. See, guys, this is why people do not trust Christians with their pains and worries.  Because this is your standard answer.
    AdamCollings
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    Thoughts on music video Empty Re: Thoughts on music video

    Post  AdamCollings October 14th 2018, 6:15 pm

    I've seen this music video before. You make some interesting and valid observations, but I feel compelled to defend it a little.
    After all, these guys are fellow Aussies, and we gotta stick together right? It's a matter of national pride. lol.

    Ok, seriously.
    This song has been quite therapeutic to my wife in her depression and anxiety, and that alone makes me grateful for it.
    The use of that old kids song was an "interesting" choice. I think the whole song (and especially the video) was deliberately cheesy.

    Good point about the whole forcing her against her will thing. Even the gospel, which we have been commanded to share to the ends of the earth, cannot, and should not, be forced on somebody against their will. (Though you me made me chuckle when you called joy an infection)

    You are absolutely correct that painting a smile on it doesn't make it go away.
    At the same time, the mind is a powerful tool, and there is a lot of toxic negativity in our world today (just look at social media). Our choice of whether to focus on the positive or negative (for those who have that choice) can have a big impact on our attitudes as well as our health, so there is benefit to "choosing joy" as the lyrics say. I think this is what the song is supposed to be about.
    But despite what I said about my wife above, for those with actual medical conditions such as depression, it's not so easy, and you can't just "will yourself happy."

    Music, like all art, is very subjective, and one person might take something away from a song, while another may not.

    But I think my biggest take-away from your reaction to this song, is that we need to be careful of giving pat answers. Those don't help anybody. In fact, I remember once having a similar reaction to a Third Day song that kept repeating the old cliche "There's a light at the end of this tunnel". I have a lot of respect for Third Day, but I remember thinking, this song is not gonna help anyone going through real problems.

    Rohelf
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    Thoughts on music video Empty Re: Thoughts on music video

    Post  Rohelf October 15th 2018, 10:57 pm

    No offense was intended to the Aussies as a whole.  Seriously, you guys get my (double) thumbs-up for koalas alone.  Get rid of the horrifying giant bugs and I'll probably raise your country rating another half star. Wink

    I am curious, though... is the Christian subcultural bubble also a "thing" in Australia?  Does it carry the same political and social associations there as it does in the states?

    I'm glad this song makes your wife feel better, but as someone else who is going through hard times, this song and others like it insisting on smiling and singing through the pain have been the polar opposite of helpful.

    AdamCollings wrote:
    In fact, I remember once having a similar reaction to a Third Day song that kept repeating the old cliche "There's a light at the end of this tunnel". I have a lot of respect for Third Day, but I remember thinking, this song is not gonna help anyone going through real problems.

    Yeah, as much as our local contemporary Christian radio station likes to bill itself as "uplifting," I wouldn't recommend 80% of the songs to anyone going through troubles.  Many of these songs are clearly meant to be for people going through troubles, but the good intention doesn't cover the awful execution.  One song that I do think did it well, and that I ended up adding to my personal playlist?  Worn by Tenth Avenue North (link below if you're not familiar with it).  It doesn't hold out any empty promises or insist on mouthing praises anyway, it just expresses an emotion and lets it be.  It stays low, rather than forcing an artificial high.  The chorus has a hope that things will get better, but the singer doesn't get to see that hope fulfilled, which is an experience a lot more people can relate to, I think.  It feels much more honest and real than the usual template of "don't cry because Jesus" songs.

    AdamCollings wrote:
    Good point about the whole forcing her against her will thing. Even the gospel, which we have been commanded to share to the ends of the earth, cannot, and should not, be forced on somebody against their will.

    I find that I'm becoming increasingly sensitive to, and put off by, situations in fiction or other entertainment where Character A does something to Character B against B's express wishes, but it's all for B's own good and the narrative treats A as right for having done this.  It's more common than you'd think, including in "Christian" works.  If you want to show Character A as morally ambiguous or treading perilously close to the dark side, okay, but genuine heroes should respect the free will of others.  Violation or disregard of others' free will is, to me at least, one of the hallmarks of a villain.

    AdamCollings wrote:
    But despite what I said about my wife above, for those with actual medical conditions such as depression, it's not so easy, and you can't just "will yourself happy."

    Yeah, that's the thing: even if I could "will myself happy" (and I don't think I can), I wouldn't want to.  I don't want to feel better about my problems, I want the problems fixed.  I can't imagine that I'm that unique in this, either.  People don't want to just be shot full of painkillers, they want the wound treated and gone.  I wish more Christians understood this.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zulKcYItKIA
    AGoodReed
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    Thoughts on music video Empty Re: Thoughts on music video

    Post  AGoodReed October 15th 2018, 11:28 pm

    Rohelf wrote:I heard the last 1/3 of this song on the radio the other day, and felt compelled to look it up online... not because I liked it, but because I had to confirm that someone actually wrote a pop song that sampled "I've got that joy down in my heart."  Yes, they really did. Rolling Eyes Then I saw the video, and... wow.  Not a good wow, either.  Behold, and comment:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA7n7TwPDmw

    My primary thoughts are:

    1. Seriously, guys, no one can make that chirpy children's song cool.  Stop trying.

    2. Do the artists not realize how unsympathetic the protagonists of this video appear to people outside their subcultural bubble?

    3. Painting a smile on it doesn't make it go away.

    4. Holy crap, they infected her against her will.  That's creepy.  Don't they understand how creepy that is?

    5. See, guys, this is why people do not trust Christians with their pains and worries.  Because this is your standard answer.


    Just watched the video. I do not see it like you do at all...

    1. I think the use of the children's song really worked. It fit the theme and the beat.

    2. I don't see why they wouldn't. I mean, it's pop music, so it's not going to be too deep, but unless the people outside of their subculture are all negative news cycle addicts who live for feeling depressed and/or angry, I think there's an attraction to two guys saying, "Choose joy!" Of course, you need the context of Christ for there to be any joy, and anyone delving more into the band ought to be able to find out what they stand for. (Then again, I'm not sure that they're speaking to people outside of the Christian subculture. I think they're probably trying to remind us that we should know better than to give into despair when we see all the bad stuff in the news.)

    3. I don't think their message is to paint a smile on anything. I think it's to make the conscious choice to choose to focus on the good in the midst of the bad.

    4. I didn't see them infect that lady. I saw her try to destroy their joy by pushing the TV over, but the joy itself overcame her in spite of - or perhaps because of - her protestation. Kind of reminded me of how people like Lee Strobel or C.S. Lewis came to Christ (kicking and screaming). They two singers didn't do anything to her; they just danced with her after the fact.

    5. I don't think they're speaking to people dealing with personal hurts, diseases, traumas, depression, etc. I think they're specifically trying to counter the negative news (and maybe social media) culture. They have other songs that speak to people dealing with personal struggles.

    So, yeah, I loved it. It's pop. It's mostly surface-level stuff. People looking for something deeper ought to look elsewhere...like to post-hardcore.

    mindspike
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    Thoughts on music video Empty Re: Thoughts on music video

    Post  mindspike October 16th 2018, 10:46 am

    I see both sides of this. I did like this song, and I thought the samples were the right choice for this kind of song. I see the same things that Reed did; I think this song is meant to remind us that perspective and attitude are a choice. Something of which I continually remind my teenagers.

    On the other hand....

    When I was struggling with depression, it seemed like every song like this was intended to personally frustrate and insult me. Rohelf is right; depression is not something you overcome with a painted on smile. I read the Psalms a lot during that time. Continual cries to God and the expression of personal pain spoke to me more than any other part of scripture.

    At the time, I had this on repeat:



    Yes, both Teen Titans and Skillet......

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