What Linkin Park did for the music universe is nearly unparalleled. Fearlessly abandoning their trademark sound after Meteora to go in multiple different directions (the concept album A Thousand Suns, the electronic rock of Living Things, and going back to their classic sound on 2014’s The Hunting Party), they could have easily coasted on the success of platinum debut Hybrid Theory and its followup, Meteora. But they didn’t. While the band was always adept at fitting their rap-rock sound to a pop formula (a talent that’s seriously understated), it was Linkin Park’s ability to resonate with people of all ages that made them superstars. Channeling emotion and not having it come across as phony is an art.
Everything you say to me
Takes me one step closer to the edge
And I’m about to break
I need a little room to breathe
Emotion: Anger, rage
Linkin Park gave me the freedom to realize that maybe, just maybe, my complicated teenage emotions weren’t in vain. Free of complicated metaphors, Chester Bennington’s voice always went straight for the throat with lyrics that accurately described the anger and rage that was so hard to actually quantify – at least productively. Let’s face it. When we’re confronted with the fact that the world does not care about you, life gets hard. And it’s difficult for even hormonal teenagers to come to terms with that.
Emotion: Broken relationships
And I’m left in the wake of the mistake, slow to react
And even though you’re so close to me
You’re still so distant and I can’t bring you back
What sort of feelings and emotions do we experience growing up? Betrayal. Unrequited love. Broken relationships that might not mend the way we hoped. And when you’re 15, relationships and “love” is often both fleeting and a mirage. You might think you’re in love, and then in an instant, it’s gone.
Emotion: Self-worth, finding your place in the world
I will never know myself until I do this on my own
And I will never feel anything else, until my wounds are healed
I will never be anything ’til I break away from me
I will break away, I’ll find myself today
It often takes us years and years to truly find who we really are. As we age, we are in a constant state of growing, advancing, and evolving as humans. Who you are at 13 is vastly different than the person you are even a few years later – as your life experiences shape who you will become, even one tiny event can forever change your general mindset. Finding yourself is an integral part of the human experience, and discovering where you fit in the world is just as important.
Emotion: Addiction
I don’t know how I got this way
I know it’s not alright
So I’m breaking the habit
I’m breaking the habit tonight
What do we become addicted and trapped by? Maybe it’s pornography. Perhaps it’s drugs, alcohol, or a sex addiction. Maybe it’s something like prescription pills, or food, or throwing up your food after you eat it. Only you can end up breaking the habit, though, by finding the light within.
Put me out of my fucking misery.
Emotion: Despondency
What do you do when you’re at the end of your rope? Despondency is more than just pure anger, it’s contemplating taking your own life because you feel without value. And you couldn’t be more wrong.
After my dreaming
I woke with this fear
What am I leaving
When I’m done here?
Emotion: “What legacy will I leave behind?”
It’s easy to wonder what you’ll leave behind when you die. Will there be anything tangible that people will remember for ages? Or will we fade away without anyone remembering us? Create something that lasts during your time in Earth. Treasure every day like it’s your last.
Test my will, test my heart
Let me tell you how the odds gonna stack up
Y’all go hard, I go smart
How’s that working out for y’all in the back, huh?
No, you can tell ’em all now
I don’t back up, I don’t back down
I don’t fold up, and I don’t bow
I don’t roll over, don’t know how
I don’t care where the enemies are
Can’t be stopped, all I know; go hard
Won’t forget how I got this far
Emotion: Determination
If you have a goal in mind, who’s going to stop you? If you really believe in what you’re doing, the answer is no one.
You were our voice, Chester. The personal face of the human experience. And though you may be gone, you left behind something that lasts. Music and a voice that will change the lives of future generations.
RIP Chester Bennington, 1976-2017
