You might be interested in Ren's next video, which is an acoustic version of this song due out in a couple weeks. Followed a few weeks later by a new song entirely and a bit ironically, called Murderer
Whilst your sentiment is great and I volunteered for The Samaritans for a while I don't think glamorising and normalising suicide / suicidal thoughts is good, and this song + vid does both IMO. It throws in modern 'deepisms' and trendy psycho-babble aimed at neo-peeps who do not have a drop of stoic blood in them, as it has been drained and replaced with head-bashing (post)modern neural fluid fuelling both an inferiority and superiority complex, causing mental, society-wide trauma. For every Libby type saying you're number one, there's a load of Romantics saying True Love is the only true happiness and Socialistas basically saying you're just pollution killing the planet.. The song does not FIGHT SUICIDE and -ve thoughts in the way as say a Metallica song does (faces them then kicks them into the grave).
@@PrivateSi well your opinion is noted but incorrect. To claim this song glorifies suicide, is probably the dumbest comment I've heard on the internet in a good 5-6 years. Yikes man, yikes
I held off watching more of Ren because I thought he couldn't top 'Hi Ren' I relented a week or so ago and started watching the back catalogue and god was I wrong, every track is perfection.
@@hanskneesun123so glad it's not just me hooked on the review videos, I spent hours watching them over the past few weeks! So nice seeing other Countries recognise the gem that is REN
And reminiscent of Bowie's lyric _"A crack in the sky and a hand reaching down to me. All the nightmares came today. And it looks as though they're here to stay"_
Ren doesn’t make music, he makes art. Pure visceral art. And thank God in a world where to many musicians have seemingly so little to say. Thank you Ren for filling the world with beauty, even when it’s painful beauty.
Ren does make music AND art. (BTW, music is a form of art. Art has many forms, and Ren is skilled and talented in multiple forms.) Apart from your saying he doesn’t make music, I agree with the rest of your comment.
I get your point. And actually I thought 'this is art' when watching his videos. Clearly, it's music - but there is more to what he creates and performs.
The first part of the song was Ren confronting the darkness from his personal journey. He struggled with suicidal thoughts of his own, particularly with all of his health struggles. But “it never really felt like the right time,” he held on to life. The first part of the song and video were already finished, but he said it felt incomplete. It wasn’t until he started talking again about the loss of his friend Joe Hughes in recent interviews that he added the last part. He shared more details about that night in 2010 in the Knox Hill interview. A mutual friend called Ren and said Joe was on the bridge saying his goodbyes. Ren ran as fast as he could and was first to arrive, but minutes too late 😿 Opening up about it helped him confront the pain, loss, regret and guilt he’s been holding inside. The final part flowed out of him and he recorded it with all the raw emotion as he wrote. It’s so powerful. Ren is becoming a voice of a generation. It’s been incredible seeing the impact of this song in such a short period of time. It’s a topic that needs to be confronted. He isn’t shying away from anything, but he’s doing it in a beautiful way. It’s helpful that Ren has remained independent. I doubt a label would give him this much latitude or control.
I'm loving the quality of some of these comments which pop up under reactions to Ren's serious pieces. It's his fun stuff which I listen to on the regular though. I've come to understand that too much melancholy, however beautifully presented it may be, in the music I listen to can seep into my subconscious & leave me in a *dark* place. For example, Soundgarden will always be *my band* ,but I have to ration myself to just a couple of listens a week. It's a real thing. Totally agree with you regarding the complete independence thing btw- a label certainly would *not* be putting out everything he is.
I love the relationship between Ren & this channel! Thank you for white-listing JHRA Ren & thank you Justin for covering Ren’s songs so often! Love and appreciate you both 💖💖💖
@@stevereid1673 I’m so proud of the fact that I found Ren before Justin did but only because Justin has introduced me to so many artists that I would never have found without him. I’m grateful too, but would be lying if I said I don’t feel smug about discovering Ren first! 😂😂😂 I just love them both! (JMF too! ❤️) 🥰💖🥰
@@thomasdequincey5811 It means that Justin can use as much of Ren’s music/videos on JHRA as he likes without getting a copyright strike. It’s why the clips used in this video are considerably longer than usual. 🥰
Thank you for having Ren on the channel again. This song is heartbreaking, and it needs to be seen/heard by as many people as possible and it needs to be discussed, not hidden away due to censorship of the word. Often, we learn too late that someone was in this darkest of places. If anyone reads this comment and is in this dark place, please know that you matter and you do have a purpose on this Earth (even though you may feel like you don’t) and Please reach out to someone! If you don’t feel comfortable talking with someone you know, talk to a stranger online. I’m 100% sure that anyone in this community and in Ren’s community would listen to you and empathize and assure you that you’re not as alone as you feel. You are important - there’s only one of you - and you can’t be replaced. There are hearts that care, ears that will listen, and hands to pull you up. Don’t give up. Please don’t give up. You are here for a reason. Please reach out. You are irreplaceable ❤
Yeah thanks man. Even though he nearly has 1m views, RU-vid still penalized him for the subject, even though he was on the trending list, he was banned from the recommended list. It needs people like you to push it.
I believe I have to go back when I was 13 to find a song captivating me like several of Rens pieces has. It was first time hearing " Sultans of Swing " 1977 !!
Not ashamed to say that no other musician has ever made me shed so many tears! Ren is a phenomena, such a bright spark in the beige of modern music and indeed humanity. 😍👊🎸
Thanks Justin, great to see your reaction. I shared the following with Ren and am posting it here in the hope that it may be of help to others: "When I was 18 I lost my girlfriend to suicide shortly after we broke up. In her case it was a building not a bridge. At her funeral I hugged and cried with dozens of her high school friends and family, everyone saying how shocked they were. I wasn't. I carry that pain with me every step I take in this world. At first I barely could exist. I learned when the pain would hit the truth of taking things day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute and even moment by moment. Over the years I have learned how to channel the pain for good, to try and be a better friend, a better husband, a better father and a better person. Every single being on this planet has value. Everyone. You may not know it in the moment. You may doubt your value. You may hurt in unimaginable ways. But you do have value. Every life touches others in ways we each may never know. If you are hurting, please be empathetic with yourself. It is only in finding the empathy towards ones own self that one can truly find empathy in others. And the world needs you. The world needs every bit of empathy you can give. Thanks Ren. I have no doubt your journey is helping countless lives. Salute and Peace."
I still say that Ren getting sick and getting out of the Sony deal may just be a blessing in disguise. With the creative freedom he has being independent is allowing him to create what he wants when and how he wants it. No one telling him what he needs to do to be successful. Ren knows just what it will take and we see with each piece of art he creates that he is knocking it out of the park.🔥🔥 RENegade 🤘
I agree. Every cloud has a silver lining; good things come out of bad happenings if you just take the time to find it, and Ren has clearly done that. If you have faith in yourself and your life (I don't mean that in a religious way) and both allow it to unfold as it will while also steering it within the context of its unfolding, in hindsight it all ends up making perfect sense. Ren is an incredible artist, synthesizing music in ways not done since Bowie roamed the earth. He may well be this era's Bowie. He's THAT good.
I thought Ren had put this nonsense about the Label to bed in his interview with Justin but obviously not for some. Labels generally don’t give a toss what an artist does as long as whatever it is has a reasonable degree of popular appeal and is thus succesful. I don’t think anyone’s going to be obtuse enough to argue that Ren doesn’t have popular appeal. One could say he’s YT phenomenon and has actually blazed a trail for others to follow on how to interact on line with their fan base and to become successful as an independent artist using Social Media.
'Slipping through the cracks' always makes me think of the saying where people slip through the gaps in the mental care systems or lack thereof. The 'tracks' make me think of the border between living and dying. The light going out on the other side is another person that couldn't get help...
I'd guess Ren explores suicide as something that happens from both viewpoints. Sure, suicide is one of the most devastating things to try to endure as someone close to the person that commits it, but people who have gone through and experienced complete hopelessness and mental illness can also at least partly understand the state of mind of the person. What tends to bother me with the subject is the emphasis on " how rough X's suicide was/is on us " that overlooks the despair of the person who is no longer here. I don't hear that in Ren's song but instead both viewpoints, the longing of the person from our own viewpoint and how the despair building up can feel to the person who ends up taking their own life. This is by no means an attempt to criticize your take nor say what Ren tries to convey. Just an observation of someone who has both been close to that despair and experienced loss of close ones and still has that "threat" looming with others.
@@uuiam Per Ren, the entire first section of this song was written about his own suicidal thoughts. After his interview with Knox where his buddy came up, he sat at a piano and the last act spilled out of him. He had it added onto the end afterward. So its not that its not there at all, its just all in Ren's perspective, both the thoughts he's had and the mixture of the pain and bitterness he feels, not just for losing his friend, but for blaming himself for not making it to save him, for not realizing what would happen when he saw him a few nights before.
Yes, the first part loads up on the chaos, despair, relentless thoughts when contemplating suicide. Isolation kills. The thoughts drive one into further isolation. To pull oneself out of it does indeed take courage. The act itself is the most selfish, self-centered action a human being can commit. Our “Me” culture needs to change to “We.” Act not just for oneself, but for other human beings. Our society and the powerful have brought the scourge of suicide into a pandemic by relentless devaluing of human life, pushing immediate gratification, destroying traditional family life and attempting to fragment us by ridiculous self-identification. We are Human Beings. Courage suffering begets fierce joy. KkXpax.
@@bearbait7405 Please never talk like this to a person that experiences desperation and hopelessness. The most unempathetic and neglectful rationale I have seen.
@@bearbait7405 echoing what uuiam said. While for years after my failed suicide attempt I considered myself selfish and dedicated myself to as much of a selfless lifestyle as I could, it was a mere coping mechanism that sustained me until I could reach a place where I could be healthy. It may be you feel this way because of your own feelings or experiences, and that's a perfectly fine way to feel if it works for you in whatever moment you are in. But its not something you can put on everyone in that situation. People go through different things for different reasons and, even if the conclusion is the same, its not necessarily driven or externally understood by the same motivations. "Act not just for oneself, but for other human beings" is a pretty direct notion of Kant's philosophy, but a part of that is also never using anyone as a means to an end, treating each and every person as an individual with all the complexities that come with it and the respect that deserves. If you want to act for others you must first understand their position, their thoughts, their emotions, you can't generalize their intentions or their mental state like that. The last thing someone who is at the absolute bottom needs is for someone to tell them that their thoughts make them a shitty person. Statements like yours drive more people over the edge then pull them back from it.
Thanks Justin, appreciate you firstly introducing me to Ren. Your channel has opened the door tlo many new and old artists. Much love from Melbourne Australia 🙏🌏😊
To me, the line "Falling through the cracks of the night sky" is taking about falling through the cracks of the mental health system and also perhaps, friends and family not catching the signs that you're not in the good place mentally. Unfortunately, some of us have learned to hide the signs all too well. Then, the Night Sky's referring to the darkness we feel we're living in when we are in the darkest reaches of our mind, and no matter what, the sky always seems dark.
"Treading in the tracks"... could be literal train tracks and those who cope with ideation, could be treading tracks in your mind as you overthink, could be music tracks, since Ren does all his own production and music is what kept him on this side of the dirt during the worst of his illness.
Just came from a reactor (not going to say who) that derided this song, committed to not listening to it again, and described the "damage" that such a "negative" song could cause. Definitely glad that seems to be a one-off. Thanks for your sensitivity and desire to help shed light on a difficult subject, Mr. Hawkins.
Ren is opening topics that haven't been discussed enough. The community that he has built around him is incredibly positive and emotionally healing for so many people, myself included.
Jesus, that’s incredibly visceral and open, there are not too many artists that could write so openly and brilliantly. And that’s why REN is a genius, the world needs more artists of this sort of calibre. Surely this style of writing must be quite emotionally and mentally difficult but I hope it is also ultimately cathartic for REN and leads to more and more brilliance in the future.
In the Cambridge Dictionary it says 'Fall through the cracks' means: - Little details often fall through the cracks. - Too many young people slip through the cracks in the health system. I think the latter might apply.
🎶 _Summer breeze makes me feel fine_ 🎶 It's great that many artists are breaking taboo topics (not talking about something doesn't mean it doesn't exist...) PS: Happy Father's day! Enjoy it with your beloved ones ❤
Thanks so much, Justin, great stuff! I hate to say it but there are already 40-50 songs and live performances from Ren and friends that already I cannot live without. It's just banger after banger after banger going back a decade or more. And he has two new LPs coming out ... first an 18-track hip hop project, then a rock record. Plus he's pretty much written the first 6 episodes of a sort of musical theatre/Black Mirror/Jenny+Screech-type TV show that he's pitching to Netflix and whoever else. Cheers!
Thanks Justin.. it is a topic that is tough to grasp, but Ren manages to truly make it approachable to all of us to try to understand .. somehow whatever the topics he speaks about you either understand them on a personal level or by the end of the song you understand it from others viewpoints.. that’s why Ren is so brilliant.. he paints a picture with his words without cramming it down anyone’s throat.. ♥️🎶♥️
I 100% agree with this..he hits on all levels. It's amazing. I have only 2 friends that I would definitely show him to like right from the very tippy top of the Ren rabbit hole...but as deep as I am now, I would and will introduce the very people I wouldn't ever talk to about the dark parts of my life to rens music because of how sophisticated and relatable it is... I know there are haters, I don't understand why, but.i know they exist...but honestly I don't think there's an individual with real love within their being that could hate this music. The haters are from another world all together or they just haven't realized what they're truly feeling yet.
@@karissaj.8881 I get exactly what your saying…. I’m not necessarily saying people have to be rocket scientists to like and get Ren but it is usually people who think on another or different level..I am a big Bowie fan and appreciated the way he tried to be inventive and let us see things in an exciting and innovative way mentally and emotionally.. but he was the first one to call himself a collector.. his way of describing taking all the best ideas from others and making them all work together. Ren does this also in my opinion .. Things seem fresh and exciting to us but with hints of familiarity thrown in.. it’s like cooking.. 2 people can use similar ingredients but Ren has the magic or secret ingredient to make it work and taste new and original. I want to say many of “us” found Ren when we needed him in our lives.. I appreciate many types and genres of music but I love REN’s genre of music as it is unique in an industry today of mainly contrived factory pushed out sound. We don’t know Ren personally, but we all seem to know Ren emotionally as he has let us and we him into our hearts.. and as for the haters, look how it has been in history for people who others don’t quite understand.. they have received hate and persecution.. that’s why I feel sometimes this happens to Ren and we are like parents, best friends or siblings of Ren in a figurative way feel it when others don’t get it and want to explain him or protect him.. I just so hope and wish the very best for him and want him to be ok and fulfill his goal of making a difference in the World and peoples lives and I have to say he is truly on that path already..♥️🎶♥️
Falling through the cracks in the night time could also refer to many people who seem fine on the outside, but who are going through serious pain internally. Because they don’t appear troubled to their friends, family, or co-workers, they fall through the cracks and don’t get the help they need. At least that’s how I thought of it.
@JustinHawkinsRidesAgain … wow! I’m relatively new to your podcast / RU-vid channel but I’m absolutely loving it! Thank you for exposing me to new music I never knew existed. Thank you for your music industry and musical insights. Thank you for your comedy stylings and for the whacky tangents you veer off on to. Please add Australia 🇦🇺 to your tour schedule. Well … maybe just Melbourne. 😁💛🩵
ren has not released ( well in my eyes anyway) a bad song, he is so artisitic and influential, and a inspiration, ren is one of those people i would sit down with, have a cuppa tea and a chat and talk deep topics, bring along some instruments and bounce off. ive not found an artist that every video i see, i sit, watch and listen intensely, but not just listen with my ears, but with my heart and mind. he is the artist everyone needs.
Not just in your eyes....it is a fact! I'm from this shit-hole called America and I love him. Much more than the American independent artist. I like T.M and some of the others but after falling down Ren's rabbit hole (including big push and chin) they are plain and boring.
I have to agree with that. I never normally actually listen to lyrics I just like the music or I don’t but with Ren it’s kinda impossible not to listen to the lyrics because they’re so interesting. Who the hell else talks about Fibonacci Patterns in popular music?
@@supertuscans9512 An artist with a high IQ. So that leaves out the majority of most artists. When he was stuck in his room for yrs and could hardly move he read every literature book, manual and novel he could get his hands on. Old English Lit. like Shakespeare, Macbeth etc.
I appreciate you not providing a breakdown on the latter part of the video, absolutely no commentary needed - you've got such a great balance with your reactions, love you both.
Both Justin and Ren transcend generations I adore you both ❤ Ren has captured something special I can connect with even as I head towards 50 none of my friends know of him and I’m trying so hard to spread the word
I can’t believe I’m subscribed to one of best musicians, and one of my favourite musicians ever!! Justin, you are a rock legend! All the best! P.s……I laughed so hard watching your reaction to Tenacious D yesterday, and agree there should be a longer version 😊
We all love ren, just a real guy expressing himself in the most authentic way. There's a handful of artists like Ren coming up, bringing relatable views to the art. It's been sorely missed.
Thank you, Justin. I havent watched the video yet, but i have listened to the song 1,000 times. Every day, several times a day, since it dropped. I lost my best friend since gradeschool when i was 21. He was 18. I was with him the night he died and I know i could have done more to save his life... The guilt Ren feels is my guilt. It doesnt matter how many times we hear it, it doenst matter who tells us... we will always feel like we could have done more.. and that will forever haunt us til the day we die. This song is SO FUCKING IMPORTANT. For everyone who is currently suicidal, for all of us who feel the guilt of not doing more.. Thank you for acknowledging Ren and the realness, the importance if his message. Much love and Respect
You might have been thinking of Leonard Cohen’s lyrics. “Ring the bell that still must ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”
I just watched a documentary on diabulimia (which is diabetes (Type 1 normally) and an eating disorder combined). I had this for many many years. I recovered from alcohol and drug used 32 years ago, but the eating or lack thereof has plagued me for over 40 years. I am doing so much better, but people don't realize the mental disorder portion or eating disorders. Grateful I am still here, there were times I didn't want to be and almost died from lack of self care (to put it mildly). My stepsister committed suicide in December 2022. I have had my eating disorder attempt to resurface after her death, but I am focusing on my health. This song is great. Love Ren!
So sorry Cheryl. The pain is so raw for you. Never allow ED to consume you again. You are strong enough to work though this . Take one day at a time. (I worked for years with those struggling with eating disorders. Reach out for help and find support groups for a way to share your grief. Hugs!!
@@STLFentonmom Thank you for your reply. Actually I have been in recovery for about 30 years - but it took about 10 years of meetings (I did go to a treatment center for a couple of weeks). At the time I had BED. But I have run the gamut with withholding insulin (usually cutting back even if I overate), pathorexia, and even starving myself in my 50s (thank God that only lasted about one year). The BED did a number on my diabetes. It was trauma related in the beginnng when I began bingeing. However, once I got diabetes (only a couple of years later), it became worse. I didn't want restrictions. I was only 16.
I have no idea why, but I keep putting off watching more Ren because I seem to have convinced myself that it's not going to beat what I've already seen, but every time I do click and watch and listen I'm blown away again by how f'ing amazing he is. "Fallen through the cracks of the night sky" is one of the most gorgeous lyrics I think I have ever heard.
In all my near 70 years on this planet I have never seen the likes of Ren. He is the man this world needs right now. He's Kubrick, Byron, Shakespeare, Hendrix, Brian Wilson, Prince and all of the Beatles wrapped up into one glorious soul of the zeitgeist. We didn't know we needed him until he arrived, and now it's difficult to imagine a world like this one without Ren Gill in it. He's not just a genius, not just a star, he's OUR genius. We get to watch him take this amazing journey from despondency and despair, lying naked in the road and screaming at the unfairness of the demons who rattled his brain, to the fragile yet swaggering, compassionate yet deadly, monster of Illest Of Our Time and Animal Flow. Wherever Ren goes millions will follow, both listeners and fellow artists, all of us inspired by his example, shouldering our own pain (we all have it) with a courage we didn't know we had until this brave troubadour held up his mirror to our faces. The greatest artist of our time.
my interpretations on lyrics "falling through the cracks of the night sky, lights go out on the other side" describes the despair of feeling like you've fallen through the cracks of life, separate and disconnected and the temptation of thoughts of suicide - lights go out on the other side ending the pain "treading on the tracks in the night time, it never really felt like the right time" feels like he is talking about his own thoughts of suicide during walks at night maybe along train tracks which might be his tempted method, but each time he chose to not follow through because it wasn't the right time. he says at one point "dig deep" to resist those moments.
Yes, Jusitn - Leonard Cohen in "Anthem" wrote one of what I found to be one of music's most important lines "There's a crack ... a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in" :) Thanks for highlighting that
Anyone who watches this without breaking a tear has a cold heart. It hits home hard those lyrics and rips you up. Love everything about it he is a pure genius that is teaching raising everyone's awareness in a multitude of ways. Heaps of ❤️ & respect for Ren.
This is from Bowie’s Oh you pretty things (Covered by Peter Noone!) … I look out my window, what do I see? A crack in the sky and a hand reaching down to me All the nightmares came today And it looks as though they're here to stay…
Ren is one of those rare special talents that only comes around once in a generation. His work is heartbreakingly sad, fiercely intelligent, painfully raw but also intimate and beautiful, he's just a beautiful person. ❤🩹
Leonard Cohen - " Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering, there is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets through".
Ren hits on the biggest thought of survives of people that have taken their life. How could I have them? Please remember to reach out to someone, anyone if you are feeling like leaving this magical world. Remember that the feeling won’t last forever. The people that you want to leave never recover.
Leonard Cohen's “Anthem”: "There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in". Bruce Cockburn: "Gotta kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight" (from Lovers In A Dangerous Time").
I love how he's one of your favorite artists ....he's definitely brilliant, absolutely one of my favorites too. But hearing this come out of your mouth probably made him so giddy.😆💜
That made me cry. My best friend killed himself as well. I felt every feeling he described. I still do sometimes. Loss is part of life, but God help us, because some of these losses break us.
This song was difficult to listen to but I’m glad I did. Ren is very much a wordsmith and I appreciate him shedding a light on the darker topics in life. What he described in this song and Hi Ren would be tough for anyone to talk. I hope he is coping ok now. The song reminded me a little of a song by Frightened Rabbit called Floating in the Forth. It’s also a song about…self deletion, but turning away from it at the end. It became a tough song to listen to as the songwriter ended up taking his own life in the end.
I hadn’t heard of this song so I just had a listen, thank you for sharing it. What an incredibly beautiful yet heartbreaking piece, offering us a such a raw and honest glimpse into the vulnerability of his mind. Such a tragic loss.
Justin. You do realise that you are possibly responsible for the vast majority of Ren fans around the globe since you reacted to Hi Ren in January!! You put him on so many people's radar!! Thanks!
I first saw Ren on your channel with the Hi Ren reaction....deep dived into his back catalogue since then,bought an actual CD for the first time in years just so I could listen in my car & not look like a pleb singing along to my headphones 😆 love Ren,love everything he's doing/done....he pushes boundaries,takes us to our limits & then brings us back....in a beautiful, articulate,eloquent & insanely clever way....I think the person who said it here in the comments hit the nail on the head....if what happened to him (all the contract/illness stuff) hadn't happened I'm not sure he would have been allowed to be as free as he is with his work. This song in particular I love...partly as we can see how affected he has been by his friend's death & partly because I find it such a juxtaposition of really catchy upbeat melody/music & the soberness of the actual content....we really DO need to be more open about death & suicide,it happens & we shouldn't be scared of it. If we could learn to talk about these things more then we may have a fighting chance of helping people before they get to this point.
@@kellyt5341 I got FA to start with,will get the rest as & when...Freckled Angels is an awesome album,Crutch is one of my favourite songs on it...Tales of Screech & Jenny & Violet next 😊
Love ya mate. Been listening to your band the Darkness for years. And I'm glad for this channel. I'm loving your reaction videos and the flare you bring and exude. Keep it up brother. Signed Jase. Living in Australia born Hammersmith West London. Love ya.
I think “Falling through the cracks in the night sky. When the light goes out on the other side” is possibly a representation of losing your direction and going into the darkest of dark places. AKA, Very dissimilar to a life with direction and hope where one might “wish upon a star”. IMO, He’s describing the feeling, not a mechanism where the order of the words has to make sense in time. An early version of the cracks and light idea is: “There’s a crack in everything that God has made; but through that crevice enters the light of heaven” - Benjamin Blood, 1860. …A looong time before this Rumi wrote something similar. …And a long time after that so did Leonard Cohen. …There were others in between who have written similar. That’s not to say anyone copied anyone, nor that anything was derivative. Ultimately (IMO) it’s a beautiful meditation on redemption. And we all contain that beauty, if we allow ourselves to, so it’s not surprising that the idea has been expressed many times in many ways. It might be seen that the journey to suicide begins with a loss of that ability to find redemption. That light going out.
Thanks Justin for your reaction and music analysis. What is amazing is how vulnerable Ren was at when he wrote this and created this video plus currently releasing to it all of us. 2nd is Ren’s loss of his childhood when he lost his innocence and feeling of immortality. He reminds me of the Maestro Tuomas Holopainen who composed most of Nightwish songs, poetry in his lyrics, and music. One theme Tuomas has is Dead Boy meaning a loss of childhood. Ren previous work seems to add meaning and us understand this video. For example, changing face of Ren walking through the cityscape suggests “eternal dancing” between darkness and light in one’s thoughts. Finally, while emphasizing the pain Ren’s friend Joe was going through also showing how hurt he was by the choice his friend Joe made along with the guilt of just possibly missing getting to Joe in time to save him or even to say goodbye plus Joe’s body was never found for closure. I am sure Ren has forgiven himself logically and intellectually but it is very much harder emotionally. In other words, the choices one makes affects more than oneself. As Aurora has sung ‘Let the River Run’.
This song is incredible (but when is Ren not incredible?!), and doesn't shy away from an important topic. You spend the song listening to his masterful wordplay and then that guy punch comes at the end. Its great to see this man's profile growing, long may it continue.
In America it is a most beautiful Father’s Day, and a great day to watch Justin Hawkins! Thank you for giving Ren space on your channel, but for you I’d know nothing about him I’m sure.
I think the falling through the cracks in the night sky are you falling through the reflection of the sky into the water which will be cracked by the waters movement… his friend Joe Hughes fell from the Menai Bridge between Anglesey and Wales…
If I may be feeling down the last thing I want to listen to is something like this because it’s only going to sink me further. I can only assume from all the positive comments below that many other people feel much differently. So if it helps them, great! But it’s definitely not for me.
heavy stuff, Justin. you're right...not much to add. so i DO think you'll get a huge kick out of his "Tales" trilogy--the Tale of Jenny & Screech (& Violet). Ren has all 3 parts assembled together on his channel. you really REALLY get the whole "bard" feel, right down to the guitar introductions to each pieace--pretty sure one of the literally IS a traditional tune descending from that period. he flips back and forth from narrator/singer to acting out some of the action. plus, you get a tiny couple of flashes of his voice talent in Violet's Tale. each of the 3 parts were recorded at different times, but recorded LIVE, just like Hi Ren. cheers
Great reaction.. thank-you for continuing to feature Ren on your channel. Wondering if REN’s line ‘falling through the cracks in the nighttime’ is how he saw his friend ‘jumping’ through the nighttime from the bridge?
Big Love to all the boys and men out there on Father’s Day - you are loved and cherished ❤please never forget that - reach out your hand and don’t be afraid to share your feelings - it’s a sign of strength 🙌
Powerful stuff. You are thinking about Leonard Cohen's "Anthem" I think... "Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That's how the light gets in"
Another one, speaking of…”Crack in the sky and a hand reaching down to me, all the nightmares/strangers came today and it looks as though they’re here to stay” - oh you pretty things, Bowie, referred often to suicide for comaderie and consolation.
Great stuff Justin. I love this new song by Ren ( I've enjoyed almost everything I have heard by him - he's a great artist ) Were you thinking of the song Anthem by Leonard Cohen where he says " There is a crack, a crack in everything - that's how the light gets in " ? 🙏 ... oh and that riff reminds me of Gary Numan for some reason ? 🤫
