What DT song is most personal to you?

[FlyingBIZKIT]

If I had to pick, maybe 6:00. I tend to get up rather early on Christmas mornings.

[stryker]

These Walls and Misunderstood for me.

[Jaffa]

See kids, THIS kinda stuff is what music's about.

I like posts like this because it reminds me of how posts along the lines of "ha! how can you POSSIBLY hold that poxy opinion, those transitions are nigh-on unlistenable!" are missing the point of music completely - can't see the forest for all the trees and that. The songwriting process will have signed off well over three months before we've even heard of a note of the album. It's easy to get dragged into the minutiae but really... who cares if the piano interlude is completely out of place? Once it's been put to disc you either like it or you don't. And christ that can bring out some profound feelings. Wonderful.

Not to say that there's anything inherently wrong with discussing the composition, but we focus on the "what" so much more than the "why" and the "how," and that's a bit tragic. To be expected, but dissecting the technicality is a really oafish way of analysing such an ambiguous and emotive artform. Bit of a shame it's the predominant way we discuss Dream Theater's music. It does it a massive disservice.

I know this post is a year and half old, but I still have to quote it because it's one of the greatest posts ever.  

[JayOctavarium]

well I didn't hate him. jua what he was. what I thught he was

[Ħ]

About to Crash.  I have a close friend like this that was just crazy busy all the time and succeeded in many areas of her life.

[toro]

Voices, And in some way Scarred too.

[IdoSC]

While these are not my favorite tracks (well they are among my favorite tracks, but none of them is the number 1), I'm gonna have to say the most personal songs to me are (in order):
1. A Change of Seasons - this song talks about getting the most out of your life, "Carpe diem", which is something I'm constantly trying to improve myself at.
2. Disappear - the lyrics of this song and it's whole atmosphere and music arrangement just make me too emotional XD
3. The Answer Lies Within - the same thing I said about ACOS
4. These Walls - the lyrics talk about something that used to bother me a lot, and sometimes still does.

[DJay32]

Oh, I have quite a few. Dream Theater means a lot to me.

"The Great Debate" is very personal to me, but not because of the lyrics! There was a certain.. incident several months ago, where... my dad kicked me out of the car in the middle of the highway miles and miles from home at 11 at night. Over this song. Because I asked if he could play an album of mine, and I chose Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. But he really hated it. So he kicked me out. As a result, it's hard for me to listen to the album without feeling pangs of.. complex emotions. Especially since "The Great Debate" has always been one of my all-time favourite pieces.

As for songs whose lyrics I empathize with? "In the Presence of Enemies" when taken metaphorically, "I Walk Beside You," "A Change of Seasons" ("Oh come, let us adore him, abuse and then ignore him..."), "Space-Dye Vest," "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" (various bits of various movements, especially "Absence of awareness, losing time"), "Panic Attack," "Wither," "Never Enough," and "Metropolis, pt. 1" ("As a child, I thought I could live without pain, without sorrow...").

I gotta be honest with you guys. I ain't feeling too hot tonight. I apologize for my moodiness.

[Ħ]

...your dad kicked you out of the car over a song?

[DJay32]

Yeah! It's not the stupidest thing he's done, or the worst to me, but it's definitely up there in the "List of Reasons I Don't Like My Dad Anymore." >.>

On the upside, it made me very clingy of Dream Theater.

[darkshade]

Was it The Great Debate that set him off? or was it that he was fed up by the time that song came on?

[TheMadgician]

There's two for me.

The first is Disappear. The way my grandfather passed is just really similar. That song kind of got me through it.

The second is Endless Sacrifice. I'm in a long distance relationship. I showed it to her when we started getting really serious. And it's just kind of been our song ever since.

[Jamesman42]

I know alot of DT fans Hate this song But I like it and it helped me threw tuff times during split up / Divorce back then perfect lyrics to be blasting on the way in ans out of her driveway while picking up and dropping off the kids too!!

What song are you talking about?




For me, The Answer Lies Within, because of my friend who passed away a few months ago, it was his favorite DT song.

Still agree with this, though the most relatable ones to me are These Walls, Solitary Shell, and (for what sonatafanaica said 1.5 years ago) The Silent Man.

[energythief]

Disappear
Vacant
Take Away My Pain
Home

[dongringo]

Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - There's mental illness in various forms within my family so it's something I can relate with.

[ElliottTamer]

This is a really personal and profound topic, so I feel kind of stupid posting this message. I realize my life has really been quite easy compared to most people and I have very little to complain about, so my personal songs are a little less specific than those most of you have posted... Anyway, here it is:
1- Wither - as a writer, writer's block is often a fear and occasionally a problem. This song never failed to inspire me and get me through a tough writing session.
2- The Spirit Carries On - I'm not a believer in any established kind of religion, but I hope there is something beyond this life and this song always makes me believe a little more.
3- Take the Time - Maybe that's not what the song is about, but I love how to me it is about our human potential to achieve great things.
4- The Shattered Fortress - I have never actually drank anything alcoholic, other than sipping bad-tasting champagne on New Year's Eve (personal choice, don't see the point of it), but this song's lyrics really speak to me. Because more than just overcoming one's failures and wrongs, it is about living a better life, being a better person, being there for others.

[TheGreatPretender]

2- The Spirit Carries On - I'm not a believer in any established kind of religion, but I hope there is something beyond this life and this song always makes me believe a little more.

I honestly want this song played at my funeral.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

2- The Spirit Carries On - I'm not a believer in any established kind of religion, but I hope there is something beyond this life and this song always makes me believe a little more.

I honestly want this song played at my funeral.

[dethklok09]

These walls

I guess I just feel afraid to communicate with people in fear of rejection. I know it's very inmature to be insecure but I'm just afraid people will find out things about me that they won't like. But how the song really connects is that I want to be able to easily communicate and let go of all my inperfections. I want to be open but I just don't know how to.

[tri.ad]

Definitely These Walls for me as well. Sometimes Misunderstood.

[Ravenheart]

Scarred. It reminds me of my parents' relationship + divorce in so many ways. It's almost scary.

[hefdaddy42]

Lifting Shadows Off A Dream

[Öxölklöfför]

Take the time, because:
1. It was my first DT song.
2. The unison part blev me away (I was 15 years old and had just started to play the guitar).
3. The phrase "Find all you need in your mind"  has served as "pep talk" (in lack of better words) for me ever since I heard it the first time, and it still does.

[Guitalguy]

Maybe Solitary Shell, Endless Sacrifice, and The Silent Man. I guess it's because I sometimes kind of see the world through "a shell" and feel like I don't fit in, and just locks myself out. The Silent Man because I don't talk much to others than my friends and can feel kind of like the man in the lyrics. Endless Sacrifice because I was in a long distance-relationship until recently, and the lyrics pretty much summed it up. And the agression in the chorus was very describing to me.

[champbassist]

Lifting Shadows, Space Dye Vest, Wait For Sleep for me.

[N4Player]

The Best of Times for me, especially the acoustic section onwards. This thread really speaks volumes about what music means to each of us. Doesn't really matter what the technical elements are or where they rank in what is best or not. It's how it touches you that gives it the staying power and why you gravitate to it. At the end of the day it really is all that matters.

[Jamesman42]

Sometimes Misunderstood.

Add that to my list.




I don't care if you can't modify my posts, make it happen.

[PS Head]

   Sacrificed Sons:  I was going through a terrible time around this period,and when 9/11 happened it shook me to the core and brought me to my senses.It needed something like that to make me realise just how lucky i was..and everytime i hear SS(especially the live Score version)it takes me back to that day..and often with a tear in my eye..........absolute epic song.

[Apricot]

Misunderstood, in a figurative sense. The lyrics lock on almost perfectly to my state of derealisation/depersonalisation (which I am slowly coming out of). I know the lyrics aren't about that, but if they were it would make so much sense.

I'm not sure how many of you have heard of derealisation/depersonalisation, but it is most likely something a number of you may of experience some time in your lives, as it's a 'side effect' of anxiety; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derealisation. But yeah, if you read into what it is, then listen to Misunderstood you'll understand.

[CrimsonSunrise]

ACOS and You not Me...those 2 are probably the ONLY DT songs that the lyrics actually connect to my life.

[DJay32]

Was it The Great Debate that set him off? or was it that he was fed up by the time that song came on?

Well, "The Great Debate" gets very intense and complex, doesn't it? By the time the climax came on, it was distracting him too much. But it was months ago; I'm pretty sure he had a lot on his plate anyway, but I can't remember specifically.

On a different note, one more related to the topic, "Endless Sacrifice" speaks to me too. I empathize with the lyrics.

And "A Rite of Passage." It was the first Dream Theater song I remember my dad liking. .w.

[ricky]

solitary shell, i guess.

[energythief]

The phrase "Find all you need in your mind"  has served as "pep talk" (in lack of better words) for me ever since I heard it the first time, and it still does.

Great point, that line always resonated with me as well. In fact, one of the reasons I love Just Let Me Breathe as much as I do is the play-on-words referring back to this line.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Speak to Me.

[dongringo]

I'm not sure how many of you have heard of derealisation/depersonalisation, but it is most likely something a number of you may of experience some time in your lives, as it's a 'side effect' of anxiety; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derealisation. But yeah, if you read into what it is, then listen to Misunderstood you'll understand.

Thank you for mentioning this. My brother is bi-polar and also has extreme anxiety. He has often told me how he feels disassociated with the external world, which doesn't seem real to him. I had no idea what he was talking about, but now I understand. I'm going to share this with him so that he can see that it's just another symptom of bi-polar/anxiety.