Mental health - the central theme of Dream Theaters lyrics?

[Skeever]

I never really thought about it until I started having mental health issues of my own a couple of years ago. But looking back, a lot of DT lyrics are centered around mental health topics. Of course the obvious thing is this Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence suite, MPs Addiction saga, and songs like "Panic Attack", but even peeling behind the most obvious layer the theme seems to be one that shows up again and again  whether it be in the form of "the enemy inside", or the "invisible monster", the voices in JP's head, or MPs brain in "Constant Motion".

Anyway, I just thought this was interesting. JP always seems so well adjusted and interviews. It's hard to imagine that he deals with such chronic mental health issues but whether or not he deals with them he has chosen to write about them more frequently than he writes about anything else.

Just an observation: and I realize maybe I am stating the obvious but I guess it was not always obvious to me.

[Architeuthis]

A lot of their lyrics are also about overcoming these kind of obstacles.  Illumination Theory,  and the 12 step suite come to mind.  But yeah,  a lot of people can relate to these subjects so it can be a good thing to write about. Even the crazy instrumental sections can be a soundtrack to inner turmoil.  Kind of like when your mind is racing .

[geeeemo]

I get that from many of their songs. My son has been suffering for several years with MI. There are songs I can't listen to some days. Far From Heaven being one. Goodnight kiss, another. (Not so much about another's MI, but how my heart aches and misses those days of pure innocence and sweetness with my children)

[Wim Kruithof]

geeeemo, what a vunerable post, I appreciate your sharing. And can understand what you mean. Due to circumstances of my own, Goodnight Kiss is always a song that brings tears in my eyes, as is Beneath the Surface.

I do not think they especially zoom in on mental issues so to speak, but I do think they're very intelligent (is that correct in English?) and there are so much layers in the music. By being givin' so much talent they also seem to explore their own route, roll and purpose in life, which is perfect point out in Octavarium.

Mental suffocating due to a love that never came (Space-Dye Vest) / broke up (Disappear), a close to death accident of an own child (Vacant) or addiction (Twelve Step Suite) is being reflected on, which is not only to listen to in the music like chordprogression, but also in their lyrics. I love it very much.

[Kotowboy]

I did think it was funny that someone thought Invisible Monster was 'obviously' about the pandemic when to me it was quite clearly about anxiety.

[The Letter M]

I think if you look at the list of songs that JP wrote the lyrics to, you can get a sense of how his songs deal with a lot of that sort of stuff (except for some of the stuff on SC that he wrote, which was basically him copying other stories from what I remember).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_recorded_by_Dream_Theater  - then sort by lyricist.

There's a lot of songs about struggles with life, physical and mental health, death and loss, and relationships with people. He really runs the gamut, but it covers a lot of the same kind of stuff - the feelings we have as we go through life and all that entails.

-Marc.

[Ben_Jamin]

I get the sense that JP enjoys writing about human topics. Topics dealing with humanity, more so one's mentality. This mentality can be both physical such as anxiety and mental illness, and spiritual such as the afterlife, philosophy, and the struggles of humanity.

Now that you mention this, it makes his lyrics for Systematic Chaos feel more fun now, and stuff he wrote for kicks and to just have fun lyrically and musically, like The Dark Eternal Night and Forsaken (and I find it pretty interesting how the verses sound like the verses in the song "Cold" by Static-X, which was coincidentally used in a movie about vampires, Queen of The Damned).

The Astonishing combined both this Humanistic lyric style with his storytelling fun of Systematic Chaos. Which I found great for what it is, as JP is not a genius with words. But it works for the dialogue of the characters and the narrator. I do like how this includes his humanity and Mental Health with regards to how integral music is for humans. By showing the mentality of people who hear Gabriels' music that it has healing qualities for them, it helps them mentally.