Let’s talk about I Write the Songs, as sung by the past-super-star, Barry Manilow. In Barry’s hands this song by –
Never Gonna give you up,
Never gonna let you down,
Never gonna run around and desert you.
Never gonna make you cry.
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell and lie and hurt you.
You, my friend, have been Rick Rolled. Rick Rolling is the on-line act of sending someone a link to Rick Astley’s 1987 hit song, Never Gonna Give You Up, disguised as another site, so they are surprised with the joke. It began in May 2007, when the first trailer for the video game Grand Theft Auto 4 came out. The website crashed due to the heavy traffic. A fake link sent fans to the video for Astley’s hit. Rick Rolling quickly became an internet meme.
However, that is not what caused me to write about today’s song. Today is National Panic Day. A lot of the songs that I found dealing with panic were about how it feels to panic. That wasn’t quite where I wanted to go. And then I found someone talking about this song, and how it helped to ground them when they were panicking. At first, I was surprised. How could this song help, and then I thought about that chorus again. Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down.
When we talk about panic these days, it may not be what you are used to thinking of as panic. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America has this to say about a panic attack:
A panic attack is the abrupt onset of intense fear or discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes and includes at least four of the following symptoms:
Some people experience what is referred to as limited-symptom panic attacks, which are similar to full-blown panic attacks but consist of fewer than four symptoms.
When I was a teenager, I hated school. I was shy, lonely, bored, miserable. I didn’t have very many friends. I remember having panic attacks at the sheer thought of having to go into that school building. One day, Dad had driven me there, and as the jr. high school came into sight at the top of a long hill, I just knew that if I had to walk through the doors, I would die. That simple, and that horrifying. I knew that I would die. Was it rational? No. I was shaking, dizzy, cold and clammy, suddenly terribly nauseous. Dad took one look at me, and without a word turned the car around and drove me home. I’d already spent years in therapy. This just meant more time at the therapist’s office. That was a panic attack.
Do I still get them? Not so much anymore. I still suffer from depression, that’s a brain chemistry thing. I don’t like large crowds of people. That could be an age thing. Part of it is definitely a disability thing. I walk with a cane sometimes. People can be cruel. I have had kids kick my cane out from under me. When I am in a wheelchair, I am often ignored, and literally overlooked. People tend to walk right in front of you, cutting you off when you are in a wheelchair. So, I can see large crowds as dangerous. I think this is a matter of self-protection, you are allowed to see it differently.
But, back to our song. When in the throws of a panic attack, I can see how the message of having someone never give up on you could be a rock to cling onto. Even if all the lyrics don’t quite fit the message.
(Verse 1)
We’re no stranger to love
You know the rules and so do I.
A full commitment’s what I’m thinking of.
You wouldn’t get this from any other guy
I just wanna tell you how I’m feeling
Gotta make you understand.
(Chorus)
Never gonna give you up.
Never gonna let you down.
Never gonna run around and desert you.
Never gonna make you cry.
Never gonna say goodye.
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.
(Verse 2)
We’ve known each other for so long.
Your heart’s been aching, but
You’re too shy to say it.
Inside, we both know what’s been going on,
We know that game and we’re gonna play it.
And if you ask me how I’m feeling,
Don’t tell me you’re too blind to see. (to Chorus) (Rinse and repeat)
Oh, and by the way, Rick Astley thinks that Rick Rolling is kind of funny and odd, mostly concerned that it doesn’t embarrass his daughter. He’s never gonna let her down.
Do you have a story about a panic attack that you’d be willing to share? What about a Rick Rolling tale? I’ll be playing some versions of this song, and a few others this week on my Minnich Music FaceBook page this week, so be sure to check them out.
Until next time!
Never Gonna give you up,
Never gonna let you down,
Never gonna run around and desert you.
Never gonna make you cry.
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell and lie and hurt you.
You, my friend, have been Rick Rolled. Rick Rolling is the on-line act of sending someone a link to Rick Astley’s 1987 hit song, Never Gonna Give You Up, disguised as another site, so they are surprised with the joke. It began in May 2007, when the first trailer for the video game Grand Theft Auto 4 came out. The website crashed due to the heavy traffic. A fake link sent fans to the video for Astley’s hit. Rick Rolling quickly became an internet meme.
However, that is not what caused me to write about today’s song. Today is National Panic Day. A lot of the songs that I found dealing with panic were about how it feels to panic. That wasn’t quite where I wanted to go. And then I found someone talking about this song, and how it helped to ground them when they were panicking. At first, I was surprised. How could this song help, and then I thought about that chorus again. Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down.
When we talk about panic these days, it may not be what you are used to thinking of as panic. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America has this to say about a panic attack:
A panic attack is the abrupt onset of intense fear or discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes and includes at least four of the following symptoms:
- Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
- Sweating
- Trembling or shaking
- Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
- Feelings of choking
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Nausea or abdominal distress
- Feeling dizzy, unsteady, light-headed, or faint
- Chills or heat sensations
- Paresthesia (numbness or tingling sensations)
- Derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself
- Fear of losing control or “going crazy”
- Fear of dying
Some people experience what is referred to as limited-symptom panic attacks, which are similar to full-blown panic attacks but consist of fewer than four symptoms.
When I was a teenager, I hated school. I was shy, lonely, bored, miserable. I didn’t have very many friends. I remember having panic attacks at the sheer thought of having to go into that school building. One day, Dad had driven me there, and as the jr. high school came into sight at the top of a long hill, I just knew that if I had to walk through the doors, I would die. That simple, and that horrifying. I knew that I would die. Was it rational? No. I was shaking, dizzy, cold and clammy, suddenly terribly nauseous. Dad took one look at me, and without a word turned the car around and drove me home. I’d already spent years in therapy. This just meant more time at the therapist’s office. That was a panic attack.
Do I still get them? Not so much anymore. I still suffer from depression, that’s a brain chemistry thing. I don’t like large crowds of people. That could be an age thing. Part of it is definitely a disability thing. I walk with a cane sometimes. People can be cruel. I have had kids kick my cane out from under me. When I am in a wheelchair, I am often ignored, and literally overlooked. People tend to walk right in front of you, cutting you off when you are in a wheelchair. So, I can see large crowds as dangerous. I think this is a matter of self-protection, you are allowed to see it differently.
But, back to our song. When in the throws of a panic attack, I can see how the message of having someone never give up on you could be a rock to cling onto. Even if all the lyrics don’t quite fit the message.
(Verse 1)
We’re no stranger to love
You know the rules and so do I.
A full commitment’s what I’m thinking of.
You wouldn’t get this from any other guy
I just wanna tell you how I’m feeling
Gotta make you understand.
(Chorus)
Never gonna give you up.
Never gonna let you down.
Never gonna run around and desert you.
Never gonna make you cry.
Never gonna say goodye.
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.
(Verse 2)
We’ve known each other for so long.
Your heart’s been aching, but
You’re too shy to say it.
Inside, we both know what’s been going on,
We know that game and we’re gonna play it.
And if you ask me how I’m feeling,
Don’t tell me you’re too blind to see. (to Chorus) (Rinse and repeat)
Oh, and by the way, Rick Astley thinks that Rick Rolling is kind of funny and odd, mostly concerned that it doesn’t embarrass his daughter. He’s never gonna let her down.
Do you have a story about a panic attack that you’d be willing to share? What about a Rick Rolling tale? I’ll be playing some versions of this song, and a few others this week on my Minnich Music FaceBook page this week, so be sure to check them out.
Until next time!
RSS Feed