4 Incredible Rock Songs That Prove You Can Still Write Good Music When Going Through Hardship

Any intense emotion or emotional state can lead to some very therapeutic music, especially if you’re a songwriter at heart. For the following four rock bands, their chief songwriter was particularly depressed while working on some of their songs. And despite the hardships they were dealing with, they managed to create some really beautiful music. Let’s look at a few examples, shall we?

“Yer Blues” by The Beatles

This song is a standout from the White Album, and it’s one of the heavier and sadder songs from that famed record. You’ll probably remember “Yer Blues” for its kicked-up bassline a la Paul McCartney.

John Lennon wrote the song while he was visiting India. All four of The Beatles were seeking spiritual guidance on the trip, but Lennon was feeling particularly unwell emotionally.

“I was writing the most miserable songs on earth,” said Lennon. “In ‘Yer Blues’, when I wrote, ‘I’m so lonely I want to die,’ I’m not kidding. That’s how I felt.”

“I Know It’s Over” by The Smiths

Rock band The Smiths were masters of the sad song, and Morrissey wrote quite a few songs while depressed. Morrissey’s gloom and doom lyrics were relatable to a lot of people, and they still are today. Inspired by some of the saddest English poets of all time, Morrissey penned more than a few gloomy tunes. 

One of those tunes was “I Know It’s Over” from 1986. Not only is the lyricism of that song quite beautiful in its depiction of depression, but Morrissey delivers some of his best vocals on the recorded track.

“Today” by Smashing Pumpkins

“Today” is one of alt-rock outfit Smashing Pumpkins’ most well-known songs. Apparently, this track from Siamese Dream was written while Billy Corgan was experiencing particularly intense depression.

“I was really suicidal,” Corgan admitted about the period in which he wrote “Today”. “I just thought it was funny to write a song that said today is the greatest day of your life because it can’t get any worse.”

“Pennyroyal Tea” by Nirvana

This is one of the most famous rock songs written by a musician who was particularly depressed. And if you know a bit about Kurt Cobain and can read between the lines, this song is quite heartbreaking.

“Pennyroyal Tea” from In Utero, according to Cobain himself, is about a depressed person who is on their deathbed. He said that his struggle with chronic pain and stomach issues inspired the song, and noted that writing it was his “therapy” when he was ”depressed and sick.”

Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage

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