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 |    My primary Writing.com blog. |
Written in connection with "Note: 48-HOUR CHALLENGE : Media Prompt Deadl..." - 923 words, excluding lyrics dropnote Panic! at the Disco is a band that I never really appreciated when they first gained popularity, but have started to grow on me in recent years. The song "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" off their first studio album never really struck a chord with me, and it was actually this song from their latest album Pray for the Wicked in 2018 that really caught my attention. This song, along with and a handful of other appearances, notably their cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" for the Suicide Squad soundtrack in 2016, and Brendon Urie's most recent collaboration with Taylor Swift on the song "Me!" off the latter's 2019 album Lover. As I was researching this song, it didn't really have a deep, fascinating backstory... a handful of the writer/producers originated this song at a writing camp in Aspen, Colorado in 2015. It was sent around to a number of different artists and Panic! at the Disco expressed interest in putting the song on their next studio album, at which point Urie collaborated with the original writer/producers to make the song what it is today. I suppose not every origin story is a memorable one.  The part of this song that really catches my attention at first is the part of the chorus that says: Had to have high, high hopes for a living Didn't know how but I always had a feeling I was gonna be that one in a million Always had high, high hopes I've always been fascinated by humanity's tendency (including my own) to assume that we're going to be the exception to the rule. Whether we're buying lottery tickets, applying for a limited number of slots at a highly-competitive and prestigious university, or - for those of us who write in hopes of being published - that our work will become a bestseller, or an award winner, or both. One of the podcasts I listened to this past year talked about a research project that analyzed why so many individuals in the middle class are reticent to vote for increased taxes for the wealthy (even when that money would be apportioned to the middle class), and the study found that a lot of people essentially vote against their own current economic interests because there's an inherent belief that we're just one great idea or one lucky break away from climbing out of the middle class and into the ranks of the elite. It's a belief that's almost uniquely American, and tied to the American Dream and the belief that anyone can change their circumstances and make something of themselves regardless of any odds, data, or historical precedent to the contrary. I fully admit that I'm in that group of people as well. I grew up in an upper middle class family that never wanted for any of the basics, but also didn't have the money for the luxuries that some of my friends had growing up. When I was younger, I had dreams of attaining those lavish luxuries: fancy cars, a big house, lavish trips all over the world, etc. For a long time, I assumed I would have these things because I was that exceptional person; that one in a million rarity. Over the years, I've had a lot of those notions dispelled, as many of us do when we move from the naiveté of youth into the realities of adulthood. Nobody was going to do the work for me; nobody was going to pluck me out of obscurity and raise me up to the heights of success. Now that I'm a little older, and a lot more realistic about the way the world works, I find the following lyrics from this song more resonant: Mama said don't give up, it's a little complicated All tied up, no more love and I'd hate to see you waiting They say it's all been done but they haven't seen the best of me So I got one more run and it's gonna be a sight to see As a writer and someone who works in the entertainment industry, I do have to have high hopes for a living. I have to believe that the things I work on have the chance of being that one in a million difference-maker. I have to believe that eventually the things I'm working toward will happen, because the alternative is to get discouraged and not do anything at all because I spend all day looking at the long odds and thinking, "Nah, that seems a little too risky" or, "Maybe I should do something else that has better odds of success." It's not about the odds. It's not even about the success. It's about doing what you love, not giving up, and accepting the fact that it's complicated and may not end up exactly how you imagined it. And, at the end of the day, I have to believe that the world hasn't seen the best of what I have to offer because I'm constantly learning and evolving and growing. I tend to be an optimist by nature and therefore always believe that my best days are right around the corner. Am I going to be that one-in-a-million in terms of wild, fantastical success? Maybe, maybe not. But at least I can be that rare person (whether it's one in a million or not) who loves what they do, continually pushes to be their best, and - as the song so eloquently says - has high, high hopes for what the future holds. |
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