"Happier Hymn (Adam Dutch Mashup)" by Marshello & Bastille vs. Anberlin, Sunday, May 23, 2021

 

Adam Dutch is a DJ from Ocean City, Maryland, who specializes in blending pop, rock, hip-hop, and EDM. In 2018, he took two very sad songs, the current hit at that time by Bastille and Marshmello, "Happier," and set it to Anberlin's 2005 fan favorite, "Paperthin Hymn." What the track gains is a harder, more passionate vocal line from Bastille's lyrics, along with Stephen Christian's occasional line, adding "I thought you said forever over and over." Anberlin's lyrics, though, are mostly buried in the musical layers, making the song about a breakup and not about death. But, by choosing this mashup, I believe I have disqualified myself from writing about "Paperthin Hymn" on another "Sunday morning" or on an "August evening," so I will bring the original songs into the conversation as well.

I THOUGHT YOU SAID FOREVER OVER AND OVER... Anberlin's "Paperthin Hymn" is an excellent example of how a rock song can be melancholy and rock too. The band released other songs about loss and depression. They released many other songs in minor keys, but the elegiac lyrics, the Deon Rexroat D minor bass riff build, and Joseph Milligan's guitar riffs build this song into a simultaneously hauntingly tragic and kick-ass song. Certainly, as the song became the band's greatest hit in their early career, it must have lost some meaning when played live. According to Stephen Christian's Tumblr explaining Anberlin's songs, "Paperthin Hymn" is reportedly about the death of Stephen Christian's grandmother and the death of Joseph Milligan's sister to cancer. Lyrically, the song is a reminder to show your affection for the people you love because we cannot know how long they will be with us. The song also laments the cost of the band’s heavy touring schedule as the loss of loved ones happened to the band as they were out on the road. There’s an inevitable guilt that comes from pursuing a dream that keeps you away from loved ones.

I WANNA RAISE YOUR SPIRITS. Unlike Anberlin, the British pop-rock band Bastille had what it took to survive the changing landscape of rock music. Prior to “Happier,” a collaboration with anonymous DJ/producer Marshmello, the band had already explored EDM and had cultivated a rather radio-friendly pop sound. “Happier”’ is a song about a relationship nearing its expiration date. Being together doesn’t make each partner as happy as they could be, and the singer feels that if he leaves, his partner will be able to recover and find true happiness, whether with another person or pursuing a dream. I wrote about this feeling last week. And although in hindsight I don’t have regrets about ending that relationship, I’ve had similar feelings in my current relationship, but love and communication along with relationship reassessment got us healthy again. I’m certainly not one to say that all relationships should last forever. I believe in divorce, but I also think that love that’s not worth fighting for is never love.


Happier Hymn:
Paperthin Hymn: 

Happier:








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