"Move Along" by The All-American Rejects (repost), Sunday, April 21, 2024
When Jonezetta released their 2006 debut record, Popularity, they dedicated the album to their recently deceased fifth member. Keyboardist Timothy Jordan II took his life in 2015. Jordan had been a promising young musician from Arkansas, which had a small but notable musical scene since acts like Living Sacrifice, The Juliana Theory, Evanescence, As Cities Burn, and others got their starts in the area. Jordan became a touring member of The All-American Rejects just as their career started blowing up with TV performances and bigger tours. However, just before releasing TAR released Move Along, Jordan announced his departure and joined an up-and-coming band on Tooth & Nail Records--Jonezetta. Popularity is a very dancy, upbeat album and featuring Jordan on the keys.
THESE HANDS ARE MEANT TO HOLD. Jonezetta never memorialized Timothy Jordan in their two albums other than dedicating Popularity to him. However, The All-American Rejects wrote the song "Believe" about him, and fans also say that "Move Along" pays tribute to Jordan, as the song is an anti-suicide song. The best tribute, though, is As Cities Burn's album closer "Timothy" from their 2007 album, Come Now Sleep. A few years ago, for my after-school ESL music listening class, we listened to Jack's Mannequin's "Swim," a song I covered last month. I called the song a per aspera ad astra song, a Latin phrase translated as "through hardships to the stars." The meaning of this phrase is that by enduring difficulties, we will overcome and become great. "Move Along" is a great pep talk of a song, particularly for a hard day. The video depicts the band going through a variety of hard, uncomfortable, or seemingly hopeless situations. However, the song begs the listener to "keep . . strong, like I know ya can."
WHEN YOU FALL, EVERYONE STANDS. Often pushing through the difficulty can make it bearable. Moving on to the next thing can distract us from the failures we can't fix. But in the moment, that failure is glaring. Relationships end, car accidents happen, tickets are issued, fights occur--"days when you've lost yourself completely" are painful to reflect on at night. Certainly, you want to redeem yourself or escape the misery. But holding on and reaching out makes us realize that we've all been there. Sometimes I've said, "I'd rather die than face what tomorrow holds" only to have something happen, like almost stepping in front of a bus, and I find myself instinctually fighting for my life. No, I guess I'd rather face tomorrow. I won't doubt that this song has saved lives and helped many people through hard times. However, I do worry about "moving along" as a blanket-prescribed solution. The saying "Fake it until you make it" has some merit, but at some point, you have to be able to say, "I'm not happy. I need to talk with someone about why I'm unhappy." Sometimes we "move along" too quickly. Just like you shouldn't put off other emergencies, dealing with our mental health should be the top priority. For my mental health, I found that my close friends have gotten me through my darkest times. However, there are times when a friend is not enough. And that's when it's time to stop and seek help from a professional.
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