In this series just last week, we eulogized the late, amazing Dolly Parton, but we'd planned a different article - this week's. This is a very different post, despite the similar sounding title. We're going to look at how songs are used to eulogize others.
First, let's remember Sophie Lancaster, of Lancashire, England. She and her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, were brutally attacked by a group of teens while walking home late on the night of August 20, 2007. It's believed that they were targeted because of their Goth appearance. Robert survived, but Sophie died 13 days later from the head injuries sustained. She was 20 years old. The Goth community across Europe and even the world was shocked. In 2011, Dutch Goth metal band Delain wrote a song called "We Are the Others," about the attack, that opens with the following stanza:
Charlotte Wessels, who wrote the lyrics, described it as an anthem for outsiders, cast-outs, and anyone perceived as "different" from social norms. The video features many people holding up signs with words that describe them. In fact, at the 1:02 mark, you can see Robert Westerholt and Sharon den Adel from Within Temptation doing a cameo. Westerholt is, of course, the brother of Martijn Westerholt of Delain, who wrote the music for the song.
In 2013, British band Bad Pollyanna released their tribute to Sophie, "Invincible Girl." The song, a stripped down piano ballad, includes this heartfelt line:
Both songs invite listeners to donate to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, an organization devoted to challenging prejudice and intolerance. "We Are the Others" spent two weeks at #1 here in 2013, and "Invincible Girl" spent a week at the top in 2016.
Speaking of Within Temptation, their song "Where Is the Edge?" featured scenes from a movie it was featured in, a Dutch thriller called Me & Mr. Jones on Natalee-Island. The movie was based on the brutal murder of American Natallee Holloway on the resort island of Aruba in 2003, and detailed the fictional efforts of a young couple to find evidence to convinct her murderer. For many years Joran van der Sloot evaded convistion, but ultimately was convicted in 2010, and confessed in 2023. Natalee's body was never found. "Where Is the Edge" went to #1 for 2 weeks in 2011, and was included on the band's The Silent Force album.
In 2018, Sharon den Adel's father passed and she wrote "Supernova" with opthers in the band in his memory. The song explores grief and the longing for a sign from beyond, to know their dear reparted loved on is doing okay. It spend 5 weeks at #1 on Rock Rips and is one of their biggest hits to date.
