Believer | Song Review

Basic Information:

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Artist: Imagine Dragons

Album: Evolve

Released: 2017

Genres: Pop rock, Alternative/Indie, Pop

Nominations: iHeartRadio Music Award for

Alternative Rock Song of the Year, Billboard

Music Award for Top Radio Song, More...

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[Verse 1]

First things first

I'ma say all the words inside my head

I'm fired up and tired of the way that things have been, oh-ooh

The way that things have been, oh-ooh

Second things second

Don't you tell me what you think that I could be

I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea, oh-ooh

The master of my sea, oh-ooh

[Pre-Chorus]

I was broken from a young age

Taking my sulking to the masses

Writing my poems for the few

That look to me, took to me, shook to me, feeling me

Singing from heartache from the pain

Taking my message from the veins

Speaking my lesson from the brain

Seeing the beauty through the...

[Chorus]

Pain!

You made me a, you made me a believer, believer

Pain!

You break me down and build me up, believer, believer

Pain!

Oh let the bullets fly, oh let them rain

My life, my love, my drive, it came from...

Pain!

You made me a, you made me a believer, believer

[Verse 2]

Third things third

Send a prayer to the ones up above

All the hate that you've heard has turned your spirit to a dove, oh-ooh

Your spirit up above, oh-ooh

[Pre-Chorus 2]

I was choking in the crowd

Building my rain up in the cloud

Falling like ashes to the ground

Hoping my feelings, they would drown

But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing

Inhibited, limited

Till it broke open and rained down

And rained down, like...

[Chorus]

Pain!

You made me a, you made me a believer, believer

Pain!

You break me down and build me up, believer, believer

Pain!

Oh let the bullets fly, oh let them rain

My life, my love, my drive, it came from...

Pain!

You made me a, you made me a believer, believer

[Bridge]

Last things last

By the grace of the fire and the flame

You're the face of the future, the blood in my veins, oh-ooh

The blood in my veins, oh-ooh

But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing

Inhibited, limited

Till it broke open and rained down

And rained down, like...

[Chorus]

Pain!

You made me a, you made me a believer, believer

Pain!

You break me down and build me up, believer, believer

Pain!

Oh let the bullets fly, oh let them rain

My life, my love, my drive, it came from...

Pain!

You made me a, you made me a believer, believer

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Verse 1:

“Believer” opens with a proclamation suggesting that all the words that follow are a confession, painting the rest of the song’s defiant lyrics with a patina of greater truth.

What he’s about to say is something that’s been percolating for a while: This is simultaneously something that’s had him intensely upset and ionate (“fired up”), and has been a long-standing problem (long enough for him to be “tired of [it].”)

Pre-Chorus:

When we are young, we aren’t taught how to handle pain properly and so we teach ourselves to conceal it. Those who resist this unwritten rule are said to be hypersensitive and tend to be dragged down by others.

Only the near and dear, or those who are close to us, understand our true feelings; or at least attempt to.

Although “Broken from a young age” comes off as a vague lyric, it suggests some sort of childhood issue. This undoubtedly shaped the narrator as a person as he expresses his feelings through these very personal lyrics.

Chorus:

The narrator speaks almost as if pain is a religious concept. Reminiscent of Zen philosophy, pain is viewed here as a means to spiritual ascension, growth, and overall happiness. Asserted is that without the spiritual and physical pain he went through in his place of darkness, the light wouldn’t have been possible.

A diagnosis of both Ankylosing Spondylitis and Ulcerative Colitis unequivocally contributed to the experience of said darkness. Dan Reynolds spoke to Radio.com, describing “Believer” as a “transition from a darker place to a place of light.”

Coming out the other side, the band seems to feel more genuine and unique than ever. Reynolds commented:

"‘Believer’ to me, is the first song I’ve ever written in my career that I could stand back and say, that is only Imagine Dragons—that comes from a place that is really authentic to us, it’s very percussive, it has the urban qualities that I’ve always latched onto but it also sounds strange and kind of grand."

Verse 2:

Dan speaks from his Mormon faith as religion gave him guidance through stardom.

While all the hatred he encountered might’ve caused him pain, it led him to contemplate on how to avoid it and be a peaceful man. It’s only suitable he alludes to the dove, a symbol of peace. The Bible mentions it several times, notably in the table of Noah’s Ark, where the dove plucks an olive branch as a sign that the violent, great flood is receding.

Pre-Chorus 2:

As well as the lead vocalist and co-writer of the song, Dan Reynolds, suffering from depression, he was also made a ‘believer’ due to his large family’s Mormonism beliefs. He didn’t have much of a choice.

When he was interviewed by npr.org, this is what he said about his religious beliefs:

"I think since I was young, spiritual things have always been interesting to me. In fact, supernatural things. … But as far as faith — it never came easy for me. And in fact, I really struggled with believing in Mormonism since I was young. I grew up in a large family — eight boys, one girl… And for me, I really had a hard time believing in anything, even a God.

…

You know, anybody who deals with depression knows that it comes and it goes. Who knows where I’ll be next year, but as for right now, in this moment, I’m really happy and … tired of searching and asking questions about, you know, is there a God? Is there not? I’m really done asking those questions."

Bridge:

These lyrics are about Dan’s feelings breaking free after being bottled up inside for so long. Dan Reynolds suffered from depression through their 2015 album, “Smoke + Mirrors”.

When interviewed by billboard.com, he said:

"'Believer' means a lot to me because it really signifies a big step for me as a human being as well as a step forward sonically from [2015 album] Smoke + Mirrors. I was in a low state dealing with depression for a year straight and then I came home, reconnected with family and friends, did self-help and reached out to a therapist. We worked through a lot of shit I had been dealing with, and I think it gave me new perspective to reflect on the band and see it with more clear eyes. I just had a lot of gratitude for the low points and highs of my life. That’s what “Believer” is about, and the fact that it’s resonating with people is really rad."

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Thank you for reading!

#CuratorReview