B is For...

"Bro Hymn" by Pennywise


This song deserves a little history.  It was originally written by Pennywise bassist Jason Thirsk in memory of several of his friends who had died in a car accident.  Thirsk struggled with alcohol and depression, and lost that fight at the age of twenty eight, dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  The rest of the band was devastated, as Thirsk has been a close friend to all of them.  However, they decided to keep making music, and Full Circle was the next album they made, in honor of him.  "Bro Hymn" was re-recorded as the final track to the album, using Thirsk's name instead of the names that had been in the original recording.

I didn't know any of that when I first heard the song.  My first car had a CD player and a tape player, but the CD one was broken (it broke in my new car, too, so I'm just doomed to not have one, I guess).  Since my brother grew up in the eighties, he had lots of old cassette tapes, and he dug them up for me to listen to until I could save up to replace my CD player.  He also made me a mix tape of newer music, and this song was on it.  I didn't know the pain behind the song, but I could feel it.  Everyone had someone who's gone that they miss, and I definitely pushed those feelings through the roof of my car every time I sang along with this song.

My brother's going to make a couple appearances during this challenge.  He's the one who first facilitated my love for music, and exposed me to styles I wouldn't necessarily hear on the radio.  All in all a great guy.

_________________________________________

The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  Don't know what it is?  Click on it.