Ivan the MC - Goodbye (In Memory of Those Lost)
Channel: Ivan theMC
Date: 2014-10-10

Vision: I did not know the kids personally, but 2 of them happened to be friends & soccer teammates of my little brother. The influence to make this song came from that fact. It was hard to come up with the concept of the song cuz i did not know them, but eventually, putting a lot of thought into it, the idea & theme of the song came to me. I made the decision to revolve the song around the idea of saying "Goodbye", which was something 'left unsaid', & something i thought was key to base the song around. The structure of the song was difficult because i based it on the 4 stages of grief. The 1st Verse displays the yearning stage of grief; the individual experiences intense longing for the loved one, has illusions of seeing the person, feelings of guilt, anger, and resentment. & the resolution/reorganization stage of grief, the person has some sort of acceptance of what has happened and acknowledges to self that he/she must recover emotionally. The 2nd verse displays the numbness stage of grief; the individual is dazed, feels empty & may even deny the death, insisting a mistake has occured. The yearning stage, but specifically intense feelings of anger, resentment, & guilt. The disorganization/despair phase where the individual feels listless, apathetic, & feels like life has lost its meaning. Finally the resolution/reorganization state; the individual has some emotional acceptance of the death. The 3rd and final verse depicts only the resolution/reorganization stage of grief; Time goes by and the individual begins to accept the loss both emotionally (memories are both pleasureable and painful) & intellectually (the loss is real & has sense). With this acceptance, the person attaches a new approach & self-identity towards the loss & begins experiencing cleansing.

I wrote the song in the 1st person-someone who knew one of them-perspective, that way those people could really feel tha song ya know. Words like "boy" or "kid" depict the parent perspective; "dear friend" depicting a friend's approach, but the song can be seen from any perspective really, as long as you knew the individual. I thought it was crucial to write the song in that format as well as always depicting the resolution/reorganization stage at the end of each verse. The verses are separated by News reports in the order of the events surrounding the loss.

The 4 stages of Grief:
1. Numbness
2. Yearning
3. Disorganization/Despair
4. Resolution/Reorganization

... On a personal note, I hope this song has helped you guys. If any of you need someone to talk to, although I am not a certified psychologist, only beginning to study it, I can listen to you & help express yourself if you need that or if you simply want to ask more about the song or well, anything that may be on your mind, feel free to talk to me.

On the other hand, according to this big textbook sitting in front of me right now, here are  a few techniques on how to deal with grief:

1. Recognize the loss & allow yourself to grieve: despite that, remember that death is a part of life, accept comfort from others, avoid unecessary stress, get plenty of rest, & *give yourself permission to enjoy life.*

2. Set up a daily activity schedule: force yourself to fill your time with useful activities (studying, doing your homework, doing laundry, and so on).

3. Seek help: having the support of loved ones helps offset the loneliness and stress of grief. Recognize that professional counceling may be necessary in extreme cases of prolonged numbness, anger, guilt, or depression.

Non-Profit, Non-Commercial, *Creative Commons*
(instrumental produced by RAFAELTENA)