Welcome back to the review section of this blog. If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been for the last few months, check out my Songs You Should Listen To post from a few days ago. Today we are going to look at another Owl City song, Dreams and Disasters. I did one of his songs last year toward the end of the summer, and although I really don’t like the idea of doing the same artist (and the same album) again, I wanted to start back with something positive. Is it a copout? Maybe. Does it matter if it’s a copout? I don’t think so. Part of the reason that I’m doing a second Owl City song, is that Owl City and his lyrics sorta inspired me to start this blog – because they can be very confusing at times, and I always try to figure out what the heck he is talking about! Alright, enough preamble, onto the review.
This songs starts out in a car, driving down a mountain highway…or at least it does in my mind. In true Owl City fashion, the first verse is confusing as to what is going on, and as to what the message is. Here is the first part:
We were alone on the road driving faster
So far from home we were chasing disaster
To me, this is a picture of someone who wants to do life their way – they don’t want others to tell them what to do, or what not to do. They are driving as fast as they can away from the “rules of home.” These people love phrases like, “everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” and “that might be right for you, but it’s not right for everyone,” or “Truth is relative.” In all honesty, these are things that many people believe, but these are especially believe by most of my non-christian friends/acquaintances when you get right down to it. Is there something wrong with this belief? Maybe, but that discussion is gonna have to wait for another time/post. Let’s look at the second line.
Hard on the gas ’till the car caught on fire
We had to laugh as the smoked billowed higher
I think this part tells us what happens when you drive hard and fast away from “ the rules.” I think that if all we do is keep repeating the mantra that “truth is relative, truth is relative…” then we are eventually going to crash and burn. And when we look on the error of our ways, all we will be able to do is give a sad chuckle at the wreck we’ve gotten ourselves into.
So what is the answer to this problem? The song asks this very say question with the tag:
I wanna feel alive forever after
And you say, you say you wanna feel alive forever after
And I, and I, and I say
He then gives the answer in the chorus:
Follow the light through the dreams and disasters
Follow the light to the edge and the after
We won’t turn around, we will not slow down
Follow the light through the dreams and disasters
So now the question is, what is “the light?” Well, I think Jesus might have something to say about that: “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” John 12:46. If you read the rest of the book of John (especially John 1), you will find that Jesus is referred to as “the light” many times over. The Bible as a whole also refers to Jesus as The Light, or at least as giving light. That makes it pretty clear to me, that if you want to escape from eventually finding yourself in a burning wreckage, and instead ‘feel alive forever after,’ then you’ve got to follow Jesus. You’ve got to follow Him through the good and the bad times of life – or, the dreams and disasters. You’ve got to take a leap of faith like Indiana Jones does in The Last Crusade, when he comes to that cliff, and jumps off the edge onto the invisible beam. You’ve got to follow Jesus to the edge and the after.
The next verse is really short, and also very poetic, so I considered not even talking about it. But I figured I should, because I personally always want to try to figure out what these things mean, and so I assume that means someone else does too. Here it is:
Think of the sun, and the sound of it rising
Still on the run with our eyes on the horizon
What sound does the sun make when it rises? None that I’m aware of, just sweet peaceful silence. However, it does allow us to see where we are going. The rising of the sun is also usually associated with the calm point before the beginning of the day. I think that this might be a picture of the change that God makes in a believer’s life. The Light of the rising Son brings peace over each new day, and although there might not be an audible change, there is definitely a visible one. You might not hear the difference, but you will be able to see evidence of the difference that Christ makes in their life. And of course, Paul talks about ‘straining towards what’s ahead’ in Philippians 3, which is why we are “Still on the run with our eyes on the horizon.”
So, if you haven’t figured it out by now, I really like this song. I think it’s pretty good musically, and I’m confident that the message is spot on! It’s always nice to find artists that are Christian, not because they announce to the media that they are Christians, but because it shows through in their music. I leave you with Psalm 139, which talks about the dark times, the disasters in life, and the difference that Christ makes in them.
“Even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.” Psalm 139:12 (emphasis mine)
Hope you enjoyed the review, feel free to leave your thoughts in a comment below. It’s good to be back!
Teegan
The Meaning of Music 