Bring Me The Horizon‘s newest album That’s the Spirit has recently been released to critical acclaim – and is packed with songs destined to be sung by legions of fans in arenas around the world very soon. But just how original are the lines they’ll be singing? Inspired by an occasion on which a friend of mine managed to sing along to several complete lines of ‘Happy Song’ the first time he heard it just by guessing, I decided to go through every song on the record and count the clichés.
‘Doomed’
- “Just pull the plug yeah, I’ve had enough”
- “Only an echo, just skin and bone“
- “They kick the chair but we, we help tie the rope”
- “So come rain on my parade, cause I want to feel it”
- “And when it rains, it fucking pours“
‘Happy Song’
- ” There’s a voice in my head“
- “Gave it all that you’ve got”
- “I’m going round in circles”
‘Throne’
- “So you can throw me to the wolves“
- “Beat me black and blue“
- “The sticks and the stones that you used to throw”
- “So don’t even try to cry me a river“
‘True Friends’
- “I wouldn’t hold my breath if I was you”
- “Cause’ I’ll forget but I’ll never forgive you”
- “Like a kick right to the teeth“
- “But I couldn’t even see the forest for the trees“
- “You can run but you can’t hide“
‘Follow You’
- “Cross your heart and hope to die“
- “Show me what I can’t see when the spark in your eyes is gone”
- “You’ve got me on my knees“
- “I will follow you cause I’m under your spell“
‘What You Need’
- “Don’t come crawling back to me when you break down”
- “Cause you dug yourself into this hole all by yourself”
‘Avalanche’
- “And I feel like I am treading on thin ice“
- “Need a cure for me cause a square doesn’t fit the circle“
‘Run’
- “So take a deep breath, let’s disappear”
- “So give me all you’ve got“
- “A perfect storm that keeps you wide awake”
‘Drown’
- Half a point awarded for “What doesn’t kill you makes you wish you were dead” – a cliché with an alternate ending.
- “And the weight of the world‘s getting harder to hold up”
- “Save me from myself, don’t let me drown”
‘Blasphemy’
- “You got hell to pay but you already sold your soul” – Double score (two separate clichés in one line)
- “Ask no questions and you’ll get no lies“
- “Turn the cheek and blind the eye”
- Half a point awarded for using the words “blessed” and “cursed” in one line.
‘Oh No’
- “You don’t have to lie, I know exactly where you’ve been“
- “No we’re not on the level, you’re just off your face“
- “It’s getting kind of old now, I think it’s time to pack it in“
- “So be careful what you wish for“
- “Who you’re trying to fool, you know you’re in over your head” – Double score!
- “Cause you’re holding onto heaven but you’re hanging by a thread“
Grand total: 42
Average clichés per song: 3.8
Words by Joe Gilbertson. (Read my full review of the album here. Read Ermis’ review for The Indiependent here.)