“My Life” by Imagine Dragons
Unfortunately the United States is a country that has a serious issue with the misuse of and related dependency on drugs. Perhaps we can further say that out of all fields of entertainment therein, this reality affects the music industry the most.
So that’s why it is very much understandable that, as explained by Imagine Dragons’ frontman Dan Reynolds, one of the concepts which Mercury – Act 1 is based on is ‘watching his friends die to drug addiction’.
And just to note in relation to what was put forth above, even prior to the issuance of this album, Reynolds has made some strong, even controversially-so statements alluding to the prevalence of drug abuse in the music field. Meanwhile, he doesn’t appear to have a history of being personally stricken by this malady himself.
The Lyrics of “My Life”
So with all of that in mind, we know that this song is not based on Dan’s personal experiences per se. However, he has ‘lost his best friend to hard drugs’. So at the same time, it’s not like the sentiments being expressed are fictional in the truest sense of the word, even though they do deal with the inner, i.e. psychological side of being an addict.
And as depicted, the narrator is, first of all, lonely. Also as shown in the first verse, he is depressed, or perhaps some would say overthinking. Then, the pre-chorus that follows reveals he has self-esteem issues, i.e. ‘waiting to be somebody new’ while simultaneously ‘finding it hard to love himself’.
But the actual chorus itself indicates that apparently he is able to perceive that the way he’s dealing with these issues, via drug consumption, is not ideal. And furthermore he also is able to acknowledge that he only has a limited amount “of time” to best this matter.
The second verse is further indicative of his overall pessimism concerning this situation. Or let’s say, as put forth earlier, that whereas he may not be overly confident he can beat the addiction, at the same time he knows he must. He must overcome this not only for himself but also on behalf of those who actually love him.
Narrator speaking on his Behalf
Now one interesting thing about the refrains is that, using our imaginations in conjunction with the aforementioned foreknowledge, we can even postulate that in these passages Dan is rather speaking on his own behalf as opposed to portraying the character detailed above.
That’s because, as stated earlier, we know that he lost his bestie to drugs. So when the vocalist is lamenting the ‘years passing by’ and ‘thinking of’ the addressee throughout, well, up until this point there hasn’t even been an addressee recognized in the lyrics.
So as generally understood based on the rest of the narrative, this would be the addict’s way of once again proclaiming a desire to overcome his addiction, as inspired by the love of someone(s) close to him.
But knowing what we know, it may also be Reynolds speaking to his deceased friend, letting this person know, most simply put, that even though he’s long gone, Dan still misses him.
Conclusion of “My Life”
But in any event, My Life is one of the more compassionate pieces dealing with drug addiction we’ve ever come across. Indeed in this case there’s no judgments being made either way. Rather, we are presented with someone who is compelled to partake due to his own psychological/emotional shortcomings.
Meanwhile, it can also be ascertained that using drugs to mitigate these matters are, in the grand scheme of things, making them worse. And so it often is in the life of addicts, i.e. such individuals finding themselves caught up in a cycle which if perpetuated, as this very character is able to perceive, would likely cost them their lives.
Facts about “My Life”
This is the opening track on the playlist of Mercury – Act 1. Mercury – Act 1 is actually Imagine Dragons’ fifth studio album. It came out on 3 September 2021. And this is a project that was released via the joint effort of Interscope Records and another label called Kidinakorner.
The four members of Imagine Dragons as are credited with writing “My Life”. But they are not the only writers. They were supported by three others. Below is the complete list of writers:
- Ben McKee
- Daniel Platzman
- Wayne Sermon
- Dan Reynolds
- Justin Tranter
- Mattias Larsson
- Robin Fredriksson
Larsson and Fredriksson, under their joint moniker Mattman & Robin, also produced the track alongside Brandon Darner.
Was “My Life” a Single?
No. There were three singles birthed by Mercury – Act 1. The first two were:
Both of these singles came out on the same day in March 2021. The third single titled “Wrecked” was released in July.
Imagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons is a band that traces its origins back to the somewhat inconspicuous (albeit pretty big) city of Provo, Utah. However, their actual base of operations throughout the years has been the better known Las Vegas, Nevada.
All four of their studio albums (which are listed below) prior to this one have been notable hits.
- Night Visions (2012)
- Smoke + Mirrors (2015)
- Evolve (2017)
- Origins (2018)
The second on the list even topped the Billboard 200. The other three fell just a spot short of doing so themselves.
