“Popular Monster” by Falling in Reverse
Considering the explanation that Falling in Reverse’s frontman, Ronnie Radke, had given about “Popular Monster”, in addition to the lyrics themselves, its storyline goes something like this. As illustrated almost from the onset, the singer is going through some type of mental issues. He describes such as being akin to “depression”. However, the people he deals with, i.e. “everybody” and his “doctor”, tell him that he’s just “going through a phase”.
But as revealed later, this more like an existential crisis. Moreover the singer comes off as being suicidal or at least fantasizing about death. So succinctly put, he’s on the verge of ‘breaking down’ and ‘falling apart’. And now going back to Ronnie’s own words, the character he portrays is rather someone who has been “pushed too far”. Thus in the chorus, when he states he’s a ‘liar, cheater and non-believer’, this is probably based on how other perceives him rather than how he initially views himself.
Conclusion
But either way, the true purpose of this song is supposed to be how external pressures are negatively affecting them. And these factors do indeed transform him into the “popular monster”. And by “popular monster”, we can say he has become an unfavorable individual who was made so due to people perceiving him as such in the first place.
So we can safely say the narrator’s internal issues coupled with external pressures have forced him to fully embrace his dark side.
Writing Credits of “Popular Monster”
Falling in Reverse is a rock band from Las Vegas. And its lead singer, Ronnie Radke, is the writer of “Popular Monster”.
Date of Release
This track was released on the 20th of November 2019.
Seems more like a journey to atheism. Very similar to my own, dealing with the existential crisis of realizing that when you’re dead, you are dead, not in fairytale land with everyone who loves you. The idea of everyone telling you it is a phase, family, friends, doctors, mental health professionals is a common one for atheists. Growing to love and appreciate the transience of mortality the beauty that indeed lies in death and the meaning of every single moment is one I can identify with. Knowing there is no endless afterlife of infinite happiness means you appreciate literally every moment of life infinitely more than anyone who believes they are living the test to determine if you are worthy of infinite life/happiness or infinite suffering that many theists delude themselves into falling for. I’d encourage you to listen to it again with the perspective of a nonbeliever in mind.
I share the same outlook, nice viewpoint. Ignore the bullies lol.
I want to say as someone who is going into the mental health profession things like this is very helpful so thank you for you imput
Well, I mean. It’s art, it by nature is interpreted through the experiences of the beholder. The actual song writer spoke about what the song means, and how he was inspired by the joker movie. Didn’t mention atheism, so it’s safe to assume the art is working if it spoke to you despite that.
Life is not a TEST to determine where you go when you die. It IS a journey that we are privileged to take and where we end up after we die depends on what we choose to believe. And if you take everything around you into consideration, you have to realize that somebody or something immensely powerful created this world and the universe, so there HAS to be a “Creator”. When you accept that fact, then you come to “realize” that the Bible truly is the Word of God, and there are many proofs of that. So that being said, the Bible says “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” Acts 16:31. Just because you make your own rules up doesn’t make them true. I mean we’re talking about forever. Believe=Eternal Salvation vs. Don’t believe=Eternal Condemnation. It’s our choice. Think about this…it’s 2021 A.D. for a reason.
you say that the univese had to have been ceated by someone or something immensly powerful but let me ask you this; what creted the creator? what evidence is there that the universe cme from a deity rather than what evidnce suggests: it was created through the big bang and humanity is the result of evolution
Bear in mind Atheists are the most maligned people in the country, polls constantly show people hate atheists more than anyone else in the country. So popular monsters indeed.
At F. Nietzsche:
A vegan, a cross fitter and an atheist walk into a bar….
I know…b/c they told everyone within 5 minutes of getting there.
This song is cool… it explains how one feels when depressed..
I have PTSD, and this is my “breaking down” song. Everything in it, from people belittling what he’s going through, the questioning the existence of THEIR God (the one that offers such plattitudes as, “god only gives us what we can handle”), the passive suicidality, the rage that seemingly comes out of nowhere, to the concept of “popular monster,” all are things i’ve felt or feel in those breakdowns. This song makes me angry at the ones who did this to me, but I can use that anger to pull myself out of the pit of fear and despair that comes with flashbacks. And I wondered if the songwriter has been there, too.
I struggle with “Survivor’s guilt”. The “5 stages of grief” and timeframe that people think that it should take is inconceivable. It’s unnatural for a mother to outlive her daughter. So I’m constantly all over the spectrum with the 5 stages. And I, too, cannot hear another “God has a bigger plan” and ” He loves you so, so much”… BULLSHIT! Why did he take away my daughter and leave me here, she deserved to be here so much more than me? I’m scared that I’m so enraged and yet I feel myself becoming numb. The only time I feel even the slightest bit of relief is when I’m screaming these lyrics with the volume all the way up on my way home from work.
I don’t believe that religion is even really invoked into the song. “I’m a liar, I’m a cheater, I’m a non believer” in my view seems to be that when you’re struggling with this deepened state of depression that you lie to yourself and everyone saying “I’m fine” you cheat yourself and those around you of well I guess many different things, and once who strongly believe in religion struggle to believe “God is on their side. And those who are atheists struggle to believe the things they always have believed especially on topics of faith or hope. So one could see the insertion of religion and “yes?” To a small point but even a strong catholic could easily turn away from God with enough trauma. My personal view anyways