My 400th Post: Why I Love Twenty One Pilots

Hello, hello, everyone!

I’m not going to ask how we are in December already because I know that none of you have an answer. Instead, I’m going to ask, how is it possible that this is the 400th post on Movies Meet Their Match?

It is all thanks to you guys for reading! I love getting your comments and being able to encourage you guys to watch movies and read books that I enjoy.

For My 100th Post I said my top 100 favorite movies, for My 200th Post I listed all of the movies that I had seen in the theater, and in My 300th Post I talked about my favorite movie scores. To celebrate today I’m doing something totally different and out of my comfort zone. Usually I ONLY talk about books or movies on this blog, but I’m going to break that rule today by talking about music.

Why am I doing such a thing? To me, while 2020 has been hard, it hasn't been useless. The best thing that happened to me this year is that I discovered my new favorite music artist.

Twenty One Pilots.

I'm going to be telling you what listening to Twenty One Pilots music has meant to me.

Disclaimer: There is a lot of talk when it comes to Twenty One Pilots about whether or not you are a "real fan". I don’t fall for any of that. I myself have been accused of not being a real fan because I didn’t know details about some tiny thing. Does that matter? Nope. People have shade thrown on them for not hearing every single song and not understanding all of their meanings. Whether you like one of their songs or twenty one, it doesn't make you less of a human. I haven’t listened to all of their songs yet, but it doesn’t matter to me if other people have or not! Because it's one of my favorite things I want to share it with other people, but if they aren’t as enthusiastic as me, that’s fine. Both of my sisters are neutral when it comes to Twenty One Pilots, but they are open to me playing a new song of theirs that I’ve discovered, even if they won’t like it.

Also, the awesome thing with all songs is that they are open for interpretation. What I get out of them might not be what you get out of them. I know this for certain as when I showed the song “House of Gold” to my mom, she got a slightly different meaning than me, but we both have our ways of enjoying it.

So, don’t be pressured into being a “fan” of anything! All of us are unique and have different likes and dislikes. If there is something that you truly enjoy, then you can share it with others, but if they don’t like it, don’t make them feel bad or that they are “wrong”.

That’s out of the way, so let’s get into my history with Twenty One Pilots!

Back in April of 2019 I heard my first Twenty One Pilots song. I didn’t pay it too much attention, but I would listen to it from time to time (I’m being vague, but I’ll talk about it more in a minute).

In March 2020 I started listening to a lot of music. I don’t know why, but I had never listened to much music. It was a “in the car” thing or a once a week thing, but in early March I started listening to music daily. And I found a Twenty One Pilots song. I listened to it because I remembered that it was the same group that wrote the first one, and I loved it. From there I listened to more and more before I came really attached.

For those of you who don’t know, you might be wondering, “What is Twenty One Pilots?” (Sometimes abbreviated as TOP).

They are a duo from Ohio who blend several genres, including (but not limited to): Pop, rock, hip-hop, and reggae.

All of their songs are clean (if there is anything that might bother someone, I marked it in this list, but that’s just me being SUPER picky). The songs deal with a lot of dark things, but I think that they handle it really well. My younger sister likes their music, but just has to be in the right mood. Me, I’m always in that mood. Their beats are so awesome for all ages, but the lyrics depend on each person’s comfort zone.

My personal thoughts about their music:

Their music is so fantastic, creative, and unique. I’ve never heard anything like it. I really like Lane Boy (from Blurryface) and feel that it represents their music the best. Because of that I’m going to put most of the lyrics here to analyze, so you might want to listen to it here first.:

“They say, "Stay in your lane, boy, lane, boy"


But we go where we want to


They think this thing is a highway, highway


But will they be alive tomorrow?



They think this thing is a highway


If it was our way, we'd have a tempo change every other time change


'Cause our mind's changed on what we think is good


I wasn't raised in the hood

But I know a thing or two about pain an' darkness


If it wasn't for this music I don't know how I would have fought this”

The song speaks so well for itself that there isn’t too much for me to say. But, those lyrics that I put in bold talk about how music is so therapeutic. I’ve discovered that especially this year as I’ve felt that music has helped me more than I can explain.


“Regardless, all these songs I'm hearin' are so heartless


Don't trust a perfect person an' don't trust a song that's flawless, honest


There's a few songs on this record that feel common


I'm in constant confrontation with what I want an' what is poppin'


In the industry, it seems to me that singles on the radio are currency


My creativity's only free when I'm playin' shows”


The rest of it addresses the pressure on song writers (or writers and artists of any kind!) to make things which the public will like, not what they genuinely feel like creating. 

(This is also the perfect driving song. I sing it all the time when I’m driving, but usually in my head because there are other people in the car).

In addition to that, Ode to Sleep (from Vessel) expresses the fight that all of their songs are in battle with. Skimming quickly, their music can seem really depressing, but it is chock full of hope. It is all about fighting depression and showing people that they aren’t alone.

Content: It has the word “whore” in it.

When I first listened to this song I was like, “Wow, that is the weirdest that I’ve ever heard.” It mashes so many different parts of music and at first hearing, it can seem crazy. But, with some focus when listening to the lyrics I’ve decided that it’s really awesome. Let’s start at the beginning.

“I wake up fine and dandy, but then by the time I find it handy


To rip my heart apart and start planning my crash landing”

How many times do I wake up ready to go, but then just deteriorate as the day goes on? And what happens when it’s night? It can get worse.:

“I'll stay awake 'cause the dark's not taking prisoners tonight


Why am I not scared in the morning?


I don't hear those voices calling


I must have kicked them out, I must have kicked them out


I swear I heard demons yelling


Those crazy words they were spelling


They told me I was gone, they told me I was gone



But I tell 'em, "Why won't you let me go?


Do I threaten all your plans? I'm insignificant"


Please tell 'em, you have no plans for me
I

 will set my soul on fire, what have I become?


I'll tell 'em”

It can be hard to tell your personal nightmares and fears to go away, but you can do it. Kick them out! We can’t promise that they won’t return, but the effort is worth so much.

All in all, I’m about as terrible at analyzing songs as I am at analyzing everything else. They just speak so much for themselves, you know?

My favorites:

You’re not rid of me yet. I would love to talk about every TOP song that I’ve ever heard, but we would be here all day. Instead, I’m going to talk quickly (mark that down, everyone, and see if this does happen fast) about my top ten and list some favorite lyrics from each. Which was a punishment to myself by forcing me to pick only ten. I would love to talk about each individual album and why I love it, but I don’t think anyone is interested in that.

I’m sorry that some of this is scattered. This post is taking me ages to write because I’m listening to Twenty One Pilots while I write it and I keep stopping to sing along. I’m going to try to focus...

All lyrics found on Genius Lyrics to make sure that I was accurate. If you just want to listen to a playlist with all of the songs that I talk about in this post, here is one on Spotify.

10. Heathens (single) & Level of Concern (single)

And just when you thought that I was going to randomly start talking about music and leave books and movies to the wind, you were wrong. Haha! I found a way to connect this back in to my purely books and movies blog! This song, “Heathens” was in the movie Suicide Squad (2016). I have no interest in watching that movie, but I really like this song.

Why? This was the first Twenty One Pilots song that I ever heard. Yep, remember that story that we talked about? This was my introduction! (Thanks to Faith! *hugs*)

For ages I would play it just because it terrified my sisters. Being the middle child I have to maintain my mischievous status, you know. But, from time to time I would sing this song to myself and I connected with it.

“All my friends are heathens, take it slow


Wait for them to ask you who you know


Please don't make any sudden moves


You don't know the half of the abuse”

Sometimes I feel that I am a “heathen”, that there is something wrong with me because I’m not like normal people, and when people judge me they don’t know that I’m going through.

(And actually, when reading about this song I learned that a lot of people have this reaction.)

And I have “Level of Concern” tied at 10th place because it is their newest release and since I’m talking about how I’ve come to know them in 2020, it is required. My older sister hates this song, so my younger sister and I torture her with it as often as we can. A day or two after its release we sung it constantly to drive her crazy. It is a younger sister’s duty to annoy her older siblings.

This expresses this year so much. In addition to that has SUCH A BOP.

“'Cause I told you my level of concern


But you walked by like you never heard


And you could bring down my level of concern


Just need you to tell me we're alright, tell me we're okay”

‘Nuff said.

9. Fall Away (from Twenty One Pilots)

“I don’t wanna fall fall away.”

THIS ONE SOUNDS SO COOL. I love it. In addition to that it has some heartbreak and difficulties in it that are relatable to so many.

“I'm dying and I'm trying


But believe me, I'm fine, but I'm lying


I'm so very far from fine”

This one talks about how it's okay to not be fine. Sometimes we all feel like everything is going around, but we need to courage to not fall away.

This is a little different from some of their other songs, but it also reminds me of Goner (from Blurryface).

8. The Run and Go (from Vessel)

When I heard it for the first time, I loved it so much that I showed it to my sister. Guess what she said?

“Kind of boring.”

Oh well, we can’t all love everything. I think it’s simple, but awesome. It talks about connecting to people even when we’re not perfect. We don’t want to bother other people with our problems when they have their own. At the same time, we don’t want to be alone.  

“Don't wanna call you in the nighttime


Don't wanna give you all my pieces


Don't wanna hand you all my trouble


Don't wanna give you all my demons


You'll have to watch me struggle


From several rooms away


But tonight, I'll need you to stay”

And the bridge? I just have to close my eyes and listen to it every time I hear it to take it all in.:

“Cold nights under siege from accusations


Cerebral thunder and one-way conversations”

It doesn’t look nearly as awesome, just spelled out, so you’ll have to listen to it. Please and thank you.

7. Oh Ms. Believer (from Twenty One Pilots)

There is something that is hauntingly gorgeous about this one. I love it, and not just because it talks about snow, which is my favorite thing. The melody is beautiful in a mysterious way.

“I will tell you, I love you


But the muffs on your ears will cater your fears


My nose and feet are running as we start


To travel through snow, together we go


Together we go”

6. House of Gold (from Vessel)

This song is just so much fun! If you’ve never listened to any Twenty One Pilots I recommend starting here! The rhythm is upbeat and catchy, and never grows old. It talks about the beautiful relationship between a son and his mother.

“She asked me, "Son, when I grow old


Will you buy me a house of gold?


And when your father turns to stone


Will you take care of me?"


I will make you queen of everything you see


I'll put you on the map, I'll cure you of disease”

These next five are securely in place as my favorites and it’s unlikely that they are going to change as opposed to the five previous ones which could be changed at any time.

5. The Judge (from Blurryface)

Content: This does have the word h---, but in talking about the location and not just swearing for no reason.

Guys, I want to play the ukulele solely so I can play this song and belt it out at top volume. The opening makes me think so much.:

“When the leader of the bad guys sang


Something soft and soaked in pain


I heard the echo from his secret hideaway


He must've forgot to close his door


As he cranked out those dismal chords


And his four walls declared him insane”

It really gives you some perspective, doesn’t it? This part hits home for me:

“But I'm not good with directions and I hide behind my mouth


I'm a pro at imperfections and I'm best friends with my doubt


And now that my mind's out and now I hear it clear and loud


I'm thinking "Wow, I probably should've stayed inside my house."”

4. Not Today (from Blurryface)

I’ve come to love this one only in the last few months, but apparently I’ve obsessed over listening to it because according to Spotify it is my most listened to song of the year.

“Listen, I know


This one's a contradiction because of how happy it sounds


But the lyrics are so down


It's okay though


Because it represents, wait, better yet it is


Who I feel I am right now”

The message of this song that I see is that we all have voices in our heads that hide in the shadows until everything is dark. Then we don’t realize that they are shadows--fakes. We can’t believe them and we have to kick them out. They won’t get to us, not today.

“Heard you say, "Not today"


Tore the curtains down, windows open, now make a sound


Heard your voice, "there's no choice"


Tore the curtains down, windows open, now make a noise”

It wasn’t until I started writing this out that I realized that this one and “Ode to Sleep” go really well together.

3. Migraine (from Vessel)

“Am I the only one I know?

Waging my wars behind my face and above my throat

Shadows will scream that I’m alone

But I know we’ve made it this far, kid.”

This song is deep. And hard. It mentions suicide a lot. Which freaks people out a lot when I say that this is my favorite because:

“You know, I’ve always been collected calm, and chill” 

(Wrong song! Seriously though, I love “Smithereens” (from Trench) so much) 

Because I’m such a happy person. I admit, that is one of my goals in life, to be happy and an optimist no matter the circumstances. Sometimes it is hard, and instead of caving into despair I listen to this song, channeling all of my negativity into it then keep going.

Can we also look at the wordplay in this song? It is fantastic on that level as well, and has the most complicated lyrics that I’ve ever heard in a song.

“I am not as fine as I seem, pardon.

Me for yelling, I'm telling you green gardens


Are not what's growing in my psyche, it's a different me


A difficult beast, feasting on burnt down trees”

Before all of you guys panic about my wellbeing I’m going to stop your fears. I’m absolutely fine, and I love life, and am so grateful for all of my life and family and opportunities that I receive. What I love about this song is that it fights depression and loneliness. My favorite part is the bridge; every time I listen to it I am filled with a burst of hope.:

“And I will say that we should take a day to break away


From all the pain our brain has made, the game is not played alone


And I will say that we should take a moment and hold it


And keep it frozen and know that life has a hopeful undertone”

Doesn’t that just set a spark into your soul? To keep fighting and live?

2. Ride (from Blurryface)

I’m so thankful for this song because it is the first one that I listened to in March 2020 and showed me that there were so many amazing Twenty One Pilots songs. 

This TOP’s most famous song, and usually I fight against The Hype (boom, another reference), but there’s a reason this one is so good.

First of all, it just sounds AMAZING. I love it so much.

Second, I hardcore relate to it.

“I’m falling so I’m taking my time on my ride.”

So often I just try to be a cheery person and ignore anything that is pilling up. So, I’m usually drowning in work and behind on a million things, so I’m falling, but I’m causal about it and very much taking my time on the ride.

“I’ve been thinking too much, help me.”

Also, apparently I’m not the only one who thinks too much? Even though parts of it are repeating lyrics, they strike home.

And my top favorite is...

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Any guesses?

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Can I get a drum roll?

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1. Stressed Out (from Blurryface)

Where to start with what this song means to me? This is my vibe. If you ever wanted to know me, just listen to this song. That knowledge is scary, that anyone who listens to this fully sees me as who I am.

“Wish we could turn back time to the good old days


When our momma sang us to sleep, but now we're stressed out”

Especially this year I’ve been going through a lot of changes and a lot of stress. I tend to ignore it because then it’s not there, right? Well, anytime I felt that like I couldn’t handle it any more I would listen to this song.

And it made me feel so much better.

“We used to play pretend, give each other different names


We would build a rocket ship an' then we'd fly it far away


Used to dream of outer space, but now they're laughin' at our face


Sayin', "Wake up, you need to make money!," yeah”

As with all of these songs, this music just makes me feel like I’m not alone. If someone could put it all so perfectly into words, then I’m not the only one feeling this.

Albums ranked (‘cause why not?):

1. Blurryface (2015)

2. Vessel (2012)

3. Twenty One Pilots (2009)

4. Trench (2018)

(Those last two are only like that because I haven’t heard all of the songs.)

Thank you so much for reading and helping me make it to 400 posts! I would love to talk about Twenty One Pilots with any of you. Have you heard any of their songs? Which are your favorites? Do you like this kind of post or are you looking forward to when I get back to my usual stuff?

MovieCritic