Why these songs, why this show?

 

Each song has been chosen for its connection to our mental well-being with focus put on specific emotions, circumstances, and social demographics. Some are sad, others hilarious but all connect to this theme. We hope these songs provoke thought and discussion to better understanding each other, how to be there for one and other, what negative conditions we may not realize we contribute to and what positive conditions we can mindfully help to shape. 

 

Opening Up - This show opener from Waitress the Musical could be the perfect way to open a show during a pandemic that has caused so many to be isolated for so long.  In many ways, things are opening up. Theatres are literally doing so but we are all learning to open up again to connection from others. The chorus rings with hope, “opening up, letting the day in”.  In many ways this song evokes our show title as we are emerging from isolation.  Lyrics like "with days like these, we can only do the best we can" is an important reinforcement for all of us to be more understanding of each other but even more so, of ourselves.

That I Would Be Good - From Jagged Little Pill the Musical, this song’s message is that we are all good enough, even with all of our perceived flaws. In a world where youth feel compelled to be someone they aren’t, someone social media “like” worthy, this song is like a guttural cry to be loved and accepted for our true selves.

        
The Negative  - Also from Waitress, this song plays on the idea of focusing on the negative, which is usually considered a bad thing and part of many mental health issues of having hard to break negative thought patterns.  Only in this case, the lead doesn’t want to find out she’s pregnant and so the opposite is true, that she should focus literally on the negative while waiting for her pregnancy test results.  

 

Lay Me Down - This Sam Smith song can be interpreted as a breakup song or a song about grief.  Either are important circumstances about loss and the profound impact it can have on our mental well-being.  Lyrics like “it’s hard, the days just seem so dark,” and the plea of asking “can I lay by your side?” really invokes the agony and long reconciliation process loss creates. 

My Junk - From Spring Awakening, this is an upbeat quirky song with more of a pop vibe. Lyrically it can be interpreted as capturing the all-consuming feelings of youth in either an unrequited or unhealthy love.   

Who You Are – This song by Jessie J is an amazing mental health anthem that is both powerful and inspiring.  Lyrics like “it’s ok not to be ok” and “tears don’t mean you’re losing, everybody’s bruising, just be true, to who you are”.  These are messages we can all connect with and/or need to hear at times.  These are all messages we need to share with others to foster strong mental health environments.  Credit to Sean Mayes for the original arrangement we first performed in our Teen Show.

You Matter To Me - Another song from Waitress.  On the surface it seems like another love song but it’s really about letting someone else know they really matter to you.  Often this is something we forget to say to those closest to us or we think they know but it can be the thing they (or we) most need to hear and feel.  With lyrics like “come out of hiding, I’m right here beside you” which also connects to  Jack.org’s Be Their campaign, sometimes what we need most is just knowing someone is beside us, not trying to fix us and not judging us, just with us. 

Stop - This is a hilarious energetic number from Mean Girls but one that covers some of the very serious issues that youth face in terms of social expectations as well as the very real applications and risks of a social media and a digital world (bullying, stalking, assault and more).

 

Crazy Rolling - This Moulin Rouge mashup explores two ideas that centre around the idea of what we often stigmatize using labels like “crazy”. One is  being who we truly are, taking risks, bucking the norm and the other is the very strong emotions that can build when we feel hurt by someone we loved.  Is it crazy to be different?  Is it crazy to be angry or hurt?  Or are these the things that make us human? Labelling it as crazy often tells us more about our own discomfort and need to process some of our unresolved issues and less about the person we are labelling.  How can we shift our lens to accept what is different or empathize when others are experiencing strong human emotions?

 

Chasing Cars - This iconic Snow Patrol song almost seems to have been written for this theme and this very spot in our show. When we consider the chorus, "If I lay here, If I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world?” we can all relate. Either to that moment we offered this support to a friend or that moment when we were the one in need. Empathy is often confused for sympathy, but they are quite different. Part of empathy is the ability to just be there for someone, where they are vs. rushing to solve or pretending to fully understand. Just Be There.  This is core to Jack.org’s effort to educate. We can even re-examine lyrics like “those three words, are said too much, they’re not enough” which are interpreted to refer to “I Love You” and instead imagine the three words “You’ll Be Ok.”  When someone is struggling with their mental health or having suicidal ideation, saying “you’ll be ok” is not only “said too much”, but it can have the unintended effect of demonstrating no understanding of the person’s pain or the complexity of easing it.  However, being able to just be there with someone with no agenda, can be one of the most powerful displays of support. 
 

Firework/Born This Way/Perfect - This original mashup was arranged by Terence Vince and encompasses three very big anthems about being yourself, self-acceptance, self love and self-worth.  All are full of energy, incredibly upbeat and inspirational songs that we hope will have you feeling encouraged yourselves and driven to help others too.

Trailer Trash - This hilarious song from Cowgirls seems to make of fun of a demographic of people often judged by others who need to feel superior.  But the lyrics turn it around on “city folk,” from what was thought of as weakness to strength and vice versa.  This could be exchanged for any group who feels pressure to keep up with the Joneses, judging others while not being their true authentic selves.  With lyrics like "All the girls are skinny and their hair is flat, why would we want to look like that?” and "But we got our own style and we got our own nose.” The characters are really saying no matter how much the world might mock you, it’s always better to be yourself.

 

Don't Give Up - This Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush song is very beautiful but rarely understood.  It’s about a man during the Great Depression whose unemployment causes stress in his domestic relationship. The verses, sung by Gabriel, describe the man's feelings of isolation, loneliness and despair; the choruses, sung by Bush, offer words of hope and encouragement.  Economic conditions today continue to be a major factor in risk of mental illness and suicide. 

Let's Generalize About Men - This hilarious number from the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a scene in which women are commiserating about men using broad generalizations to an entire demographic.  This song touches on a lot of themes: the power of commiseration as a human ritual and how much easier it is for us find common complaints than common resiliency; the ability as a society to generalize about any large group of people and how our unconscious biases taint our relationships; but mostly…it’s just fun and funny and we hope you enjoy it.

 

Not Alone -  This beautiful song is an original by one of our cast and soon to be pop star, Shir Azari.  We are thrilled and honoured for her to perform this for our audience. The song is a message of vulnerability in sharing feelings of anxiety and a message of comfort to help others know they are not alone feeling this way and they don’t have to hide it or feel shamed by it because we can all relate.

Turn It Off - This hysterical and seemingly offensive song from Book of Mormon is about the dangers of bottling up all of your feelings, using some very troubling scenarios as examples (dealing with death, exploring your sexuality, living in an abusive home, etc.).  The message we often hear is “turn it off” and magically you won’t feel those feelings anymore when in fact, this will only cause deeper mental health strain.  The writer uses comedy and shock to expose just how outrageous some people’s beliefs are yet many are still commonplace and the impact on those they target, is very real.  

David Goldfarb Tribute - Grief and its array of emotions are critical to process and reconcile.  We lost a member of our alumni and hope this tribute helps us all to heal.

        
Raise You Up/Just Be - Ending on a huge note about love and acceptance is this toe tapping number from Kinky Boots. This song helps to summarize the main themes of the show - the importance of feeling accepted by others, no matter our differences. We are all human with the same need for love.".  It’s empowering, funny, and energetic.  A great message to send our audiences off with.