Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
"The Strain's Too Much, Can't Take Much More"
I was writing a song about dying, when I noticed that everyone who writes or sings about death, dies ... and usually tragically.
Ian Curtis was the vocalist for Joy Division, a Manchester rock band formed in 1976 (the name of the band sounds happy, but the name came from the sexual slavery wing of a Nazi concentration camp mentioned in the 1955 novel House of Dolls.). Curtis struggled with personal problems including a failing marriage, depression, and epilepsy. His lyrics often reflected his depressed nature.
Joy Division struggled to find fame. On the eve of their first U.S. tour in 1980, Curtis committed suicide at the home of his estranged wife. He was 23. Prosperity followed tragedy with the success of the single "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and the subsequent release of the band’s second album.
Side Note: I quickly reworked the theme of my tune to be about returning home through space and time (totally not dying). I then dropped the lyrics and turned the melody into a guitar instrumental. That should be safe (youtu.be/1FuUKGrjEGY)!
"The Strain's Too Much, Can't Take Much More"
I was writing a song about dying, when I noticed that everyone who writes or sings about death, dies ... and usually tragically.
Ian Curtis was the vocalist for Joy Division, a Manchester rock band formed in 1976 (the name of the band sounds happy, but the name came from the sexual slavery wing of a Nazi concentration camp mentioned in the 1955 novel House of Dolls.). Curtis struggled with personal problems including a failing marriage, depression, and epilepsy. His lyrics often reflected his depressed nature.
Joy Division struggled to find fame. On the eve of their first U.S. tour in 1980, Curtis committed suicide at the home of his estranged wife. He was 23. Prosperity followed tragedy with the success of the single "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and the subsequent release of the band’s second album.
Side Note: I quickly reworked the theme of my tune to be about returning home through space and time (totally not dying). I then dropped the lyrics and turned the melody into a guitar instrumental. That should be safe (youtu.be/1FuUKGrjEGY)!
