4 Songs to Shake Off the Autumn Blues

Sometimes we need to work through some difficult emotions with music, and a good song can become a refuge where we can hide. But at other times we need a figurative "kick" to stop analysing ourselves, get our act together and tackle whatever it is that's weighing us down. Today's playlist falls into the latter category of songs – they are not exactly upbeat, but they do have the power to fight adversity and difficult thoughts.

1. Show me how to live

For me, "Show Me How To Live" by Audioslave is the anthem of all those who are struggling with life. Raw, uncompromising, hard. Although the video ironically ends with the band voluntarily driving a white Dodge Challenger straight into a police roadblock after a crazy car chase (which got it banned from MTV), and although Chris Cornell himself eventually ended his life prematurely in 2017, the song itself contains a dogged desire to find answers, meaning, hope.

The line from the chorus "Nail in my hand, from my Creator, you gave me a life now show me how to live!" sounds like an anguished cry, an unanswered urgent question to heaven. But Chris Cornell, like a modern-day rendition o Job, doesn't ask his questions sitting patiently in the ashes and dust but speeds through the arid landscape behind the wheel of a fast car, his face determined and a police patrol on his heels.

The clip uses footage from the 1971 film Vanishing Point, from which the band borrowed the frantic car chases and the opening scene with the DJ, backed by the song's opening riffs. It was then supplemented with footage from a concert in the Nevada desert, as well as shots of the band riding in a car, the same type of car used in the 1970 film. The effect is perfect, the shots change rapidly and the result is a video as fierce and wild as the music itself.

2. But Here We Are

Dave Grohl is quite an unusual phenomenon in the music world. While many of the grunge greats lost their battle with drugs, depression or fame, Dave, somewhat like a mythical phoenix rising from the ashes, has survived several "endings". First the rise of Nirvana and its sudden end after the death of Kurt Cobain. In his recently published book Storyteller, he describes the sheer shock and paralysis that hit all the remaining members of the band, as well as the subsequent confusion about what to do with a brutally interrupted musical career. Eventually, he rejected the "easier" option of rejoining an established band as drummer and embarked on the untrodden path of self-creation that eventually became the Foo Fighters.

But in 2022, another heavy blow came in the form of the unexpected death of Taylor Hawkins, longtime Foo Fighters drummer and close friend of Grohl. The same year saw the death of Dave's mother, who had been his unwavering supporter since the beginning of his musical career. The band cancelled all plans and the music world waited anxiously to see if this meant the end. Two farewell concerts followed. I had the opportunity to be at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute at Wembley and the whole almost six-hour concert, or rather festival, was conducted in an incredibly powerful atmosphere of immense sadness, but also a celebration of music and life.

A year later, the band officially announced their return and released a record with the simple title But Here We Are – despite everything that happened, we are still here. On the album, Dave Grohl authentically and honestly opens up about feelings of loss and the search for a new beginning, and not without reason it is considered one of the best Foo Fighters records ever.

3. Little by little, bit by bit

"I'm still here in this bed that I crawled in, I hope that I'm someone else in the morning...," opens the song "Chalk Outlines" by Welsh musician Ren. It's hard to think of a better description of sheer paralysis and physical or mental exhaustion. Ren first came to wider attention with the video for the single "Hi Ren," released in 2022, which garnered nearly seven million views on YouTube in just two months. But his musical journey began much earlier when he was studying music in Bath, busking on the streets of the city, and performing with his band Trick The Fox. While playing on the street, he was discovered by Eric Appapoulay, former guitarist for Neneh Cherry, who secured him a deal with his label.

However, the fairy tale story of a promising musical career was interrupted by serious health problems that temporarily ended the work on Ren's first album. For some time he spent almost all of his time on bed rest, being misdiagnosed with various psychological and autoimmune diseases until finally doctors determined the cause of his problems to be Lyme disease, which he still struggles with to varying degrees of success.

Ren's music reflects his tremendous desire to live and make music, and his determination and talent are incredible. Most of his songs deliver raw and lyrically accurate accounts of his struggles with illness, his own psyche, weakness and the state of the world. They are in no way "soothing", quite the opposite. But they certainly won't let you ponder your own difficult fate for too long.

4. Lose yourself in the music

If none of the previous songs worked, then there's Eminem and his 2002 hit "Lose Yourself". The ultimate "go-to" song for all depressed musicians. "You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it, you better never let it go. You only get one shot, don't miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime..." Eminem is absolutely uncompromising in bringing us back to the present moment, no matter what's happening to us right now, and reminding us that now is the time to follow our dreams.

"Lose Yourself" is the title track of the film 8th Mile, in which Eminem basically plays himself, depicting the rough beginnings of a white boy trying to make it as a rapper in Detroit's working-class black community. The song was written during filming, when, according to the filmmakers, Eminem spent the breaks between takes writing lyrics and then recorded each verse in a portable studio on location. The original sheet of paper with the first version of the song also appears in the film, when Eminem as B-Rabbit writes his lyrics on the bus.

It's also the first rap track in history to win a Grammy in the best song category, and even though it's not Eminem's most commercially successful hit, for many people it's still the best hip-hop song ever.

And what is your favourite song when you need to get back on your feet? Let us know in the comments on Facebook!