Assignment Twenty-three – Jessica Ewing

The Perfect Playlist for the Five Stages of Grief

Now, I decided I would take my own little spin on this assignment. The five stages of grief, also known as the Kubler-Ross model, is a psychological progression of emotions experienced after experiencing a traumatic experience: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. This playlist of five songs (all classic rock songs, as that is my favorite genre of music) depicts each stage of the Kubler-Ross model through a different song. Enjoy!


1. Denial: "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses

On the surface, this song is about finding a place that isn't what it seems to be. On the outside this "jungle" seems to be all fun and games, but over the course of the song it's revealed that it's actually quite dangerous there, even saying "you learn to live like an animal" there. The idea is to deny the newcomers that anything is wrong until it's too late.


2. Anger: "The Chain" - Fleetwood Mac

An angry lover damning their ex's love and lies. This entire song speaks of anger, of frustration, of contempt, and even of spite. "I can still hear you saying 'you would never break the chain.'" It sounds as though they did in fact break the chain and are throwing it back into their face with those words.


3. Bargaining: "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Queen

There's been a lot of discussion about what this song truly means. Different interpretations come and go, and there are those who say the song means absolutely nothing at all. For the purposes of using this song to represent the bargaining stage of grief, I'm going to look specifically at the bridge, where there is quite literally a plea for the narrator to be let go, with some outside forces replaying that they "will not let you go." The idea of trying to bargain with external forces to go back and change things or set things right or see a lost loved one again is perfectly represented in those lines.


4. Depression: "Yesterday" - The Beatles

If McCartney's line "there's a shadow hanging over me" doesn't relate perfectly to the feeling of depression, I don't know what does. This song speaks of a better day in the past, of a wish to return to those betters, and the hopeless of their current situation.


5. Acceptance: "Carry on Wayward Son" - Kansas

This is such a wonderful song, both individually and as a part of this playlist. As acceptance, this song exemplifies understanding and letting go. The opening lines "Carry on my wayward son / There'll be peace when you are done / Lay your weary head to rest / Don't you cry no more" describe the feeling not of giving up, but of understanding and indeed accepting one's fate.