Theme Songs #3: Melotrauma

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

I've decided on the cheery theme of reaction to trauma. What I'm looking for are songs that detail the ways in which a person copes (or fails to cope) with traumas that originate in childhood or adolescence. There's a lot of this stuff in teenpop, but I'd like to broaden the scope as well.

Some examples:

Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You" -- her mother never stood up to her abusive father, and now Kelly blames mom for her inability to trust others in meaningful relationships.

P!nk's "Family Portrait" -- Basically, "my parents got a divorce and now I am effed up." (Note: bonus points for nuance in the general argument of the song -- not sure how many I'd give to this one, say).

Fefe Dobson's "Unforgiven" -- I'll never forgive you for leaving us, dad, but I won't let you forget about me, either. (As I said during revenge week, Fefe's revenge here is refusing to abandon him.)

This would also be the thread to keep talking about Ashlee Simpson's "Shadow," I suppose.

There are lots of song about pain following a break-up, say, but what I'm looking for are lasting wounds, perhaps from childhood, that have healed over, opened up, healed over again. And the most points will go to the most unexpected expression of how this trauma has manifested itself. As I said once of Margaret Berger's "Robot Song," I'd like to be blindsided by pathos if possible.

You have NO limitations on the number of nominations.

Comments

You, you my beautiful country I left you with memories

[koganbot]

OK, here's a real nominee, Midi, Maxi & Efti "Sisterhood of Africa," three girls born in the midst of a civil war, Eritrea's separation from Ethiopia, then moving to Sweden as children and recording this at age 16. I can't say that this is a response to trauma, just a sadness because of the war that devastated their homeland, and a call for war to end. But the story is told straightforwardly, with beauty, the song credited to the three girls and to Alexander Bard from Army Of Lovers and Anders Wollbeck and Per Adebratt, who'd done production work for Army of Lovers and other pop acts.

Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa

I was born in Eritrea
The land with the big mountain
I remember every morning
When I woke up I had to hide
Down to the underground
Because of enemies
I've been told
This was when the war was going on
You, you my beautiful country
I left you with memories
Let her shine, let her shine
If you fear(?) a country of 30 months of sunshine

Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa

I grew up in the country with love
People stand for one another
And everybody depend on each other
I'll be tried(?)
When I see my country on the TV
All the pain, heartbreak, miseries, so sorrows
Sometimes I wonder
Whose fault is that
Whose fault is that?

Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa

Africa, the land unite
Come along, stop the fight
Africa, the land unite
Come along, stop the fight

Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa
Sisterhood of Africa