Hard to Love

Suddenly

Hard to Love by One Ok Rock

"This song is so emotional and lovely. Brings tears to my eyes."

Sorry about the quality of the embedded video. It's the best recording I could find.

I had the pleasure of seeing these guys in concert yesterday when they opened for 5 Seconds of Summer, and they were actually really great. It's not that I predicted disaster or anything, but they exceeded all of my underdeveloped expectations.

They came out with really high energy, and they got the crowd going - way more than the first of the two opening bands. (No offense to Hey Violet)

I heard that a few people got lawn tickets just for One Ok Rock and left before 5sos came out lol.

Anyway, when these guys came out onto the stage, they were dancing and jumping and head-banging, and their first couple of songs even had some screamo sections. Compare that to this track and think about the versatility.

The only warning that we were going to switch over from "hit the pedal heavy metal" to "the tears stream down my face" was a very brief introduction from the lead singer.

He said, "I wrote this next song about my father."

Hard to Love toned down the uncontrolled energy, but it doesn't hold back when it comes to emotion. Quiet but passionate. Hushed but powerful.

It's about a young man thinking back at all the things he did during his rebellious teenage years - all the things that made him hard to love - and appreciating his father for loving him anyway.

There are some cool things going on with the sound here. Most importantly, the shirtless guy is playing an electric cello. You don't see those things everyday (okay, maybe you see shirtless guys, but not electric cellos). I like the shaker, too; it's softer than drums and therefore more appropriate for this intimate song.

The lyrics are sweet and genuine. I started tearing up almost immediately. Just, like, imagine this kid playing around in his dad's room: tried walking in your shoes, but I couldn't even tie them up. It's too precious.

And then, like...No matter how big and tall I grew, I was always looking up to you.

Time to give a giant hug to everyone in my family who love me unconditionally. Y'all are the real MVPs.

Overview:

Genre:
Pop Ballad

Favorite Lyrics:
I hope I made you proud enough.
You make it look easy, even when I'm hard to love.

Verdict:
Beautiful tribute, makes me think of my father as well