Emotion Sickness

"Emotion Sickness" is a song by the Australian alternative rock band Silverchair. It was released as the first song on their 1999 album Neon Ballroom. At 6 minutes long, it is the band's third longest song. Australian pianist David Helfgott makes a guest appearance on the song,[1] along with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.[2] In a 1999 interview with Metal Hammer, Daniel Johns said that "Emotion Sickness" is his favorite Silverchair song.[3]

"Emotion Sickness"
Song by Silverchair
from the album Neon Ballroom
Released8 March 1999
GenreAlternative rock
Length6:01
LabelMurmur, Epic
Songwriter(s)Daniel Johns
Producer(s)Nick Launay

Although the song is not typical of Silverchair's work, "Emotion Sickness" is a fan favorite.[4]

Background

For "Emotion Sickness", the band's frontman, Daniel Johns wanted "a really manic and broken piano part to break up the album".[5] The band's management had the idea to call Australian pianist David Helfgott, who also shared the same lawyer with Silverchair, and the band agreed without hesitation. "Daniel wanted a manic piano part. It suited the song. He wanted it so it wasn't typical - didn't want something that was nice and kinda polished. He wanted something that was manic and off-chords. David Helfgott was the perfect man for the job", bassist Chris Joannou said.[2] The Sydney Symphony Orchestra is also featured in the song.[2]

Daniel Johns said about the song:

It's about fighting against the need to get some kind of medication and trying to pretend that you've got a normal state of mind when you know for a fact that you haven't."[6]

Music video

The music video was directed by Cate Anderson, who also directed the video for "Ana's Song".[7] It features Australian actor Dai Paterson.

Reception

Neva Chonin of Rolling Stone called the song "mopey" and said that when the song's last words are "lessons learned," "it’s hard to suppress a sigh at the overt lyrical reference to Kurt Cobain's 'Dumb'". Chonin also called the orchestration lavish.[8]

Covers

The song was covered by the rock band Storm the Sky (also from Australia) on the 2017 Silverchair cover album Spawn (Again).[9][10][11][12]

Personnel
Additional personnel

References
  1. McFarlane, 'silverchair' entry. Archived from the original on 19 April 2004. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  2. Grant, Eric (April 1999). "The Ballistic Rebirth of Silverchair". Watch Magazine.
  3. "20 Questions with Silverchair". Metal Hammer. May 1999.
  4. Songfacts. "Emotion Sickness by Silverchair - Songfacts". www.songfacts.com.
  5. "Silverchair Interview with K-ROCK New York". April 1999.
  6. "Silverchair - Press - "Emotion Sickness" - Silverchair's Daniel Johns Delves Deep into his Heart of Darkness and Returns with "Neon Ballroom"". www.chairpage.com.
  7. "Ana's Song by Silverchair". Song Facts. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  8. Chonin, Neva (18 March 1999). "[Neon Ballroom review]". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  9. Newstead, Al (13 November 2017). "First Spin: The Amity Affliction cover Silverchair's 'Tomorrow'". triple j.
  10. "Northlane, The Amity Affliction & More Unite For Silverchair Tribute Album". Music Feeds. 12 October 2017.
  11. "UNFD Presents Spawn (Again): A Tribute To Silverchair Feat. The Amity Affliction, Northlane + More". 12 October 2017.
  12. "The Amity Affliction, Tonight Alive, more to appear on Silverchair tribute album". 12 October 2017.
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