◢ Tribute to Avicii ◤ The Formative Experience of a Genius Musician

Do you know Avicii, whose real name was Tim Bergling?
The genius DJ, who wrote numerous EDM tracks with a foundation of electro-pop but also elements of folk and acoustic music, passed away on April 20, four years ago, at the age of 28 after a career spanning 12 years.
Let’s listen to his music once more, which shook the world from Sweden.

*The author has purchased and listened to several of his albums in the States and Canada, so please note that there may be discrepancies in track lists, dates, and content compared to the Japanese editions.

Though Avicii has numerous tracks, he only released three albums. From the early stages of his career, he shared remixes of singles and other works on his blog.
Now, most of his music can be streamed from his YouTube channel, but I’ll focus on his studio albums that contain many of his representative songs.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPHjpfnnGklkRBBTd0k6aHg

The 2013 album True includes the following tracks:

■ Wake Me Up

Starting with a lively acoustic guitar, this song remains incredibly popular and is performed nearly every time in live shows.
When the single was released, it received platinum certification, topped the UK charts, broke sales records, and won a Billboard Music Award, making it a huge sensation.
The music video features a woman and a girl with marks shaped like ◢ ◤, who are viewed unfavorably by society but ultimately find the place they belong, offering a profound and thought-provoking message.

■ You Make Me

With a deep, strong piano riff and the repeated phrase “You Make Me”, this song takes on a unique quality. The music video, which features CGI and a battle-action theme, takes place in what seems to be a dance club.
Although the song appears to be about love, it has a distinct rhythm and lyrics that create a sense of unity in live performances. Notably, sounds from spray cans and other objects are directly incorporated into the track, which is a feature also seen in other singles like “The Days”.

■ Hey Brother

This song is themed around family love. It blends bluegrass and EDM elements, with a slight military music influence, perhaps due to the perspective of a brother stepping in for his father, who died in the Vietnam War. The clear sound of the trumpet stands out, creating a strong, memorable impression.
With its combination of heroic grandeur and unique poignancy, there is no other song quite like it.

■ Addicted to You

Much like Hikaru Utada’s “Addicted to You”, this song portrays the descent into madness, as the title suggests.
Addicted means becoming addicted. The decadent and provocative behavior of the two individuals fades away abruptly as the song comes to its conclusion.

■ Dear Boy

With its buzzing synth sounds, occasional breaks, and piano sections, this song features a beautiful contrast with the sultry female vocals.
In the later self-remix “True - Avicii by Avicii”, the melody of “Sunset Jesus” is incorporated, giving the track a refreshing finish.

■ Liar Liar

Starting with the shocking cry of “Liar, liar!” and a distinctive, repetitive melody, this song is another example of Avicii’s darker lyrics, focusing on themes of emotional confusion.
Personally, I can’t help but think that the other brighter songs might be a response to this one.

■ Shame on Me

This song is from the perspective of a man angry about mistakes in love. Despite the venting tone, there’s a light, almost playful way of singing, complemented by a repeating guitar riff and refreshing synths that add something unique to the track.
Recently, I’ve heard that it was used as an image song for Jujutsu Kaisen...

■ Lay Me Down

With a bass line more reminiscent of a choppy style than a slap bass, and a solid four-on-the-floor drum beat, the song offers a variety of lyrical interpretations. Personally, I feel like I can’t quite settle on a satisfying interpretation.
When I check music blogs, it’s often described as a love song, or a track about being with a lover, but I wonder if that’s really the case.

■ Hope There's Someone

This song is a remix of the track with the same title by Antony and the Johnsons.
Compared to the original, which only had a male voice and piano, the use of a female vocalist in this version brings out the unsettling lyrics, and the unstable accompaniment intensifies the feeling of unease and fear, creating a slightly disturbing atmosphere

These are the 9 tracks (as far as I’m aware) from True.
Two years later, Stories was released. Compared to its predecessor, it seems to have more direct lyrics.

■ Waiting for Love

This song has a slight anti-Christian undertone. The lyrics say, “Guess I won’t be coming to the church on Sunday, I’ll be waiting for love,” meaning “I won’t go to church on Sunday, I’ll be waiting for love.2 However, in the music video, an elderly man sets off on a journey. The song might carry the meaning of being free from any constraints, following one’s own will, and loving freely.

■ Talk To Myself

What do you say when you talk to yourself or speak out loud to no one? The song expresses the words that couldn’t be said and the scattered thoughts of someone who has lost their lover. It’s written just as it is, straightforward and raw. The marimba during the instrumental break is a distinctive feature.

■ Touch Me

As the title and lyrics suggest, this is a song that directly conveys the desire to be touched. It expresses emotions in a straightforward and unambiguous way.

■ Ten More Days

The lyrics, “I know in 10 days everything will be better,” and “after 10 days of darkness, light will appear,” reveal a deep sense of pain.
This song was released just before Avicii’s retirement, but now it’s unclear what emotions were behind the writing of this song.

■ For a Better Day

With a pleasant, thick bass and refreshing keyboard sounds, this song might sound light, but the lyrics tell the story of a man dealing with heartbreak. In the music video, a woman seeks revenge against those involved in human trafficking. It's a shocking combination, but perhaps the title, “For a Better Day”, encapsulates the essence of the song.

■ Broken Arrows

Broken Arrow refers to a city in Oklahoma or a military code term indicating the loss of a nuclear weapon. However, in this song, the arrows likely symbolize relationships or emotional support.
The music video depicts a man who, after facing setbacks in sports and having once been successful, finds a way to make a comeback with the help of his daughter.
The inclusion of newspaper clippings and the note “Inspired by a True Story” suggests that the story is based on real events, reinforcing the theme of resilience. It’s an uplifting track centered on perseverance.
Later, it was featured as the main theme in the music game Avicii Gravity.

■ True Believer

This track is another example of Avicii’s exploration of unrequited love, which often doesn’t sound as bright or optimistic as typical love songs.
The vocals and synths in “True Believer” have a slightly darker tone, but upon reading the lyrics more carefully, it becomes clear that the song suggests that if you continue to challenge yourself, there is a glimmer of hope, but it’s not entirely clear whether that hope will be realized.

■ City Lights

“City Lights” explores the theme of lies and illusion. It has the bright synth sound typical of Avicii, but the lyrics reveal the unsettling nature of the city lights and the anxiety of the night.

■ Pure Grinding

In the music video, it starts with the note “TRUE STORIES OF AVĪCI” (with the first ‘I’ in AVĪCI having a macron). The style of the song is closer to black music, and rather than EDM, it aligns more with R&B or hip-hop.
‘Grinding’ is a colloquial slang term referring to steady, diligent effort or work. With ‘pure’ added, it could be translated as “pure, dedicated work.”
In the music video, half of the story shows a man working in a mine, gradually paying off his debts and buying a car, while the other half shows a contrast with a man who resorts to robbery, eventually getting caught. This contrast not only emphasizes Avicii’s dedication but may also carry a moral lesson of good and evil.

■ Sunset Jesus

This song is closer to a typical pop track, combining refreshing guitars and rhythmic keyboards. Set against the backdrop of a California sunset, the lyrics depict a man chasing big dreams. The line “Breath for a minute, I’ll be okay” uses a unique phrasing, expressing a sense of calm and reassurance.
Originally, the chorus included a “Yeah!” vocal, and during live performances, brass instruments were added, giving the song a funky and hopeful vibe.

■ Can't Catch Me

The song opens with a strong folk-inspired intro, accompanied by a clear piano sound with a delay effect. As a song about immigration from Haiti to America, it embodies the American Dream, albeit from a different time period.
The powerful, almost shouting vocal style and the lightly swinging rhythm contribute to creating that kind of atmosphere.

■ Somewhere in Stockholm

This song is about leaving one’s spirit (backbone) behind in their hometown, somewhere in Stockholm, Sweden. While it has an EDM-influenced style, the track incorporates a four-on-the-floor bass drum along with snare drums that add a march-like, heroic feel.
In the final part, “Hemma I Stockholm” is Swedish and can be translated as “At home, in Stockholm” in English.

■ Trouble

Despite the title “Trouble”, which suggests difficulty, the track has a surprisingly bright and uplifting feel, likely due to the sense of exhilaration that comes after having completed something, regardless of whether it succeeded or not.
If you read the lyrics literally, it can be seen as a continuation or aftermath of “Sunset Jesus”.

■ Gonna Love Ya

This track features lyrics written in a more conversational style, which is relatively rare in Avicii’s songs.
Behind the vocal parts, there's a laid-back and sweet synth and keyboard sound, and during the instrumental break, the melody subtly becomes heavier and more prominent, taking center stage.

The 14 songs above, along with a total of 23 tracks, were released as studio albums during his lifetime.
After Avicii’s death, in 2019, his family and the musicians he had worked with released a new album using unreleased recordings and other material.
The album is titled Tim.
This album is filled with truly great tracks.
Naturally, since the parts Avicii himself could not complete were supplemented by the people around him, the lyrics focus more on the emotions others had for Avicii, in contrast to his previous works, which were more about his own feelings.
Particularly in songs like “Heaven”, “Tough Love”, and “Heart Upon My Sleeve”, I feel there is a deep, intense emotion. Therefore, I will refrain from providing my personal analysis, but for now, let me introduce the tracklist.

■ Peace of Mind

■ Heaven

■ SOS

■ Tough Love

■ Bad Reputation

■ Ain't a Thing

■ Hold the Line

■ Freak

■ Excuse Me Mr.Sir

■ Heart Upon My Sleeve

■ Never Leave Me

■ Fades Away

These are the 12 tracks.

■ R.I.P. Avicii

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