Chester Bennington’s favourite sad song
With the context of his untimely death at age 41, Chester Bennington’s story is a terribly sad one. Linkin Parks’ lead singer is regularly cited as one of heavy music’s most beloved and renowned vocalists. With his voice at the helm, he marched his band to greatness, but behind the scenes, he struggles greatly with mental health issues, making his choice of his favourite sad song even more of a loaded pick.
But a person is not solely made up of their struggles. While it’s true that Bennington’s battle with depression led to his death in 2017, his acute ability to channel his toughest emotions into music was part of what made him so great. It’s part of the reason why Linkin Park’s music touched so many and exploded them beyond the confines of the metal world and into the realm of major mainstream success. After his death, tributes poured in from names across all corners of the music world, including Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Jay-Z, Blink-182 and beyond, proving how widely respected he and his music were.
Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst once said that Bennington “had a way of making anyone he spoke to feel heard, understood and significant. His aura and spirit were contagious and empowering. Often, those types of people have so much pain and torture inside that the last thing they want is to contaminate or break the spirit of others…as real and transparent as our conversations would be, he was always the one projecting light on the shadows.” Even despite his own struggles, the singer always had that light, which was found not only in his relationships but also in his unlimited enthusiasm and excitement towards music.
When Shortlist asked him to create a soundtrack to his life, his choices came back vast and varied. It’s clear he was deeply passionate about music in all forms as he discussed his love for 50 Cent, his friend Chris Cornell’s band Soundgarden, Dean Martin and Arcade Fire, amongst others, as an eclectic mix of musical tastes and interests.
But when it came to his favourite sad song, he claimed that one act had a monopoly on that in his mind. “It’s got to be a Radiohead song,” he said, “You can pick any track, and you know you’re in for some sorrow.” To him, Radiohead had a way of making even the gloomiest tracks still interesting as he said, “‘Karma Police’ is a very sad song despite the fact I’m always excited to hear it.”
But he gave the slot of his favourite sad song to an underappreciated track. “There’s something incredibly sad about ‘Faust Arp’ on the In Rainbows album,” he said. It’s stood out not just for being incredibly sombre but for still being experimental and intriguing, pushing Radiohead’s sound into new and exciting directions.
“You have to admire Radiohead – they always take risks, are incredibly smart and they’ve found a way to take jazz and make it even more interesting,” he said, “They don’t play by anyone else’s rules, I like that.”
