'Learn to lose/It's easier that way'

For the last ten years, there's been a large place in my brain occupied by the band Barenaked Ladies. I bought one of their CDs when I was 11. I liked their humor; they were accessible; they were nice guys.

It wasn't very long before I really noticed the tension in their music. There was an undertone of despair in every song, barely hidden by quirky word choices and interesting musical arrangements.

Never mind the humor; the songs written by Steven Page really told the truth of the world through his eyes, through all our worst bouts of depression and misery.
One of their first songs, 'Brian Wilson,' is the narrator deciding that he's ended up like the damaged pop star (So I'm lying here, just staring at the ceiling tiles/and I'm thinking about what to think about/Just listening and relistening to Smiley Smile/and I'm wondering if this is some kind of creative drought).

'Wrap Your Arms Around Me' is seemingly a tale of domestic abuse (Do you believe that we are all innately good/Do you think that you would love me until tomorrow if you could).

'Everything Old is New Again' is a pros-cons argument of simply living (Learn to lose, it's easier that way/We've paid our dues, but we can't make life pay/All across the world, people going mad/In their mother's cars, the kids are feeling sad).

There are songs about cowards and egomaniacs, the ones holding onto the edge and wondering when to let go.
I grew up with the people in the songs, and the people writing them. There was familiarity in Steve Page's voice, and something I soon recognized in myself.
I found out today that after a rough year (can you say 'mid-life crisis'?), Steven Page is quitting the band to pursue other goals.
I wish him the best, and hope he gets back on his feet. I'm worried about the band's new directions; I hope they don't try to replace the missing element, and that they will simply work on their own terms.

But it's been a good 20 years of music. A good ten years for me, while I grew up with them. I can't pretend that they didn't shape my outlook on the world. Especially Steve Page.

Barenaked Ladies - Brian Wilson