Soundtrack of My Life

"Zombie" by Orla Gartland

This might not be the song you were expecting   when you saw the title "Zombie"...

"Zombie" by Orla Gartland

When all of your body's burning up
When all of your body's burning up
You live like a zombie
Turn it off, and push it down
And it comes back round again

When all of your body's burning up
When all of your body's burning up
You live like a zombie
Turn it off, and push it down
And it comes back 'round again

You're not a bad guy, not a bad guy
But you do this all the damn time
You go quiet and you fight it
You don't know how to feel

All of this rage in your hands
Passed on down from your old man
And now somehow it's my fault
Oh, who is this monster on the phone?
Jacked up on your testosterone
And I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it
I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it

Oh, when all of your body's burning up
When all of your body's burning up
You live like a zombie
Turn it off, push it down
And it comes back 'round again

When your body's burning up
When all of your body's burning up
You livе like a zombie
Turn it off and push it down

Take your timе, take your time
'Cause babe, what's yours is mine
All your drama and your trauma
That you hide from the boys
If I say that I'll stay then I'll stay
But I can't sit here watching you wasting away

Oh, when all of your body's burning up
When all of your body's burning up
You live like a zombie
Turn it off, push it down
And it comes back 'round again

When your body's burning up
When all of your body's burning up
You live like a zombie
Turn it off and push it down

Orla Gartland is one of the most talented and creative musicians you've probably never heard of, and this is my favorite song of hers. Her energy is infectious (in a good way, not in a "wear a mask and keep 6 feet" kind of way), and her musical style is rather unique. I haven't heard a rock song intro with these cool descending harmonies, in a round, set to such a danceable beat like this before. It's just the right amount of different to catch your interest before she dives right into a classic rock verse that feels a lot more familiar. With plenty of electric guitar. There's also moments of relative calm for balance, which makes the upbeat sections even more-so by contrast.

In the video, Orla stars as a zombie hunter facing a group of zombies. These zombies don't appear to be the violent type that want to eat your brains; they're mostly just... dead inside. Pun intended. In fact, she’s not so much a “zombie hunter”, but more of a “zombie rehabilitator”. If you notice, the patch on her arm says ZOMBIE RESCUE. She goes about using various methods to get them to shed tears for her, which she collects in little vials to use as a cure for their Zombiness. There's obviously a deeper meaning here in the lyrics, something about (literally) bottling up emotions, toxic masculinity, and generational trauma being passed down. But, mostly, it's just a super catchy and high energy song that will probably take up residence in your ear holes for a while. Sorry about that!

Anni