Music Monday: “The Lucky Ones”

Here’s a free psychology tidbit for you: when people try to remember things, they tend to glance up briefly. According to a study by researchers at the Baycrest Center for Geriatric Care, people tend to move their eyes in an upward pattern when engaging in a visual recall process. You might have noticed this anecdotally; if I ask what you ate for dinner last Thursday, you might just look up before remembering.

Apparently, my friend Josh uses this process. As he related the past six years of details of his musical life to me, I worried that his eyeballs were going to launch themselves to Mars before NASA’s rover. We discussed his history of listening, watching and following the a cappella group Pentatonix. Josh has a passion—perhaps an obsession, but we’ll call it a passion for nicety’s sake—regarding this group. His experience with them is a matter of connection. 

I found out about this passion two weeks ago when Josh called up my roommate.

“Do y’all fellas have ABC? I want to watch Jimmy Kimmel tonight,” Josh asked.

We had to process that for a minute. I’m fairly certain that I’ve never watched an episode of any late-night show. The old format doesn’t appeal to Gen Z the same way it has to older generations. In response, my roommate could only ask, “Josh, why on earth do you want to watch a terrible comedian?”

He went on to explain that his favorite musical group, Pentatonix, was performing on Kimmel that evening to promote their new album “The Lucky Ones.” Foolishly, I assumed that it would be a perfectly innocent hour of the evening, but that assumption would shatter when Josh explained his history with Pentatonix. 

Josh first found out about Pentatonix the same way everyone else did: when they won the third season of the competition “The Sing-Off” in 2011, and he’s been following them ever since. His initial infatuation was solely due to the group’s talent.

“Even if you don’t necessarily listen or like them per se, you gotta admit what they’re doing is crazy. Because nobody else is doing it—not on their level,” he said.

The innovation of the group is undoubtedly impressive.

Maybe it’s just because I’ve gone to a Church of Christ for 15 years, but I do enjoy good a cappella. Talented individuals can do some truly amazing things. But Josh and I have different perspectives. I listened to “The Lucky Ones” with admiration of technical talent. That’s not the case with Josh.

“For me, it’s more of an emotional connection,” he said. “Because I followed them since the beginning, I’ve seen them go through their journey, and I’ve walked it with them. They’re literally my inspiration for music.” 

In Christmas 2017, Josh went through a terrible bout of pneumonia and flu. His lung collapsed. He was placed on a ventilator. He formed a blood clot in his lung. He developed pancreatitis, and he ended up in an induced coma. To put it mildly, it was a tough time, and he barely made it through. But thankfully, he did, and he did so in a very special moment. 

“When I was coming out of the induced coma, they would play bands I like, and one of those was Pentatonix,” he said. “I remember when I woke up for the first time, the lady was playing their version of ‘Hallelujah’ in my ear.”

After that glance at tragedy, Josh opened his eyes to see that beloved music video. That’s where the connection comes into play. Josh met the group at a concert meet-and-greet on his next birthday.

“I got to discuss with them my story of the hospital. I remember Scott, the lead guy, he just hugged me and started crying. He was like, ‘We’re so thankful we get to be a part of that.’ They all just loved on me. I really appreciated that.” 

I didn’t expect to be impressed with a three-minute performance at the end of Kimmel, but I was pleasantly surprised. They really are very good, and I enjoyed it. Josh, however, was about to burst with anticipation. After all, he had to wait a full week before the album dropped. It was probably the worst suffering anyone has ever gone through. But when that fateful day came, he took full advantage of it by taking off work to listen to an album over and over with an online group of superfans. I wouldn’t enjoy that because I just think the harmony sounds cool. I can’t relate to the obsession of these “Pentaholics.” As an aside, “Pentaholic” is either the best or worst fanbase name I’ve ever heard. I haven’t decided yet. 

So when I finally listened to the album, my expectations were high. Josh prefaced the experience with a 20-minute oral dissertation on the group’s history, explaining the relationship struggles the members were going through, notably their first bass, Avi Kaplan, leaving the group. Working through that loss and discovering themselves is undoubtedly the big theme of “The Lucky Ones.”

“This album really was them embracing themselves and being who they are,” Josh said. “They basically said, ‘Hey, we’re gonna push boundaries that nobody’s pushed,’ especially with the computers and even instruments in some songs. This is them telling their story and not being afraid of it.”

The album is very deep lyrically. “Be My Eyes” deals with personal identity. “Never Gonna Cry Again” responds to the expectations of fame. “Bored” resolves the conflict of past relationships. But “It’s Different Now” is probably the deepest track. It announces and manages expectations. “I’m holding my hopes waist-high so they don’t tumble down,” the chorus says. Those hopes must be held down because they are now gone. “There’s no reason to mention what came before, the who or the why.” This song is an announcement that, as the title says, things are different now. The final line tells us once more that “So I’m saying it out loud. It’s different now.” The whole message of change is underscored with the famously a cappella group using a piano.

People change. One of the biggest fundamental aspects of character is how you deal with that fact. For anyone as engaged as Josh, this message requires a response. Apparently, it’s a positive one, because Josh still loved this album. Not because it’s exactly what he wanted, but because, as he said, “It’s probably the realest thing they’ve ever done.”

I will never have the same experience as Josh. I never woke from a coma to the sound of my favorite group. But all art, and especially music, provides a window of connection. I can’t have the same experience, but for half an hour, I can listen to this expression. I can begin to understand.