Shelby Purvis
English 1020
Kenny Harmon
1/5/16
“Fight Song” by Rachel Platten & How it is Connected to the Struggles in My Life
Everyone has a song that relates to them or even speaks directly to their heart. The tune that relates most to me is “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten. It became popular this year and really links to my life in a deeper way than people might think. The lyrics of this song speak of my journey with cancer. A line in the chorus is “Starting right now I’ll be strong/ I’ll play my fight song,” (Rachel Platten), which explains how strong I needed to be to get through those two and a half years of sickness.
This music is originally about getting through tough times and was inspired of Rachel Platten getting rejected by many record labels, which turned into her story. The songwriter mentions “I think it reminds us that those mean voices in our heads that are saying we aren’t good enough and that we can’t do it, or it’s too late…that they aren’t true,” (Sweety High). I completely agree because everyone has hard times in their lives and no one can say that they haven’t. Some people have had it worse than others to the point where they give up on what means most to them. Listening to it will bring your spirits up in ways that will help emotionally and mentally. It took Rachel Platten a year and a half to write this inspiring song and she had gone through at least three producers until she actually found one willing to help her. When having a rough day, this melody will definitely give you a little pick-me-up when you are down.
I first heard this tune when I was finishing up my treatment about a couple months ago. It came on in the car as I was going home from the doctors. I looked at my mom and told her that this was my song. It describes exactly what I have been going through with all the treatments and chemotherapies that would allow me to get weak and sick. I had Pre-B Cell Leukemia, which is also known as Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. I got diagnosed on April 4th, 2013. It was right after my sixteenth birthday where I started feeling horrible. I had gotten my blood taken about five times, where I was to the point of thinking my doctor was a vampire. By the fifth time, my doctor had caught something weird with my blood and had me escorted to the hospital in an ambulance. I was in the hospital for about a week until I found out the results of me having cancer. My parents had already gotten told before me while I was asleep. I was devastated when I found out. My dad made a Caring Bridge blog to inform people what was going on and to update them on any information. Once people saw, they wanted to come by and see me but I wouldn’t allow it. I didn’t want to see anyone nor did I want anyone to see me because I was so heartbroken over the whole thing.
For someone who had just lost their hair twice, I was fairly good. My dad even shaved his head as well. I had a tough time trying to be a normal teenager again since me going out would depend on my counts of my immune system. Often I would be trapped in my house, which made school somewhat easy for me. I had to be homebound, from end of sophomore year to almost all of junior year, with a teacher from school coming to my house every-other day. My high school was very understanding and helpful. I still go back there today to talk to some of the faculty who were extremely nice to me. Through my journey, I have had some ups and downs. I got into remission about a month after getting diagnosed, which led me to believe there is hope for me to be cancer-free. Today, I am cancer-free and I ended treatment July 29th, 2015. Every time that song comes on, even while out of treatment, I still get excited to hear it and think that it describes me and what I’ve gone through. A lot of cancer kids who put together a slideshow of themselves for an event choose a sad melody or even music that doesn’t even speak to what they have been through. “Fight Song” is the perfect balance between both meaningful and upbeat so it isn’t exactly mournful but more like rejoicing.
This song really resembles the struggles I have been through and how strong I have been through it all. I would sing it when I was getting chemotherapy, if I needed to get an x-ray, or even when I was getting an MRI for something. I have even lost friends around my age and even little toddler friends from cancer while going through this journey. I’d say it hasn’t been easy but it has definitely strengthened myself and has made me more aware of other people’s situations that they may be going through. I hope that other people can listen to this music and get something meaningful from it as well.
Works Cited:
“Rachel Platten Reveals The Secret Meaning Of “Fight Song”” Sweety High Blog. N.p., 28 Aug. 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2015. https://www.sweetyhigh.com/blog/music/rachel-platten-fight-song
Shelby Lane Purvis 