“Wrecked” releases as the third single from Imagine Dragon’s newly announced album ‘Mercury – Act 1.’ In the song, the band takes the listener through an emotional journey of coping up with the passing of a loved one.
Imagine Dragons announced their upcoming fifth studio album ‘Mercury – Act 1’ to be released on September 3, 2021. So far two singles have released from the album, namely; “Follow You” and “Cutthroat.” This is Imagine Dragon’s follow-up album to their 2018 hit album ‘Origins.’
“Wrecked” is inspired by real events surrounding Dan Reynold’s sister-in-law Alisha Reynold’s passing after battling cancer for a year. Dan Reynolds posted a lengthy message on social media explaining the inspiration behind the song;
The next song off our upcoming album Mercury. I wrote this shortly after the passing of my sister-in-law Alisha passed away after a year of battling cancer. I wish you all could have known her. She was ferocious and strong. Powerful. Bold. Beautiful. Resilient.
When I was a teen she introduced me to stuffing socks with more socks and then having a war with them. She beat me up good.
As I grew up and life happened she was always there with a warm hug and blinding smile. The last text I got from her was during my separation with Aja. I was in a dark and very lost place and she sent me this. It says it all. I wept when I got it sitting in a hotel room across the world somewhere. It reminded me of the simple beauty of life. And she was it all. She is it all. As I sat in the hospital room with my brother and watched her take her last breaths I felt the most.
And she was it all. She is it all. As I sat in the hospital room with my brother and watched her take her last breaths I felt the most overwhelming grief I’ve ever experienced. It has shaken me to my core. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her. I see her in every smile. Every act of grace and humility I witness. She is in everything good. And in that way, she lives on. I hope there is something after this life. I hope to see her again. I miss her so much. I love you Alisha. I hope you are hearing this somewhere and dancing like you always did at the shows. Front row like no one was watching. But we all were.
Watch “Wrecked” Music Video by Imagine Dragons
Buy ‘Mercury – Act 1’ Album on Apple Music & Amazon
“Wrecked” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
In the song, we find a devastated singer trying to cope up with the death of a loved one. The inspiration behind the song is rooted in the death of the sister-in-law of the singer. This shows that the love for a family certainly extends beyond blood.
The singer says that although it has been a few days since the passing of his sister-in-law, it has been very hard to let go of her. He is still trying to come to terms with the fact that she is gone from their lives. Her smiles, her energy, the conversations, and her support still resonates through his mind.
The way you smile, the way you walk
The time you took to teach me all that you had taught
Tell me, how am I supposed to move on?
The singer knows that death is the one constant in life. Everybody needs to go at some point. Her sister-in-law was battling cancer for a year, and they all saw it coming a mile away. But none of this takes away from the pain they cause when they leave all of us.
Oh, I’m a wreck without you here
Yeah, I’m a wreck since you’ve been gone
The singer is torn between wanting this pain to all go away and preserving her memory. It hurts to come to the realization that she is no longer with them. At the same time, it was nothing but good memories of her that the singer cherishes. It is a double-edged sword.
Let us know what you think about this song in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics on Genius.