“Drown” by Bring Me the Horizon

The word “drown”, within the context of this song, is meant to point to this, shall we say life-threatening sense of depression that the vocalist is going through. And ultimately, even though the verses are symbolically more detailed concerning the associated feelings, the thesis sentiment is not.

In other words, this isn’t the case of a vocalist using an entire song to wallow in self-pity. Instead, Oli Sykes is very much hoping that someone will ‘save him from himself’, as in not allow him to “drown”.

But by the looks of things, what is perpetuating the situation is that there is currently no one in his life who is ready, willing and/or able to do so. Or put differently, Oli has obviously concluded that he lacks the wherewithal to break the aforementioned cycle on his own and needs someone to lead him out of the deep end, in a manner of speaking. But since that person has yet to make his or her presence known, if ever, then it’s as if for now and into the foreseeable future, the depression continues.

Facts about “Drown”

Upon original release on 21 October 2014, “Drown”, which is a product of Sony Music UK, acted as a standalone single. However, in 2015, it was first featured on Bring Me the Horizon’s album “Live at Wembley”, and then later in the year it appeared on their studio LP, “That’s the Spirit”.

To note, this song was created specifically for BMTH’s above-referenced Wembley Arena performance, which at that time was the biggest show they had ever headlined. And for the record, said event was actually held on 5 December 2014.

“Drown” holds a special place in BMTH history in that, quite interestingly given this band’s overall success (on top of the fact that they’re from England), marks the only time to date they managed to break the top 20 of UK Singles Chart. On this chart, the track peaked at 17^th place.

That being said, it is worth stating that they had topped the UK Rock & Metal Chart many times, and this song represents the first instance in which they did so. In addition to being certified silver in the United Kingdom, “Drown” has achieved gold status in Australia.

All five musicians that make up Bring Me the Horizon contributed writing to “Drown”. We therefore have the song’s writing credits looking like this:

• Matt Kean
• Lee Malia
• Matt Nicholls
• Jordan Fish
• Oli Sykes

And it is also Fish and Sykes, respectively the group’s keyboardist and vocalist, who produced it.

Covers

South Korean rock band Xdinary Heroes covered “Drown” in 2022. It is interesting to note that this cover resulted in a number of new BMTH’s fans.

Australian pop band 5 Seconds of Summer performed their version in the Live Lounge on BBC Radio1.

Words from BMTH’s Followers

Many have expressed that “Drown” has helped them during their lowest of times. One fan shared that the line “what doesn’t kill makes you wish you were dead” perfectly summed up her past addiction to drugs. According to her, she’s now four years clean. She said this song played an instrumental role in helping her overcome her addiction.

On another note, a fan shared that her friend, who also loves BMTH, died 2 years ago from an overdose. “Drown”, along with other songs, has kept her from relapsing throughout these years.

Other fans have also commented that the band’s ability to create a rock song full of emotions and sincerity is truly beautiful. And they’ve done this while being true to their sound.