Everything about this song is a total bummer--the chords, the lyrics, the delivery. It sounds like a bunch of depressed, hungover dudes got together on a Sunday morning to write a song to make themselves feel better, but ended up commiserating and feeling worse. The instrumentation they chose is pretty sparse for most of the track, and they don't bother tuning up all the way, adding to the pessimism. There's a change towards the end which could have been an opportunity to to brighten up the mood, but instead the percussion and distortion turns into fists that pound the vocalists into submission. They cry tortured melodies until all that's left is a slowly de-tuning guitar, and then it's over.
It's a beautiful song, but I never feel any better after listening to it. I have to mentally and emotionally prepare myself to listen, otherwise it's just masochistic. Particularly tough to watch is the live version performed at the Celebration concert after Natasha Shneider passed away. I don't know how Alain Johannes gets through the song. "It's never been easy."
Honorable mentions: John Frusciante "I Will Always Be Beat Down," Dave Grohl "Friend of a Friend," Eels "It's a Motherfucker"
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