Absynthe Minded originally formed in 1999 as a one man band. Singer/guitarist Bert Ostyn recorded the first demos solo in his bedroom in Ghent. In 2002 Ostyn recruited Renaud Ghilbert (violin, trumpet, percussion), Sergej Van Bouwel (bass, contrabass) and Jan Duthoy (Hammond, piano) to form the Absynthe Minded Quartet, shortly Absynthe Minded. The History Makes Science Fiction EP (2003) was their first release on the independent Keremos label.
One year later the band finished second the infamous Belgian rock contest Humo's Rock Rally, which gathered them a serious amount of media coverage. After the addition of drummer Jakob Nachtergaele to its line-up, Absynthe Minded released their first full length Acquired Taste later that year to much critical acclaim.
Their sophomore album New Day was released only a year later. With the succes of hit-single My Heroics, Part One, Absynthe Minded start touring Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany. They also supported dEUS on their European tour.
For the release of their next albums There Is Nothing (2007) and the self-titled Absynthe Minded (2009), the band signed with Universal.
In february 2015 Absynthe Minded announced their split, due to solo ambitions of Ostyn.
I Like You When You're Sad
Absynthe Minded Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't it weird to discover that?
I like you when you're sad
and you just stay in bed and
keep out the break of day
Darkness will embrace
your tired body weighs
I can't stand their loneliness
I can't stand their loneliness
and when I tell them not to care about anything
They put it right back on me
we will never agree
I like you when you're sad
Don't believe what I just said
I like you when you're sad
And when I tell you not to care about anything
You put it right back on me
we will never agree
And when I close the door
I feel it just a little bit more
And when I close the door
I feel it just a little bit more
The lyrics to Absynthe Minded's song "I Like You When You're Sad" are both intriguing and thought-provoking. The first verse begins with the lead singer proclaiming that he likes his lover when she is sad. The idea of someone being attracted to another person's sadness is unfamiliar, and yet the lyrics suggest that there is something about her sadness that draws him to her. The second line expands upon this idea by questioning the oddness of this discovery itself - indicating that this realization may be a new one for him.
Continuing with the idea of sadness, the next two lines in the verse explain how she likes to wallow in her sadness and stay in bed throughout the day. However, instead of him feeling a need to fix her, he embraces her sadness and feels that darkness enveloping her tired body is comforting. This sentiment could be interpreted as a paradoxical take on the idea of needing to be alone together.
In the second verse, the lyrics explore the challenges of connecting with others when everyone is lonely. The singer expresses frustration with his friends and their inability to understand that they should not care about anything. Perhaps, the singer is expressing his frustration with the nihilism and apathy of those around him. The lyric "they put it right back on me" suggests that others are just as unchanging as they perceive him to be - signifying the futility in trying to change people.
Overall, the song seems to explore complex emotions and complicated interpersonal dynamics. It grapples with the enigma of why sadness can make someone attractive, as well as the difficulty in connecting with others when they cannot see things from your perspective.
Line by Line Meaning
I like you when you're sad
I find comfort in seeing you sad, which may seem strange
Ain't it weird to discover that?
It's strange and unexpected to realize that I enjoy your sadness
I like you when you're sad
I appreciate the vulnerability you show when you're feeling down
and you just stay in bed and
I admire your ability to take time to heal and rest when you need it
keep out the break of day
You want to avoid facing the challenges of the world and just disconnect
Darkness will embrace
The darkness of the room and mood will engulf you
your tired body weighs
You feel the physical and emotional weight of your sadness
I'm tired of all my friends
I am exhausted by the emotions and needs of those around me
I can't stand their loneliness
I don't know how to handle their feelings of isolation and emptiness
I can't stand their loneliness
Their sadness and despair are too much for me to bear
and when I tell them not to care about anything
I try to convince them to detach from their worries and stresses
They put it right back on me
They push back and maintain their sadness, directing it towards me
we will never agree
There is a fundamental disconnect between us, and we cannot see eye to eye
Don't believe what I just said
I am conflicted about my own feelings and cannot be trusted to be consistent
And when I tell you not to care about anything
I am projecting my own desire to detach onto you
You put it right back on me
You challenge my attempt to minimize your feelings and hold me accountable
we will never agree
We are fundamentally different and may never be on the same page
And when I close the door
When I am alone and cut off from others
I feel it just a little bit more
I am confronted with my own feelings and find it difficult to escape them
Contributed by Kaylee E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.