Five Positive Jams – Number One: Change, by Blind Melon

Eager to shed a dark past with hope for the future, Shannon Hoon's song – his very first – opens with despair (“I don’t feel the sun's coming out today”) and concludes with an optimistic yearning to transcend that despondency (“When life is hard, you have to change”). It's a simple tune about having faith in the ability to overcome obstacles in the pursuit of artistic dreams, yet its profound message preaches resilience through transformation:

“And when you feel your life ain't worth living
You've got to stand up and take a look around
You look way up to the sky, yeah.
And when your deepest thoughts are broken
Keep on dreaming, 'cause when you stop dreamin'
It's time to die."

Rumor has it that Shannon Hoon wrote this song after a three-day cocaine binge, which is heartbreaking to know that he died only a few years later due to an overdose. However, this inspirational tune is immortalized, capturing the transformative essence of an artist wanting more out of life. In fact, a line from the song is inscribed on Hoon's grave, “I know we can't all stay here forever, so I want to write my words on the face of today and they'll paint it.”

May we forever heed Shannon Hoon's advice and continue dreaming, writing, and changing.

Stay positive,
Andrew