It’s Called: Freefall - Rainbow Kitten Surprise
When a song speaks to the inner battles of recovery, it becomes both mirror and guide.
The song “It’s Called: Freefall” by Rainbow Kitten Surprise is written almost entirely in metaphors and has lyrics that are deeply layered. The song resonates with so many different people, and because of this, its lyrics could really be interpreted any way you’d like. For me, it sounds a lot like someone struggling with inner demons and feeling that pull towards self-destructive habits. The song heavily alludes to the existential struggle we all feel occasionally in life, but that we as addicts deal with regularly while fighting that war within ourselves.
In the opening lines, we hear the narrator asking the devil if he enjoys various vices, the devil representing the voice of addiction that is sometimes a whisper in our brain and, at other times, a scream. It’s the false promise of relief that always ends in destruction. The lyrics point towards someone seeking companionship with the “devil” in moments of despair; it’s a person searching for connection and comfort through external substances.
I really connect with the second verse. For me, this section sounds a lot like someone reminiscing on the unhealthy relationships we form in active addiction and how easy it is for those “friends” to pull you down into bad habits and vice-versa. The line “they fell into hell where you both hang with nothing to do but scratch, kick, let gravity win” sounds to me like someone realizing that misery loves company and that who we surround ourselves with could land us in “hell,” with hell being the destructive habits that don’t serve us. It almost feels like a warning to really pay attention to who you choose to be around, and this is reinforced in the next part of the song where it says, “keep about your wits, know yourself and who you came in with.” It’s a foreshadowing, a little insight into what your future will look like if you don’t play the tape through and understand that those aren’t the kind of people you want to associate with.
The final line I’d like to put a focus on is this: “you could let it all go, cause ain’t shit free but falling out and that shit’s easy, lemme show you how.” I consider this line and the concept of freefalling as a comparison to descending into the depths of addiction. It could be pointing towards a relapse or even just that initial collapse into addictive substances for a reprieve from our inner struggles, because that’s the “easiest” route for us to take as addicts. And, let’s be honest, working towards sobriety and recovery takes time and effort, whereas letting our vices take control of us is almost like a natural and very easy way out for us. It’s the path of least resistance, and our brains are naturally drawn to it.
In a nutshell, this song could really be taken several ways, but when listening to it, I hear someone who is dealing with an internal battle with their mental health and feeling a gravitational pull towards letting their darker temptations take control, always in an attempt to garner some refuge from their personal psychological warfare. It refers to taking caution against who you choose to surround yourself with as well, since it’s so easy to take on the lifestyle of whomever you spend your time around. This song has very figurative and symbolic imagery that creates lyrics that really do take on quite a bit of meaning for countless people. This song helps remind me of the danger in listening too closely to negative self-talk and giving in to destructive impulses. As someone in recovery, I greatly value songs that make me feel understood while reinforcing my resolve to keep that vicious cycle at bay.
-written by Staff