Song of the Week: “Watching Him Fade Away”

This week I selected a random senior and asked her what her favorite song was. She answered with “Watching Him Fade Away” by Mac Demarco. If you were unaware, Mac Demarco is an indie singer and songwriter from Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. At first, Mac’s music seems chill, but if you dive deeper, his music gets weirder. The majority of his videos reflect this, using weird angles and over-saturated colors.

“Watching Him Fade Away” is a track about his absent father’s fight with cancer, and his conflicting feelings about it. Mac says the thought of “his father not being around anymore” would be sad, but it wouldn’t be any different than it was at the moment. Around the time the record was published, his father got better, and he felt wrong about writing the song at that moment. As of January of this year, his father sadly passed away. Which means “Watching Him Fade Away” is more special to him now. 

She had much to say about this song, but this quote stuck out, “I love to put myself through the absolute worst, gut wrenching, silent sobbing, agonizing pain for no reason.” This can reflect many high schooler’s feelings and their attachments to sad music. Mac’s music definitely can fit this role, as many of his songs are going viral on TikTok. 

In general, Mac Demarco kind of represents the mix of chaos and sadness that high schoolers usually feel. This is why I thought this song was a perfect choice for the song of the week. Though I am a newcomer to his music, it definitely will come in handy when I need a good ol’ sad song.