Rx (Medicate)

"Rx (Medicate)" by Theory of a Deadman is a poignant and direct social commentary on the opioid and prescription drug epidemic ravaging North America. The song's meaning delves into the societal shift towards over-medication as a primary solution for emotional and psychological distress. Lead singer Tyler Connolly was inspired to write the song after personal experiences, including a therapist suggesting antidepressants immediately after his divorce and witnessing the loss of a friend's wife to a pill overdose. The lyrics portray a sense of boredom, hopelessness, and disillusionment that leads individuals to seek escape through medication. The opening lines, "I am so freaking bored / Nothing to do today / I guess I'll sit around and medicate," were written first and capture the casual, almost mundane way in which self-medication has become a response to a lack of purpose. The song critiques a culture where prescriptions are handed out too readily, suggesting a systemic problem that starts within the medical community. It's a statement about society's over-dependence on pharmaceuticals and a call for awareness about an issue that the band felt was being kept "hush-hush." Connolly has described it as one of the most important songs the band has ever written.

The narrative begins from the perspective of an individual trapped in a state of lethargy and despair. Waking up to a gloomy, rainy day, the person feels confined, as if staring out from a cage. Time slips by meaninglessly, marked only by the movement of shadows. This sense of inertia is filled with modern-day distractions and self-medication: playing mobile games like Candy Crush is equated with crushing pills. Unemployed and financially dependent, the narrator's life is a cycle of digital communication, anxiety, and binge-watching streaming services. The outside world offers no solace, only a constant stream of tragic news, reinforcing a feeling of hopelessness and a cynical belief that they were "born to lose."

A recurring, desperate plea emerges: "Why oh why can't you just fix me?" This question is directed at an unseen force, perhaps a doctor, God, or society itself, begging for a way to feel numb and escape the pain. The frustration is palpable when the desired medication is gone, leading to existential questions about why a higher power would seem to hate them. The chorus captures the core of this existence: profound boredom and a lack of purpose, leading to the default action of self-medication as the only perceived activity for the day.

The song then broadens its scope to a societal critique. It uses the metaphor of Superman, a symbol of strength and righteousness, to illustrate that everyone, regardless of their status, is susceptible to needing a "fix" to function. The commentary extends to Hollywood culture, where celebrities are depicted nonchalantly using pills on social media, glamorizing a dangerous lifestyle. The lyrics sardonically refer to the variety of pills as "flavors of the rainbow," immediately followed by the stark reality that these substances fail to provide a true solution. The song paints a grim, pervasive picture of addiction, claiming that everyone—friends, parents, authority figures like police officers and priests, even the president—is "high right now." This hyperbole serves to emphasize the scale of the epidemic, suggesting a collective, societal intoxication from which "no one's ever coming down." The final verses return to the personal struggle, a desperate desire to "feel better" chased with a hollow smile, acknowledging the self-hatred that fuels the cycle. Even the support system of family feels inadequate, as the act of taking the drug leads to a metaphorical choking, an isolation born from a shared, unspoken tragedy.

"Rx (Medicate)" was written by all four members of Theory of a Deadman—Tyler Connolly, Dave Brenner, Dean Back, and Joey Dandeneau—and released on July 27, 2017, as the lead single from their sixth studio album, Wake Up Call. The album marked a significant sonic shift for the band, moving towards a more pop-infused sound. This change was largely influenced by frontman Tyler Connolly learning to play the piano, which opened up new avenues for songwriting that differed from his usual guitar-based approach. He found the process freeing and exciting, allowing the music to evolve organically without being constrained by the expectations of the rock genre. The song was produced by Swedish producer Martin Terefe and recorded at Kensaltown Studios in London. The lyrical inspiration was deeply personal and observational. Connolly was motivated by the growing opioid crisis in the news, the tragic death of a friend's wife from a pill overdose, and his own experience of being offered antidepressants by a therapist as a first resort after his divorce. The band wanted to ensure the song was socially aware and did not glorify drug use. The news of Chris Cornell's death, which broke while they were working on the music video, further cemented the song's importance for them.

The rhyme and rhythm of "Rx (Medicate)" are crafted to support its lyrical themes of monotony and desperation. The song follows a relatively simple and consistent verse-chorus structure, which mirrors the cyclical and inescapable nature of the narrator's life. The tempo is moderate, creating a lethargic feel that aligns with the sense of boredom and resignation expressed in the lyrics. The rhythm is driven by a steady, straightforward drum beat and an acoustic guitar riff, giving it a pop-rock accessibility that makes its serious message more palatable. The rhyme scheme in the verses is generally AABB or ABCB, using simple, direct rhymes (e.g., "day/rain," "walls/crawls," "pills/bills") which contributes to the song's conversational and unpretentious lyrical style. The chorus is particularly memorable due to its rhythmic repetition and simple rhyme ("today/medicate"), making it a powerful hook. The vocal melody often follows a repetitive, almost chant-like rhythm, especially in the chorus, which enhances the feeling of being stuck in a loop. This interplay between the accessible musical rhythm and the dark lyrical rhythm creates a compelling tension throughout the song.

"Rx (Medicate)" represents a significant stylistic departure for Theory of a Deadman, blending literary and musical techniques to create its impact.

• Musical Shift: The song moves away from the band's traditional post-grunge and hard rock sound, incorporating elements of pop and even country music. This is characterized by a more melodic, piano-driven composition, a result of Tyler Connolly's new approach to songwriting. The track features a prominent, memorable whistling hook, an acoustic guitar riff, and background strings, creating a more subdued and atmospheric soundscape compared to their heavier work.
• Vocal Delivery: Connolly's vocal style is notably different. He avoids the powerful, high-register singing typical of his earlier work, opting for a more conversational and restrained delivery. This enhances the lyrical themes of apathy and despair, making the narrative feel more personal and resigned.
• Lyrical Realism & Irony: The lyrics utilize contemporary cultural references like "Crushin' Candy Crush," "Netflix-chills," and "Snapchat" to ground the song in a specific, modern reality, making the theme of digital-age ennui relatable. There's a strong use of situational irony, particularly in the chorus where the upbeat, sing-along melody contrasts sharply with the bleak lyrical content about medicating out of boredom.
• Rhetorical Questions: The recurring, desperate questions—"Why oh why can't you just fix me?" and "Why oh why does God hate me?"—are powerful rhetorical devices that express the narrator's anguish and feelings of helplessness, directed at an unanswering world.

"Rx (Medicate)" became one of Theory of a Deadman's most significant and impactful songs, marking both a musical evolution and a moment of heightened social relevance for the band. Commercially, it was a major success, topping the Billboard U.S. Mainstream Rock chart for six consecutive weeks. It also performed well on other rock charts and earned the band a "No. 1 Song Award" from the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN). The song was nominated for "Rock Song of the Year" at the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Beyond the charts, the song's cultural influence lies in its direct engagement with the opioid crisis. The band partnered with the nonprofit organization Shatterproof, which is dedicated to ending the addiction crisis, using their platform to raise awareness. At concerts, they displayed the Shatterproof website and provided 'prescription pads' for fans to share stories about how addiction has affected them. The song received mixed reviews, with some critics praising its social awareness and lyrical maturity, while others were critical of its pop-oriented sound and some of its lyrical choices. Nonetheless, it resonated deeply with many fans, who shared personal stories with the band about their own struggles with addiction, validating Connolly's belief that it was the "most important song" they had ever written.

The lyrics of "Rx (Medicate)" employ several powerful symbols and metaphors to convey its message about prescription drug addiction.

• "Cage-like walls": This imagery, used to describe the narrator's room, symbolizes the feeling of being trapped and confined by depression, boredom, and addiction. The physical space becomes a metaphor for the mental prison the character inhabits.
• "Flavors of the rainbow": This phrase is a deeply ironic metaphor for the wide variety of prescription pills available. It mimics the language used to market candy to children, highlighting the deceptive and almost casual way these powerful drugs are distributed and perceived, while simultaneously pointing out their ineffectiveness with the follow-up line, "Too bad that shit don't work though."
• Superman: The reference to Superman needing a "fix like the rest of us" is a potent symbol. Superman represents the pinnacle of strength, morality, and invulnerability. By suggesting even he is susceptible to addiction, the song argues that no one is immune to this crisis, dismantling the stigma and showing that addiction is a human vulnerability that can affect anyone, regardless of their perceived strength or status.
• The Music Video Narrative: The video's story of a teenage girl named Rose dealing pills to support her sick mother serves as an allegory for the cycle of addiction. Rose represents a generation caught in the crossfire, forced into desperate measures by a broken system. The people she sells to—a lonely housewife, a stressed professional, etc.—symbolize the broad demographic affected by the epidemic.

The most significant recurring element in "Rx (Medicate)" is the chorus: "I am so frickin' bored / Nothing to do today / I guess I'll sit around and medicate." This phrase acts as the song's central thesis, repeated multiple times to hammer home the core theme of using prescription drugs to combat existential ennui and a lack of purpose. Its repetition emphasizes how this thought process becomes a default, cyclical solution for the narrator. Another powerful recurring lyrical motif is the set of desperate questions: "Why oh why can't you just fix me?" and "Why oh why does God hate me?". These lines, repeated in moments of anguish, serve as a refrain of hopelessness. They underscore the feeling of being broken and abandoned, pleading for an external solution that never comes. Musically, the song's most distinctive recurring motif is the whistled hook that opens the track and reappears throughout. This simple, memorable melody provides a stark, almost haunting contrast to the lyrical content. Whistling is often associated with carefree or casual moments, and its use here creates a deeply ironic and unsettling atmosphere, as if whistling past the graveyard of a societal crisis.