By Amalia Theocharidou,
Sleeping at Last is an underrated music project and as I am a lover of such artists and kinds, I could not skip on introducing you to one of the best –in my opinion– alternative rock bands. The band initiated its career back in 2000, as Ryan O’Neal (the lead singer and songwriter of the band) started from Illinois with the dream of creating his own group. At his efforts, he was accompanied by his brother, Chad O’Neal, who played the drums, and the bassist, Dan Perdue. As they were still unknown to the public, the members used their own funds in order to release their first album, Capture. Their moving lyrics and calming aura were the factors that attracted the attention of Billy Corgan, who acted as a mediator, helping the band connect with the label Interscope Records. They only managed to release one album under the auspices of the records label, in 2003, before deciding that independency suited them better. After 2009, Chad and Dan decided that the musician’s life wasn’t fitting for them and decided to follow different paths. Ryan, though, guided by his artsy passion, decided to continue the vision of the band on a one-man basis, keeping the original name.
Ever since 2013, Ryan launched his famous solo project, Atlas, which gained much recognition from TV shows and producers, who included his songs in various productions. The heartfelt lyrics which managed to move the listeners can be spotted on famous shows and movies like Grey’s Anatomy, The Fault in Our Stars, as his single, Turning Page, was included in the famous Twilight series.
In 2019, Ryan decided to further connect with his listeners, introducing the personalised album ENNEAGRAM. What makes it stand out from all the others is a wonderful fact. All the titles of the songs are numbers’ names (One, Two, Three), going up to nine songs. The names aren’t random. Partnering with psychology, Ryan decided to include the Enneagram test in his music, explaining the title of the album. The specific test is a practice first introduced in the 50’s by Oscar Ichazo, which explains that people don’t only belong to one type of personality, but many more. The basic difference that organizes people into personality types is a percentage. This means that a person simply associates with a specific personality because a high percentage of his character fits the best with it. Enneagram helps you discover your percentages, providing the name of the number of the type of personality you belong in. After a small description of the character, one can find a link that directs them to the homonymous Sleeping at Last song, which is said to be written to comply with what each personality type feels and needs. One can take the said quiz here.
For me, Ryan O’ Neal is an artist who speaks to my heart. And that’s not because of glamorous video clips or catchy rhythms, but because via his music, he describes human emotions, situations we feel and live on a daily basis. Through his art, Ryan has managed to transfer many beautiful personal experiences, including the birth of his daughter, for whom he’s written many songs, like Daughter.
Following Sleeping at Last, one can find many songs regarding adulthood, parenthood, the struggles of marriage and finding love in our world, the struggles of fitting in in our society or finding our way through the numerous paths that are opened to us. In my opinion, Sleeping at Last is more than a singer, it’s a representation of life and a picture of each one of us. So, I end this article by encouraging each one of you to give him a listen, offering you my favorite song of his (which never fails bringing tears in my eyes), here.
References
- Sleeping At Last. Genius. Available here
- SLEEPING AT LAST ALBUM PAIRS WITH PERSONALITY TEST. Western Oregon University. Available here
