7QT: We've got a hostage situation...

I decided to search the words "Stockholm Syndrome" into Spotify and was not disappointed. The phrase is named after a 1973 bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden and refers to the phenomenon wherein hostages develop feelings of empathy towards their captors, even to the point of defending them. This theme has extended to the realm of art and music and has been used as a tool to convey the inability for one of leaving a harmful relationship or situation because of the strong feelings attached to it. So below are my top seven picks of songs with the title "Stockholm Syndrome".

1. Muse

You can count on prog rockers Muse to deliver the intensity with equal parts groove and edge. My favorite song of the list and the one I've known the longest, there are multiple renditions of this song out there including the original, a live version (which borrows the riff that would be used in "Psycho", a song written 7 years later), a string quartet cover and a lullaby composition for toddlers.

2. blink-182

This song by blink-182 captured the essence of their eponymous record, revealing a more introspective and personal approach to songwriting than their prior pop-punk hits which would carry through to the respective band members' side projects (+44 and Angels & Airwaves) during their extended hiatus.

3. Yo La Tengo

For the longest time I was only aware of the above two songs sharing the title "Stockholm Syndrome" and then I stumbled across this gem by Yo La Tengo. Hearing their indie approach with tinges of 60s/70s open-air folk rock got me interested in discovering what other varied ways a song with this title could be expressed.

4. How Sad

A bit of doo-wop, a bit of baroque pop and a bit of new wave, this is as sugar-coated as you can get about a bad situation. Fun fact: the name of How Sad's EP Indian Summer is a reference to when unseasonably warm weather carries over into autumn (you can thank me later when you win a trivia night).

5. 30s feat. ZOEE

Now to the other end of the spectrum with some EDM.

6. Nostalghia

With thick gothic and industrial tones, the mood of this song effectively conveys the feelings of isolation and hopelessness present deep in someone experiencing Stockholm syndrome.

7. CLMD vs. Kish feat. Fröder

Although the original is enjoyable in its own right, the pervasive and infectious beat that CLMD adds transforms this house track into one that reflects the hypnotic trance-like state one is caught in that prevents them from leaving an obviously debilitating relationship. And its music video does the best job out of all these songs to portray the ugliness of an abusive Stockholm syndrome romance.

I wish I could,
Kelvin