The life-affirming track featuring iann dior and UPSAHL addresses the hardships of the pandemic year and ways to keep your head up
If there is something to cheer you up on a gloomy day, it’s the latest track ‘Happy Endings’ from Mike Shinoda, featuring iann dior and UPSAHL. As the song keeps growing on you, Linkin Park musician & co. took time and effort to make a memorable feel-good music video, aimed to raise money for MusiCares‘ COVID-19 Relief Foundation.
The colorful retro-looking video for ‘Happy Endings’ is a result of Shinoda’s collaboration with dior and UPSAHL. The cartoon-filled video was directed by PIX3LFACE (known for work with Skrillex, the Used and Steve Aoki). The clip appears original and a bit nostalgic thanks to the 90-ies-like cartoon animations, hand-drawn by Shinoda.
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With ‘Happy Endings’, Mike Shinoda hit a major milestone. He became the first major label artist to successfully launch a single through NFT Auction. The auction donations will go to the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. Shinoda collaborated with contemporary artist Cain Caser to create 10 animated artworks, accompanied by a 75-second clip of the new song, as Alternative Press reports. The digital art pieces were then sold through the online marketplace Zora.
MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Foundation, which the video for ‘Happy Endings’ is collecting funds for, will support musicians and artists struggling in the times of the pandemic. The song lyrics also reflect the struggle of 2020 and 2021:
‘Cause I’m too alive, with bad fuckin’ vibes And I’m so damn sick of bein’ stuck inside, ‘side, ‘side, ‘side, yeah.
You can transfer donations directly via YouTube next to the ‘Happy Endings’ video or following this link.
Linkin Park’s mastermind, Mike Shinoda keeps surprising us with his hard work and positivity. The whole last year, despite COVID-19, he kept in touch with his fans on various social platforms. Every morning, he started his day by opening Twitch and livestreaming, chatting with fans about various projects and music production. The accumulated ideas for new tracks on Twitch let Shinoda release three Dropped Frame albums, with more to come.
“Every day I was coming to the studio and making stuff,” Shinoda told Alternative Press last summer. “At one point, I realized I just needed to connect with people. So I turned on my phone and went live on Instagram and shared that writing session with the fans. They loved it, and the chat was really fun and vibrant, so I did it again.”
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Happy Endings Lyrics
Intro: UPSAHL & iann dior
Hey, at least in my mind
I’m feelin’ like I’m the hero that saves me
There, I hold my head high
Get everything right
Delusional maybe
Verse 1: Mike Shinoda
Yo, this whole last year was a shit show
Just findin’ out now what I didn’t know
Seems like each time when I get low
I place blame everywhere that it shouldn’t go
And that’s what’s keeping me up
Fallin’ apart, man, I keep it a buck
You still act like I’m holding you up
I still feel like I’m folding up, so
Pre-Chorus: iann dior
Tell me what I should have said and I’ll pretend to know that
Things come out my mouth that I should probably learn to hold back
Why do I expect to have the patience that I don’t have?
Over and over, expecting a different result, yeah
Chorus: UPSAHL & iann dior
Hey, at least in my mind
I’m feelin’ like I’m the hero that saves me
There, I hold my head high
Get everything right
Delusional maybe
If I’m pretending, why not write happy endings
Where I’m better than we both know I could be, oh
Still, at least in my mind
I’m feelin’ like I’m the hero that saves me
Verse 2: Mike Shinoda
They like, “Hey, Mike
You can’t keep kickin’ yourself for the things you say like
There’s some people that you could never make right”
And really, do I wanna sweat shit? No
I know I don’t wanna let this go
Hold it inside, let it take control
Pre-Chorus: iann dior
Tell me what I should have said and I’ll pretend to know that
Things come out my mouth that I should probably learn to hold back
Why do I expect to have the patience that I don’t have?
Over and over and over and over and, oh my god
Chorus: UPSAHL & iann dior
Hey, at least in my mind
I’m feelin’ like I’m the hero that saves me
There, I hold my head high
Get everything right
Delusional maybe
If I’m pretending, why not write happy endings
Where I’m better than we both know I could be, oh
Still, at least in my mind
I’m feelin’ like I’m the hero that saves me
Verse 3: Mike Shinoda
I keep tellin’ myself to stop caring
‘Cause they live for keepin’ me staring
And they’ll drag it on to make me respond
To get more retweets and more sharing
I don’t need the manager, no Karen
‘Cause what’s wrong seems so apparent
‘Cause I’m too alive, with bad fuckin’ vibes
And I’m so damn sick of bein’ stuck inside, ‘side, ‘side, ‘side, yeah
Chorus: UPSAHL & iann dior, UPSAHL
Hey, at least in my mind
I’m feelin’ like I’m (Like I’m) the hero that saves me (Ah)
There, I hold my head high (Yeah)
Get everything right (Right)
Delusional maybe (Maybe)
If I’m pretending, why not write happy endings
Where I’m better than we both know I could be, oh (Know I could be, know I could be)
Still, at least in my mind (In my mind, yeah)
I’m feelin’ like I’m (Like I’m) the hero that saves me (Yeah, ah)
Outro: UPSAHL & iann dior
If I’m pretending, why not write happy endings
I-If I’m pretending, why not write happy endings
I-If I’m pretending, why not write happy endings
I-If I’m pretending, why not write happy endings