Sonic Temple Hype And A 1995 Song About Staying Here

Sonic Temple is almost here, the weather in Ohio is doing what it does, and my brain is already in festival mode. I run through the lineup, the bands I’m most excited to catch, and why camping, cooking, and hanging with friends is more than a good time. It’s a reminder that life is short, and joy has to be scheduled on purpose sometimes.

Then I take it all the way back to the 90s with Collective Soul’s “The World I Know” from 1995, a track that still feels like a calm conversation with your own mind. I share what I learned while researching the song, including how Ed Roland described writing it after a long walk through New York City, plus the real-world messiness of songwriting credit and band history. If you love 90s rock, alternative rock, and music documentaries, you’ll get plenty to dig into here.

The heart of the listen is mental health. We talk about depression, disconnection, and that small but powerful moment of looking up and realizing you still belong here. I connect the song and its music video to mindfulness, emotional validation, and how music can reduce shame when you can’t find the right words. If you or someone you love is struggling, help is available in the U.S. by calling or texting 988.

Subscribe for more way back music deep dives, share this with a friend who needs a steady song, and leave a review so more people can find Heal Out Loud with Sai. What track always brings you back to yourself?

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 1:35

Hey

Sonic Temple And The Massive Lineup

SPEAKER_00 1:36

everyone, welcome back to Heal Out Loud with Sai. And it is a very cold Wednesday in Ohio, about 57 degrees, but you know, I don't mind that. It's also our rainy season, so hopefully, we get out a lot of that out of the way before one of the biggest events in Ohio. And it kind of goes under the radar and it's called Sonic Temple. We're about two weeks away from this event. It used to be called Rock on the Range. So that's why some people kind of forgot about it over the years. But you know, I go to it or try to. And I went a few years before that. But the the lineup is pretty killer, especially if you're from that emote era, the 90s, which is what this episode will be, a way back episode. So, but the headliners include My Chemical Romance, Tool, Bring Me the Horizon, and Shine Down. And that alone is the worth the price of the event. But we also have Pierce the Veil, Good Charlotte, Breaking Benjamin, Godsmack, Sublime, Marilyn Manson, Stain, Megadeath, Hailstorm, Lamb of God, Rise Against, Chevelle, All-Time Low, Yellow Card, Simple Plan, Electric Callboy, who you guys know all about them too. Stone Temple Pilots. And we also got Public Enemy this year. Motionless in White, Coheed in Cambria, which I can't wait. Cannot wait. Amata Marth, Bush, who I've seen recently did a stellar job over incarceration a few years back. The Used. We also have Lorne Ashore, Slaughter to Prevail, always a good show. Both of those bands as well. Altar Bridge, which we will do an episode on those guys sometime soon. The Story So Far, Dayseeker, Black Label Society, which that is Zach Wilde's band, if you did not know. We also have The Architects, Danz Gavin Dance, Kyotos. We also have Body Count featuring Ice T. If you've never seen those guys, give them a shot. We also have Behemoth, Daughtry, who jams out, Newfound Glory, Black Bell Brides. We also have Fly Leaf with Lacey Stern. And then we have Zack Sabbath, which is a cover band, but they're really, really good. Like super good. Suicidal Tendencies, Deathclock. We also have Sepultura. This is their farewell tour, if you have ever wanted to see them. Publan, Texas, they put on a great show as well. We also have Avatar, who I'm seeing literally in three days, but I'll get to see him again because that's how I roll. Uh Cold Chamber, Seven Dusk, amazing band as well. You know, once LaJune actually handed me the microphone, it appears, and I'll never forget it. Mayday Parade. We also have Story of the Year. We came as Romans, Thrice, In Flames, Everclear, Motion City Soundtrack, The Wonder Years, State Champs, P.O.D. We also have Static X, The Ghost Inside, The Plot and You, which they're killer band as well. I mean, all these bands are killer, the Amity Affliction, August Burns Red, Paleface Swiss. We also have Creator, LS Dunes. We also have Cradle of Filth, which I haven't seen in a while, and Atreyu. We also have Lit, Citizen, Biohazard, Carcass, Polaris. We also have Dragon Force, who's a little old school. 20 years of Inhuman Rampage is what they're doing this year for their set list. Ailstorm, which I've never seen live, so I'm really excited to see them. If you're into Pirates and Sea Shanties, there's your thing. Wind Rose, Palais Royale, Blessed to Fall, Knucklepuck, Double Driver, who has the former lead singer of Cold Chamber, but Cold Chamber is also back. Hawthorn Heights, Whitechapel, Hinder, Senses Fail. We also have Dying Fetus. We also have Bloodywood, which I have never seen, and I cannot wait to see those guys. Apocalyptica, Throne, Buckcherry, All That Remains. We also have Amberlynn, Cattle Decapitation, Magnolia Park, who they're a little bit newer a few years in, but they're they're catching some steam. More of the pop rockish for some people. Catch Your Breath, Chelsea Grin. We also have Dope playing. Pop Evil, Attila, Make Them Suffer. We also have Saliva, but they don't have the original singer, so I cannot wait to hear that. Demon Hunter, Thorn Hill, Brand of Sacrifice, which I'm a fan of. I also can tell that they are big, big anime fans of the series called Berserk. We have Jepsu Apparatus, who've been around forever, can't wait to see them. So has Thyard is Murder. We also have Fozzie, Napalm Death, Snot, Body Snatcher, Alpha Wolf, Egypt's Central, Carnifex, Holding Absence, Flesh God Apocalypse, Mushroom Head, Powder Man 5000, The Word Alive, Suffocation, Amira Elfiki, The Skylight Drive, Necro Goblin, CKY, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Soul, Butcher Babies, Windwalkers, which Butcher Babies always puts on a hell of a show, Signs of the Swarm, their killer, Woe Was Me, Jaluka, Disembodied Tyrant, The Pretty Wild, who they always put on a good show as well, Alt, Flawl, Spirit World, Not Enough Space, Nerve, Noveless, Conquer Divide, Castle Rat, and Wind Waker. So it's

Camping Culture And Life Is Short

SPEAKER_00 8:20

a huge, huge lineup. And again, I love to camp. So I like to cook. I like to hang out with my friends, you know, and enjoy that time with them. Because life is way, way, way, way too short, right? And we should always do everything we possibly can to enjoy life in its many moments. I fully support that.

Way Back To A 90s Classic

SPEAKER_00 8:43

But I did promise you that today we were going to do a way back episode, and that's because we're going all the way back to the 90s. And you know, I love the 90s. Who doesn't? And it kind of fits with the theme since a lot of these bands that will be a Sonic Temple, the bigger ones and some of the smaller ones are 90s. So this song is called The World I Know, and the band is Collective Soul. Now, this actually came out in 1995, which is why you know, the way back.

Collective Soul Touring And A Documentary

SPEAKER_00 9:20

So, and also before we start this, I didn't know until I was doing some research research that Collective Soul is still touring. You can actually see the let's see here, in Virginia, like May 22nd or yeah, up here anyway, or in the Midwest, and they also have a dates in Michigan, June 5th. And that looks like that's one of their more expensive ones, is 80 bucks, but you know, why not go see a good band? They also are in Louisville, Kentucky for $49. Make them holler. And they also have a whole ass documentary about their band called Give Me a Word by Collective Soul. So I just wanted to share that with you because I thought it was really, really cool. Especially since they are, you know, still out there.

Song Origins And Credit Controversy

SPEAKER_00 10:15

So let's start with uh some info on the band a little bit, because I can't play this song because there's heavy copyright, you know, censorship around it. Um, but the this that song and that album is their second. The song was released as the album's fourth single in October 1995, and it actually hit number 19 on the billboard Hot 100. Um, and spent four weeks in number one, actually. But in a 2017 interview with Songfax, the lead singer at Roland explained inspiration behind the world that I know. I wrote that when we had a day off in New York City, this was 25 years ago, when we were in Times Square, which is not what Times Square is now, which is like Disneyland, there was still some grit and dirt to New York City, especially around Times Square and Union Square back then. I literally walked out the room, took a two-hour walk around New York, and just absorbed and observed from the highs and lows what was of what society was offering in the greatest city in the world. And then there's a little bit of controversy as well. It's not bad though. There was also another interview back in 2022 on October 10th on the Professor of Rock YouTube channel with Adam Reader. So Ed corrected Adam on the official authorship credits for this song. When Adam mentioned co-written was Ross Childress, Ed stopped him as slate and stated, no, not co-written. And I'm going to say right now, he didn't write a damn thing. He didn't even play on the song. He gets credit because he wanted credit. And at the type of a band, you want to make sure everybody's clear and cool. He didn't write a damn thing. So he just sent the story straight out here, apparently.

The Video And Depression Metaphor

SPEAKER_00 12:04

But so the song itself, The World I Know, I actually really, really love this song. So I was about 15-14 when it released, and it was very, very different at the time comparing to what was out, um, if I remember correctly. So yeah, like Nirvana, it was getting big, you had Sound Garden, and of course, you know, Metallica had a barrier around a 95-96 year. But yeah, so this song came in, you know, at a great time. And I believe that even though the song was almost 25 years old, that it still resonates. The message does, so does the song. So I highly recommend it you go to YouTube, watch the video, and then listen to the song. The video is fantastically done. I can't say enough good words about it. I actually watched it a few times before I put my my airwaves to the test here. So let's go back to the echoes of the 90s. And there was this 1995 track that turned personal pain into empathy long before mental health awareness became part of that conversation. So, Collective Solidarity broken big by 1995. They were rock radio staples, guitars, hooks, energy. But the world I know sounded very different. It was slower, inward, and almost spiritual. And as I just told you, he wrote it while walking around New York. But he also, Ed Roland, wrote it while struggling to process the chaos of fame, the noise, the pressure, and the disconnect between success and true peace of mind. At its heart, the song is about standing at the edge. Not necessarily out of danger, but out of an awakening. It sees the world's pain, and instead of despairing, it tries to reach for understanding. But the video and the message, again, if you've seen the music video, you remember the image. There's a businessman wandering through a city. He's burdened, isolated. He's symbolic of so many who move through life unseen, carrying an invisible weight. But there's a turning point, a moment of clarity, where he looks up and he reconnects with the world around him. The moment doesn't erase his struggle, but it does reframe it. And that's exactly what depression often feels like, right? It's not a single event, but a long, quiet search for meaning that sometimes ends in a small, transformative realization that I still belong here. So let's find some meaning to that. So

Mindfulness Before It Was A Trend

SPEAKER_00 14:52

to understand how songs like this connect to an emotional well-being, there was an interview with a Dr. Lisa Hernandez once. She specialized in music and health. She said that music has a way of validating feelings that we can articulate. Someone hears a song like The World I Know, they might realize I'm not alone in feeling disconnected. That sense of recognition is powerful. It reduces shame and opens the door for reflection and healing, which we should all do as much as possible. Nobody is without, you know, the great sin, or you know, I guess I don't want to put it, but everyone needs to work on themselves at all times. But that might explain why this song resonates so deeply after nearly three decades, right? It's not flashy therapy, it's just the quiet truth. And there is a larger conversation around that, right? Because, you know, back in the day, nobody wanted to talk about mental health, or you looked weak, and it's kind of white weird. It took us a long time as a nation to get to this point. We're still pretty young though. We're getting through it. But so, around mental health, on saying the hard things out loud. Because you know, that thing didn't happen, and that honesty was rare in mainstream rock. The world I know didn't preach, it simply said, look around, feel this moment, and recognize that you're part of something bigger. That kind of awareness, mindfulness. Before mindfulness was a buzzword, right? Um it still matters. It's about pausing, seeing the beauty where you might not expect it, and realizing you're not broken for feeling overwhelmed. And you really aren't, because it happens to all of us. When well, I can't talk. When collectives self-performed a song live decade decades later, and still to this day, I'm quite sure. Audiences often sing along quietly. No shouting, no chaos, just thousands of people sharing a moment of calm connection. That's the world we all know, right? It's not perfect, it's not painless, but it's shared, and maybe that's the point. Healing always doesn't start out loud. Sometimes it starts in silence, accompanied by a gentle guitar and a reminder to look up every once in a while. It also reminded me of the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, where he says, you know, you need to stop and take a look at life once in a while, or you just might miss it. And again, I really, really love this song, and I really recommend you guys to listen to it, check it out, because this is the world that you know, right? Especially now. Everything is so instant and instantaneous, and you can get all the information about anything else in the world except good things and calmness. I mean, last week I talked about deaf drives, which I never knew were a thing, where someone is seeking stillness because there's so much going on and they just want to be left alone, which is how most of us call it. I just want to be left alone. But yeah, so again, check it out. Get

Help Resources And Closing Message

SPEAKER_00 18:25

with me if you need help. We also have available resources. If you or someone you love is struggling with their mental health, remember that you're not alone. Help is available in the U.S. You can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline anytime. There's also Boystown National Hotline because again, life is way too short. We do become collectors of things in life, the good and bad. And I want you all to be here as long as possible. So if you ever need to talk to someone, reach out. Until then, take care. Take care of others, and take a moment to notice the world that you know. Be safe. Thank you for listening.