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About This Author
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Music Notes #1096588 added September 4, 2025 at 7:28am
Restrictions: None
Dull Knives, by ID
My fourth Barrel of Monkeys pick is a deep cut from the 2021 Imagine Dragons album, Mercury Act 1. It has somewhere over 25 million streams.
What it Sounds Like
A “slow burn fire” (literally,) Dull Knives starts with a quiet plea for help and quickly escalates into full-on grunge, subsiding past the chorus into a suppressed, eerie backdrop for Dan's anguished wailing, then growling up again at the next chorus. It pauses for a moment at the bridge, where we hear what sounds like people arguing and saying “oh come on” to Dan's overdramatized pain, then builds back up into the final (very noisy) climax.
It is a “real” and “earthy” sort of song, bearing the production style of the famed Rick Rubin, who insisted the band use real instruments and rebuild every demo from the ground up.
What It Means
Depending on how you look at it, Dull Knives is either a powerful ballad of mental health awareness, or a pile-on of exaggerated whining. Lead singer and songwriter Dan Reynolds says he sat down at the kitchen table and wrote it with the help of his now ex-wife Aja Volkman, who is credited as a co-writer.
The meaning is fairly straightforward, describing internal warfare with vivid clarity. Dan considers himself a mental health advocate, often exhorting his fans to love themselves, reach out, share their pain, and remember their lives are always worth living.
I should also note the pain he describes is likely to have been literal as well. One wouldn't think it to see him now, but he once struggled with unremitting Ankylosing Spondylitis, a joint stiffening autoimmune disease that would leave him nearly immobilized at times. He keeps it under control with rigorous exercise and a strict diet plan (that falls nicely into his preference of being a Straight Edge.)
Personal Significance
Dull Knives is one of my favorites off of Mercury Act 1, between the easy lyrical melody, unusual heavy sound, and relatable theme. I often sing it to myself. It taught me what grunge sounds like, helping me to identify the style when I happen to hear it around. I remember being able to quickly categorize and feel comfortable with U2’s Wire when I heard it the first time, because I was familiar with the noisy, anguished style of Dull Knives.
I've made a few art pieces with it over the years. I suppose it speaks for itself.
Words: 400.
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