Muse’s “Survival:” A Cautionary Song About The Olympic Hero Mindset
The Olympics debuted in 1896. Since their creation, the games have set the stage for heroes to rise in victory. Whether it’s Michael Phelps’ swimming domination after winning 23 gold medals over 5 summer games, or Sidney Crosby scoring the “golden goal” for Canada, there’s no doubt the Olympics creates global heroes.
For the London 2012 Olympics, the committee reached out to a popular British band to write a theme song for the games. Muse, the prog-rock trio known for songs like “Uprising” and “Starlight” hit the studio to record a bombastic, in-your-face rock anthem, which sounds like Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody turned up to 11. The band offered a stunning performance of the track to a capacity crowd attending closing ceremonies. The anthemic beat is enough to make you get up and prepare to run a marathon, but before you do that, have a look at the lyrics frontman Matt Bellamy sings. They offer a close look at the mindsets behind our Olympic heroes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQR-JBkw8NA
Race
Life’s a race
And I am gonna win
Yes, I am gonna win
And I’ll light the fuse
And I’ll never lose
And I choose to survive
Whatever it takes
You won’t pull ahead
I’ll keep up the pace
And I’ll reveal my strength
To the whole human race
In interviews discussing “Survival,” Bellamy notes the song is about having pure conviction and determination to win at any cost. Bellamy states:
“It’s about trying to get into the mindset of being completely determined to win and doing it against all the odds. It’s the conviction and truth of just wanting to win.”
The song even ends with repetitions of “fight, fight, fight” and “win, win, win.”
When speaking about the idea behind the track as a whole, Bellamy states:
“Everyone is obsessed with constant unchecked growth, and no one points out when we are maxed out.”
Notice how in the lyrics above Bellamy is talking about life instead of sports. This implies taking this win at all costs mindset and applying it to everyday life.
Many Olympic heroes adopt a winning mindset to become the absolute best at their craft. No Olympian strives to be number two. Every athlete is gunning for number one and there can only be one winner. Watching these athletes perform and win is inspiring. It encourages us to adopt their winning mentality to achieve some of our own goals. However, the Olympics rarely highlights the toll this mentality can take on an athlete’s psyche.
The Olympics does not warn of the dangers in adopting this psyche in everyday life. In today’s achievement-driven society, it might seem ideal to adopt the Olympic hero mindset. But this mindset comes with a list of side effects including anxiety, depression, and fatigue. A constant need to be the best in life can take a devastating toll on the body.
The true and healthy heroic mindset to live a purpose-driven, resilient, high-performing life, without being stuck in your own head, involves building global beliefs influencing everything you do. These global beliefs help great athletes overcome defeat and failure to continue pursuing their goals.
As Bellamy would say, the win at all costs mindset is “unsustainable” and those who develop this mindset end up losing big. Building a healthy mindset to help you grow and achieve your goals starts with developing your global beliefs.
