It is recommended for easy reference that the following is read with the original lyrics of the song which can be found here.
One More Light is the 9th and eponymous track of the seventh studio album by famous American rock band Linkin Park. Set in a melancholic tone, the band’s lead vocalist, Chester Bennington, sings about the daunting and tragic experience of losing a loved one — a light. Throughout parts of the song, Chester refers to human life as sources of light, with the idea of a person being able to illuminate and make someone else’s life better with just their presence and company. With the repetitive pattern of a wavy synthesizer and melodious electric guitar played from beginning to end, the song places the listener in an environment soothing to the human soul and mind. With Chester’s soulful voice accompanied by the calming instrumentation, the song is able to achieve the goal of putting the listener in a tranquil state in a fashion so simple, yet artful and true. Since its creation, One More Light has been a track dedicated to many wonderful people whom the band has worked with and those who have passed, including dear Chester himself, though it is for those who are going through a harsh time in life as well. The structure in which the song is written gives it versatility and ambiguity, making it able to be seen from different perspectives and very relatable for the listener. The lyrics are able to encompass the mind of the listener, put them in the singer’s viewpoint, and translate their thoughts in addition to also being able to expressively speak to them. For long-time fans and supporters of Linkin Park, the track is one that acts as a reminder of the truly unbreakable bond between them and the band and what they have created. Thus, it is regarded as a deeply emotional piece. Embedded within, One More Light is home to a cathartic message that has undoubtedly helped save the lives of millions of people: “You matter. Stay Alive.”
Composed of four lines, Chester begins the song by talking to the listener and the person he recently lost from his life in the first verse. In the starting line, after having lost the person, he finally realizes that they had been suffering, presumably from a mental illness, all along. He is regretful that he took their actions for granted, that he didn’t pay them with enough care and attention to notice the pain they were going through. Hence, he wishes he had been more aware as to provide them with the proper love they needed. In the second line of the verse, Chester asks the person if he can help them. After seeing their pain, he wants to ease their troubles as to rid and compensate for all the harm he may have done to them in the past, to free them from whatever’s holding them down. This line also makes the listener, who may be in a situation similar to the person Chester’s talking to, feel that someone cares for them and wants to help as to make up for what they have been going through. The subsequent line, he recalls a time when he was with the person, struggling together, when everyone else didn’t notice so. They promised each other that there would be light for both of them at the end of the dismal tunnel they were in; they saw hope for one another and that there was an end to the hardship. As time went by, Chester’s worries likely vanished. He might’ve forgotten about the person, occupied by events in life, allowing their connection to slowly fade. Therefore, he regrets that he was not aware enough to stay and help the person as expressed in the first line similarly. The last line of the verse refers to the bittersweetness of being able to have wonderful things in life, but not to keep forever. Now that the person is no longer with Chester, he misses them, but even so, he is still grateful to have had them in his life. As the introductory part of the song, the first verse talks to the listener as to relieve them from their worries and makes them feel cared for by the singer. As part of the song’s ambiguity, it is also possible for the listener to relate to the story being told if they viewed it from Chester’s perspective; it makes them feel that they are not the only one who is going through the experience and in doing so, eases their mind and thoughts.
Being the most important part of the song, the chorus is what makes One More Light the powerful and heartwarming song that it is. This part of the song repeats three times: once after each verse and one at the end of the song. Represented as a million stars in the chorus, there are over 7 billion people in today’s world, so the death and significance of one person’s life may be comprehended by many people as relatively unimportant. In the chorus of the song, Chester opposes those who think in that way by answering the question: “Who cares if one more light goes out?”, as to refute them, with the first verse acting to support his argument as evidence. He speaks to the listener and describes a light, a person’s life, as flickering and dying alone in a sky of a million stars that is the world. Someone who’s going through a tough time in life may be thinking about suicide and deciding whether or not they want to complete it. In those moments of intense thinking and pressure, they have very little time to make a choice because their life is on the line. Thus, “if a moment is all we are”. Some have more time to decide while some have less, varying in different situations. So even though a single life, compared to billions, may seem insignificant and extremely small, it does not mean the impact they have on other people is so. The death of someone can affect other people tremendously, especially if they are family, and thus being a great loss, as already expressed in the first verse. Consequently and as the main message of the song, he is saying that he cares immensely for each and every life in this world because they all matter. After having asked the listener if he could help them with their troubles in the first verse, Chester is now building up on the care he expressed to further show his love and concern for the listener, relieving and making them feel safe.
Also comprising four lines, Chester speaks to himself, and the listener, in the second verse of this track. In the starting line, Chester goes on to fill his mind with thoughts and memories associated with the person he lost and dearly loved. After their death, life is different from what it used to be. In recollecting past moments he made with the person, he comes to be filled with extreme sadness and sorrow. In the succeeding line, Chester expands on the picture of life being different without the person. He describes that the chair that the person used to always sit in in the kitchen is still there while they themself are not, indicating a feeling of incompletion; he had become so used to having the person around that his life now without them just feels like it is missing a very important piece. In the third line of this verse, Chester tells himself, and the listener, that it is okay and completely normal to feel strong emotions such as anger in a time like this. He is angry that the person is no longer here because it doesn’t seem fair for them to leave this world so unexpectedly, without allowing him to give them the love and care they much deserved; he wishes the person to still be in his life. The fourth and final line refers to the concealment of pain and suffering in today’s society. Chester lets the listener know that just because they are not able to see or perceive something does not mean that it’s nonexistent. Whether mental or physical, people face challenges personally every day, although it might not seem like they are. And it is the case in the world today that most people hide them, which includes the person whom Chester lost. However, just because it is not shown that they are facing challenges, it does not mean they are not there. Someone could be going through a very hard time and you might not be able to tell because of the way and how well they hide it. Concealment of pain is just another sign that indicates that the person may be struggling and might not have someone who cares for them enough to listen and help. This part of the song is what makes it very soulful; it strengthens the emotional bond between the listener and the singer, allowing for them to relate to and contemplate what is being described, similar to the first verse.
On July 20, 2017, Chester completed suicide by hanging. For many, it was a very unexpected and tragic catastrophe. Released later in September the same year, the band dedicated the music video for One More Light to Chester for everything he has done to help not only his band, but millions of others in the world through their music. One More Light is a work of art by Linkin Park that, along with other songs, has helped many people push through hardships in their lives and make them believe that they truly matter. There are numerous individuals around the world in every corner this instance who may be suffering and going through the toughest and harshest, or maybe even the darkest time of their lives, who might feel that nobody cares for them whatsoever. The lyrics of this song, however, apprise the listener that they are what illuminates the sky and permeates it with millions of stars. A single life going out is tragic for anyone. And we are all under the same sky. One more light going out just means the sky becoming even darker. And Chester’s soothing vocals concinnate and convey that message in a way that resonates mentally with the listener on a personal level. To me, the ambiguity and versatility of this song are what make it verily unique and moving. As the lead vocalist of Linkin Park, Chester has been regarded as one of the greatest rock influencers and singers of his generation. He had been and continues to be an inspiration for numerous people all over the world today. And One More Light is one of the many testaments of that statement.
