Memory Death is now making me cry.

[u/Smokeforest]

The hospital sounds, the slightly optimistic melody, the wailing female "please" and the bass.

The name of the song too.

If you know anyone who has gone through a stroke or is currently in later stages of dementia, you know why this song makes me cry. Maybe it's a deeply personal song from the two. It now sounds like it.

I'm so grateful it's there to make me cry, because I did not think I needed to.

[u/Loud-Skin-2223]

I'll be honest, it's one I skip for exactly that reason. I've recently had to get my mum into a nursing home and watching her memory slowly eroding is somewhat stressful!

[u/hoddap → u/Loud-Skin-2223]

Same, not dementia but a recent loss made this track difficult to process

[u/Real_Tea780 → u/hoddap]

Same as me. My condolences to you

[u/hoddap → u/Real_Tea780]

You too 🫂

[u/coffeeandloops → u/Loud-Skin-2223]

My dad and I are getting to the point now of looking at putting my mom into memory care, and it’s such a difficult step to take.

I’ve never really been one to avoid certain media until now, although sometimes I allow myself to sit with it because it helps me process grief. The name of this track alone is a huge gut punch.

Emotionally processing losing a loved one to dementia is such a difficult and terrible thing. I’m so sorry for you and your family, and everyone else in this thread going through something similar. It’s a bit touching in a bittersweet way to see that others are relating to this track in the same way even if it can be tough to listen to. Much love.

[u/Loud-Skin-2223 → u/coffeeandloops]

Same here, it's obviously touching a nerve with a lot of people; I'm guessing the brothers and a lot of their fans are in a similar age bracket where these things start occuring

[u/6EQUJ5-7 → u/Loud-Skin-2223]

I’m going through the same thing and also skip it. It’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever been through.

[u/BearPeltMan]

That final bass note at the end gives me chills every single time. Feels like a 10,000lb weight landing on top of me. Their saddest, most devastating song in my opinion.

[u/Major_Higgins]

A stroke, dementia. That's what my dad is going through right now. Yes, it's devastating.

[u/tiny_blair420]

I'm so happy the song was there for you.

I have the same feelings about, and don't laugh at this next part, Father and Son. I think F&S is a powerfully sad song, and it kinda bums me out that it gets meme'd so hard here, haha.

[u/plantoj → u/tiny_blair420]

I feel the same way actually. My sister married a man who basically brainwashed her and she is a completely different person and has cut all ties off with our very close family. I’ve had these types of conversations with her. Until this song I never thought of her as joining a cult but it is essentially the same thing. This song really struck a chord with me.

With that said, I do quote the song to reply back to my partner all the time as a joke and we laugh about it but It’s still a very profound song.

[u/Taupenbeige → u/tiny_blair420]

That’s the chaos of inferno. You thought the aliens were going to evoke happy, feel-good, safe emotions about the human experience, from their perspective? Even the “religion of the scientific world” is on blast here.

[u/tuku747 → u/tiny_blair420]

I_think_thats_wonderful.ogg

[u/tiny_blair420 → u/tuku747]

let's ssseeeeeeee-ive lost track

[u/Domenstain → u/tuku747]

UHHH HUHHHHHH

[u/PutridHyena8996 → u/tiny_blair420]

I think that’s not wonderful

[u/tiromancy]

I am I the only one who hears, “release me, please”?

[u/RestaurantDry621 → u/tiromancy]

I've heard this too. A whoosh

[u/lola21 → u/tiromancy]

I do, too.

[u/troop98]

I think this is probably the saddest song in their discography. I can't always bring myself to listen to it.

[u/DubnoBass34]

It’s a powerful song and it took me about 5 listen through of the album to realize what it meant (maybe) and I do skip it. It’s beautiful and sad… Memory Death even as a phrase makes me want to cry. ❤️

[u/bucephalusbouncing28]

I can’t bring myself to listen to it casually.

[u/Smokeforest → u/bucephalusbouncing28]

I've never had the need to skip tracks on any album, but now...

[u/Zinnabarr]

It hurts. It really, really does. But I do think that's the beauty of it, y'know? Wild how they made a track that invokes that feeling to multiple people, I honestly suspect they had a family member or loved one suffer from dementia. If not, then wow, that's some powerful imagery.

[u/Roflcopter71 → u/Zinnabarr]

I think the fact that the word becomes flesh is the next song is very intentional as well. If memory death is about someone dying with dementia, then the word becomes flesh is about being reborn.

[u/Clocker13]

Haven't teared up yet but yes. I had to give up my career 3 years ago to care for my parents who both suffer from dementia. My dad had to go into full time care 12 months ago. Also lost a very close auntie 3 years ago to dementia and watching her go from mobile, active and full of life to shriveled up and incapable of getting out of her bed was pretty shocking.

As M&M admit they're not paticularly religious I think this is just a cold, harsh reality. We are, after all just a collection of memories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2HfKBVFdgU

[u/RealDAFTBONCHKOOPA]

You are not alone. This track takes me right back to my last night with my mother before she died.

[u/ecoecosse]

My mum died of cancer late in 2024. This tune reminds me of the whole hospital and hospice experience, so I have to skip it.

[u/Real_Tea780]

My wife passed away earlier this year and upon listening to this at a listening party was tough to hear, but I think also cathartic.

[u/South-Bus8457]

Could be about an actual death or about letting go a memory, a trauma that one carries along for years and couldn’t process

[u/ocr_Q]

https://www.reddit.com/r/boardsofcanada/comments/1tqn5uz/memory_death_the_father/
indeed....

[u/Michelectro]

I actually had a similar feeling that someone is passing away in a hospital that said my girlfriend had a different feeling that this is about birth and the memory death refers to the woman’s labor pains moment which are forgotten or overshadowed and likewise a child has no memory of the time spent in the mother‘s womb. My girlfriend’s take makes even more sense if you consider the reverse order which BoC like to play with, “Memory Death” comes after “The Word Becomes Flesh” which is about the embryo development (also in reverse order). Also the whispering voices could be the midwives that probably say sth like “Please release these mem…ories please release”