The one thing I love about music is that everyone has their own story to tell – the musician, the lyrics, the way the fans decipher them and also the way a song can also create a memory or a meaning to someone. That is what this new article is all about. Each fortnight, we will take a look at a different song and I will take you as a trip down memory lane as to what it means to me. Welcome to Music Memories.

Track: Pushing Me Away
Artist: Linkin’ Park
Original Release Date: 2000

At the age of 12 just before i turned 13, my taste in music started to change. No longer did I want to listen to boybands and pop groups on repeat but I wanted to listen to something more substantial – rock music.

The band that reeled me in to the dark side was Linkin’ Park. I was introduced to them by a friend and I was hooked straight away. They were so different to anything that I had ever heard. The first time I heard their album was when I got it on CD – I think it was Christmas or a birthday present, I cannot really remember.

The album was unique, gritty and so catchy that it was and still is phenomenal. The one song that stood out strongly was one that ended up being one of my favourite songs by the band and that was Pushing Me Away. I thought it was an amazing track to end an album as it was so emotional and strong. The fact that the song before it was an instrumental made it stand out even more because it felt like a new chapter.

I really like the chorus and the lyrics that came with it. It was one of those songs that no matter how many times I hear it the response is always the same.

Facts About Pushing Me Away

• The twelveth and final track on the album Hybrid Theory
• “Pushing Me Away”, according to Mike Shinoda, was a song heavily influenced by Depeche Mode
• Linkin Park released a remix of “Pushing Me Away” on Reanimation in July 2002 titled “P5hng Me A*wy”. The track was remixed by Mike Shinoda, with guitars by Brad Delson and Mike, and features guest vocals by Stephen Richards of Taproot.