"Into the Ocean" is the second single from

Blue October Blue October is an American rock band originally from Houston, Texas. The band was formed in 1995 and is currently composed of singer/guitarist Justin Furstenfeld, drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld, multi-instrumentalist Ryan Delahoussaye, bassist M ...

's fifth album, ''

Foiled ''Foiled'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Blue October, released on April 4, 2006, by Universal Records. The album debuted at number 29 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, marking the band's first entry on the chart. The album was cer ...

''. The song peaked at #53 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song, directed by Zach Merck, reached number one on the VH1 V-Spot countdown. On May 4, 2012 the single was certified platinum for sales of one million in the United States. It was featured on the TV series ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...

'' and ''

Moonlight Moonlight consists of mostly sunlight (with little earthlight) reflected from the parts of the Moon's surface where the Sun's light strikes. Illumination The intensity of moonlight varies greatly depending on the lunar phase, but even the ful ...

''. The song was initially released on the 2006 album ''

'', and subsequent versions of the song have been released on the EP ''Foiled Again'', the acoustic album '' Ugly Side: An Acoustic Evening with Blue October'', the

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

'' Teach Your Baby Well Live'', the live album/

concert film A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history The ...

'' Things We Do At Night - Live From Texas'', and the live solo album '' Open Book Winter Album''. A

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

was released on the Hurricane Bells 2010 EP ''Down Comes The Rain''.

Content

The song contrasts an upbeat rhythm and light melodies with

Ryan Delahoussaye Blue October is an American rock band originally from Houston, Texas. The band was formed in 1995 and is currently composed of singer/guitarist Justin Furstenfeld, drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld, multi-instrumentalist Ryan Delahoussaye, bassis ...

erhu The ''erhu'' (; ) is a Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a ''Southern Fiddle'', and is sometimes known in the Western world as the ''Chinese violin'' or a ''Chinese two-s ...

and lamenting lyrics typical of " Hate Me" and other songs written by lead singer

Justin Furstenfeld Justin Steward Furstenfeld (born December 14, 1975) is an American musician and actor. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and lyricist of rock band Blue October. He is also a member of the band Harvard of the South. Personal life When not tou ...

. The feelings conveyed by the song reflect Furstenfeld's real-life battle with depression and

suicidal Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and subs ...

tendencies. The lyrics convey the first-person account of a "normal boy" who has fallen or jumped off the bow of a ship and the thoughts that pass through the boy's mind as he loses the will to keep afloat by treading water. His final thought is of his beloved as he eventually concedes to drowning: "I thought of just your face, relaxed and floated into space." In the final verse the song takes on a deeper meaning as the lyrics reveal that the initial story of the boy drowning was just a dream spurred by feelings of grief over the loss of a loved one, presumably the woman whose face gave him comfort as he imagined he was drowning. The dream is referred to lyrically as "Midnight's late reminder of the loss of her, the one I love." The song then indicates that he wishes, like in the dream, that he could slip "into the ocean, end it all." According to a VH1-online article about the band, "Into the Ocean" has affected many listeners who may have been contemplating suicide. Furstenfeld is quoted as saying, "If I have saved others, I don't know what to say. But if I can do that for them, why the fuck can't I do that for myself?"VH1 Artists, Blue October(2007).''
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Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

External links

Interview with music video director Zach Merck

Notes

2006 singles Blue October songs Songs about suicide Songs written by Justin Furstenfeld 2006 songs Universal Records singles Songs about depression {{2000s-rock-song-stub