Las Vegas pop-rock anthem makers Imagine Dragons are back in the Top 5 of the Genius Top Songs Chart today with “Eyes Closed,” their first new single of 2024. Produced by the duo of Mattman & Robin, who wrote the song alongside ID members Dan Reynolds, Ben McKee, and Wayne Sermon, it’s a big, slick genre collision with empowering lyrics about overcoming adversity.
“The world looks much different after being a band for more than a decade,” said Reynolds, the lead singer, in a statement. “But some things will always remain the same. It’s finding that right balance of nostalgia and freshness that brings me the most joy in the studio. We had a lot of fun making this one and hope you enjoy it too.”
Reynolds rap-sings the first verse and alludes to some of the mental health struggles he’s spoken candidly about over the years. These are the hard-won reflections of a survivor.
I’m back from the dead from the back of my head
Been gone and facing horrors that should never be said
The wrath and the grit from the pit of despair
Been taking every whip and word, I’ve never been spared
In the chorus, as a sturdy hip-hop beat drops in, Reynolds insists there’s nothing you can throw at him that he can’t handle.
Lock me up in a maze (Oh)
Turn out, turn out the lights (Oh)
I was born, I was raised for this (Oh)
At this point, persevering is like second nature to Reynolds, as he says in the post-chorus.
I could do this with my eyes closed
Turn out, turn out the lights
Reynolds continues asserting his unbreakability in the second verse.
Less medications, less manifestations
Mantras, meditation, throw it all away
All the places I’ve been, all the blood that I’ve bled
I’ve been broken down and beat up but I still get ahead
In the song’s stripped-back bridge, Reynolds suggests that one coping mechanism is simply to take a step back from society and its various horrors. Not a bad idea, really.
And when the day broke, buried in violence
Something made my mind up
I will spend these days as an island
Alone and far away
In a thread on X (formerly Twitter) yesterday, Reynolds talked about how writing music—literally thousands of songs, many of which we’ll never hear—saved his life. He included a message of hope for anyone battling depression or feeling “lost.”
“You can still find power in your sorrow,” Reynolds wrote. “You can turn your pain into art. And if you truly love something enough and believe it you can make anything happen.”
“Eyes Closed” arrives with an effects-laden music video in which Reynolds gets knocked unconscious in a car accident and dreams he’s exploring an ancient temple, a la Indiana Jones.
You can read all the lyrics to “Eyes Closed” on Genius now.
