Detroit Lions Week 10 Song of the Game: ‘On Melancholy Hill’ by Gorillaz

Our Soundtrack of the Season has gotten a bit depressing halfway through the season and for good reason. The Detroit Lions are likely on the verge of a full rebuild, which means the past three seasons have been a waste—taking an average, competitive team and stripping it of its most entertaining players all so that we can enjoy fewer wins.

But the Lions won on Sunday. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t a convincing win over a bad team. But, damnit, my team won and I’m going to lighten up this soundtrack for just one song, because who wants to hear an entire album of emo music, anyways?

Lions - Washington Song of the Game: “On Melancholy Hill” by Gorillaz

Okay, so the song title “On Melancholy Hill” doesn’t exactly scream upbeat, happy times, but I actually think it’s an optimistic, if not sweet song. It acknowledges things are terrible, but tries to find the things that are worth holding onto.

Well you can’t get what you want
But you can get me

The Lions are in purgatory right now, equally frustrating #TeamTank and #TeamPlayoffs. Sorry, the Detroit Lions are well beyond tanking for Trevor. Even if they were to rattle off seven straight losses to end the season, 4-12 may not break them into the top five of the draft with teams like the Jets, Jaguars, Chargers, Bengals and every NFC East team still feasting on the seabed of the league.

And while I understand the fear that beating the Washington Football Team may convince Sheila Ford Hamp to keep the Boston Boys around another year, I assure you, she saw the blown 21-point lead, too. Also, look at how this schedule ends. Things will almost assuredly go downhill quick and leave the Patricia era on a sour note.

And for you playoff people, god bless you. Sure, the Lions are only two games out of a playoff spot, but there is nothing about the way this team is currently playing that should suggest this team is capable of winning five or six of their last seven games. Their defense is terrible, their offense can’t play with a lead, and their coaching is just too conservative to ever really blow out a team.

But that’s all okay. We may not get what we wanted out of 2020, but we still have the Lions. We still have Matthew Stafford and his three game-winning drives already this year. We still have Matt Prater kicking the shit out of the ball with 100 percent accuracy when the game is on the line. We have D’Andre Swift as a budding star and the foundations of an offensive line that even gives a glimmer of hope for the future.

Just looking out on the day
Of another dream

So rather than bickering about getting the team to tank or deluding yourself into thinking playoffs are still possible, just enjoy each game, each individual play, each individual player. Hell, if these are the last days of Matthew Stafford in a Lions jersey, the last thing you want to do is take them for granted.

So make peace with the Lions’ situation, and I promise the last two months of this season will be easier to endure.

If you can’t get what you want
Then you come with me

Each week, we’ll be providing a Song of the Game to create a full-season playlist. You can listen to previous year’s soundtracks right here: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

Here’s this year’s playlist: