Great reaction, I enjoyed your enthusiasm for the song and your immediate connection with the lyrics. Joe Hughes was Ren’s best friend from childhood and was nineteen years old when he tragically took his own life. Ren was twenty. Ren received a phone call from a friend that Joe was on the bridge linking the island of Anglesea to the rest of Wales and was threatening to jump. Ren lived only a short distance from the bridge and took off running. He was five minutes too late and Joe was gone. They never found his body. For a happier sound and yes we need happy Ren too please check out: the Love Music series in four parts, What You Want, Losing It, Down On The Beat, Bittersweet Symphony or Uninvited off the new album, they are all great.
Posted by Ren I first met Joe when I was 8 years old, my friend Josh said I had to meet this guy, so we both walked over to his, it took about 10 minutes from my house. I was greeted by this kid covered head to toe in freckles, he grinned at us, climbed onto the back of his sofa and screamed “Swanton Bomb!” then front flipped off the top and landed right onto his back on a stone floor. He lay still for a moment, twitched a few times, then got up, grinned at us, brushed himself off, and did it again. This was Joe. He’d do anything to make people laugh. He ended up becoming one of my best friends. He was there when we stole our first cigarettes out of his mum’s pack, way too young. He was there when I had my first kiss, with a girl twice my size on the back of the 42 bus. He was there when I first got so drunk I threw up in the woods after drinking as much White Lightning Cider as we could. I was there when he did his first backflip on skates, and saw him do a 720 off of the pier cave, that moment became legendary. Joe was the funny one in our friend group, he’d make us laugh till it hurt. No one had a bad word to say about him. It was impossible not to like him. Usually we put celebrities, athletes and actors on pedestals, turn them into role models and admire them from a far. The person I admired was Joe. He knew every word to the songs I’d write, we’d get drunk at parties and they’d be singing along as loud as they could. It gave me a lot of confidence back then. On Christmas Eve 2010 I was sitting in a pub with Joe, he’d been feeling low after a couple of consecutive break ups. He tried to check himself into a mental health outpatient facility a few weeks earlier but they turned him away because he didn’t have an appointment. He turned to me and said that sometimes he wished he could just walk into the sea and keep walking. He said it in a kind of half joking throw away comment type of way, then took a sip of his drink, walked over to the juke box and put Dig by Incubus on. If I knew that was the last time I’d see Joe I’d have hugged him, told him how much I loved him, how much I looked up to him, how much we all loved him, and I wouldn’t have left that pub. I didn’t know that, so I finished my drink, said Happy Christmas and left. Two nights after Christmas I got woken up by a phone call at 3am, it was my friend Ella. She told me Joe was on the Menai Bridge, a large suspension bridge connecting the main land to the Isle of Anglesey where we lived. He’d been on the phone to her in tears saying goodbye. He told her to tell everyone he loved them. I pulled on my clothes as fast as I could and started running toward the bridge. It was up a hill. I lived about a ten minute walk away, I could run it in five. As I ran I started dialling then redialing his number. The line was busy, which was a good sign, it meant he was still on the phone to someone. As I got about halfway, the busy tone changed. It told me the line was out of service. I got a sinking feeling and picked up my speed. I arrived to the bridge minutes after I left my house. It was deafeningly quiet. I was the first person to arrive. I got there probably about 2 minutes too late. Joe’s body was never found. Initially we refused to believe he was gone. The coastguard came out that night, with boats, and helicopters. Me and my friends spent the next 10 days putting up missing posters everywhere we could, walking up and down beaches with flashlights, getting about 3 hours sleep a night. When you’re walking up and down a beach with a torch when its dark everything looks like a body. We still haven’t found Joe. As his birthday came around, I wrote a song, Freckled Angels, a song I dedicated to Joe which I sang in front of his friends and family. A charity football match was put on for him, raising money for the RNLI where I won two bottles of wine in a raffle, I drank them both as quickly as I could, naturally, turned to my friend and probably slurred something along the lines of “This is the last time I ever drink” That was 12 years ago, I haven’t touched a drop of alcohol since. My first ever album I named Freckled Angels in tribute of one of the best people I ever knew. Skip forward some years. I’d been sitting on this song I wrote a few years ago. It always felt a little incomplete. It was going to be my next release, but I was dreading it because of this feeling of incompletion. I decided, very last minute, to do something about it. I sat by my piano, and the rest of the song fell out of me. I hadn’t thought about Joe in a little while, and the song initially wasn’t going to be about him, but the words all fell out of me. I wrote and recorded a whole 2 minutes extra, recording each part as I wrote it. Tears spewing out of my eyes pretty much the whole time, and decided not to do my usual thing of perfecting each line, I just recorded every line as it came. That song is Ren’s latest single Suic*de. During the campaign for the single he raised money for the RNLI, and also donated 50% of the profit on all copies of the ‘Freckled Angels’ album directly to Joe’s family.
Actually, Ren has been hit with at least a dozen talent sticks. Ren is a singer/songwriter/rapper, multi-instrumentalist guitar electric/acoustic, bass, piano, drums & beatboxes. He's an actor, director, poet, storyteller and a fully accomplished studio producer, who also create his own beats. All these talents and all SELF TAUGHT 🤯🤯
Thank you for your reaction. The background here is the Calgary, Canada skyline. As for the song, Ren's best friend, Joe Hughes, committed su!c!de on the 27th of December, 2010 by jumping off the Menai Bridge, a large suspension bridge connecting the mainland to the Isle of Anglesey where Ren and Joe lived. Ren alluded to it in one of his songs, stating that he lost his best friend before he was 25. The pain of this loss is evident in a few of his songs. "How to Be Me," "Freckled Angels," "Su!cIde," and this release, “For Joe,” are specifically dedicated to Joe. Ren recently posted some background on his relationship with Joe and the tragic event. Ren explained that he got a call from his friend Ella around 3 a.m. saying that Joe was on the Menai Bridge, He’d been on the phone with her in tears saying goodbye. He told her to tell everyone he loved them. Ren went out on foot attempting to get to Joe while trying to reach him on the phone. Just minutes before Ren got to the bridge, his friend's cell phone went out of service. The Coast Guard started a search to no avail. Ren, friends, and volunteers unsuccessfully searched the shoreline for ten days; Joe’s body was never recovered. Ren’s song "Su!cIde" gutted me, and I was not able to watch or listen to it again until now. I was not even able to watch a single reaction to it. It was a sad, haunting, gut-wrenching tribute. My best friend took his life 38 years ago. However, after listening to "For Joe" several times, I came to the realization that as sad and emotional as this song is, it has had a healing effect on me and has given me a sense of closure. Even the lyrics of the epilogue from "Su!cIde" that "gutted" me impacted me differently this time around. Anthony Ray (@AnthonyRay) said after reacting to this performance (I am paraphrasing) that he felt that after all these years, Ren seems to have found a measure of acceptance regarding the loss of his best friend. Anthony's comment suddenly made me aware of the song's impact on me, and I am actually able to watch or listen to "Su!cIde" again. Although I will probably not watch any reactions to it, as I consider this song to be much too personal, and watching someone else's grief would only compound my pain. Thomas Goldschmidt (@thomasgoldschmidt298) remarked, "For Joe" is a continuation of "Su!cIde," displaying the five stages of grief, adding acceptance to the end of his last song…..This song and the sobbing hug he received from Joe's mom after showing the video bring closure to all involved! I think ending "For Joe" with lines from Ren's song "Freckles Angels," which was an earlier tribute to Joe, left me with a more optimistic outlook. It is as if Ren is trying to tell us that even though some of our loved ones are physically gone from our lives, their memory continues to live in and through us. I think that is why I got a sense of closure and peace.
My commute playlist is Ren happy/inspiring, varying genres: "Ocean" (bluesy rockish); "Humble" (islandish); "Power" (upbeat electronic sorta); "What You Want" (90s hip-hop); "Losing It" (EDM rap about monsters 😂); "Uninvited" (IDK pop maybe - freaking hilarious); "Murderer" (reggae hip-hop); "Hold On" (indie rock). Many more on the list, but that gives you a start (and some idea of how diverse/genre bending he is). Ren's discography is literally all over the place, and 🔥 at the same time. Crazy. The first song on his new album, "Seven Sins," not only switches flows like 8 times, but changes melody and sound; it's like getting 5 songs in one. Great song, but more on the serious side; definitely thought-provoking if you listen to/read the lyrics.
I have stood on that Bridge and looked down in to the Menai Strait, the tides are terrifying. The RNLI searched for days to find Joe but never did. Ren raised over £21000 for the RNLI.
The freckled Angel in the song is Joe Hughes, Ren's best friend who unfortunately in 2010 aged just 19 took his own life. You want something a little more upbeat from Ren try "Losing It" A Fisher rap retake. But he has a huge catalogue of stuff. And whatever you choose I am sure you won't be disappointed. The guy is an absolute genius. You could also check out the Big Push his band when he was Busking on the streets of Brighton.
Thanks Stevenwaters!! 🙏🏻…I thought so but I also bought it may have been a little brother or something! That is sad that people have to endure tragedy like that, but it can also make us stronger 💪🏻
Ren uses silence as punctuation, and focus, in many of his songs. The beautiful backdrop was Calgary, Canada (where he is undergoing medical treatment)
Ren got a call from another friend 3am She said Joe was on the bridge saying goodbye he was going to jump Ren was his friend from age 8 he lived nearest He ran to the bridge was around 2 minutes late
And the Lifeboats were unable to find his body despite hours of searching. Ren went back to Anglesey and handed over a large cheque to the Royal National Lifeboat Association for their hard work that night and he also visited Joe's parents who asked him to play this track for them. That was the first time he'd been back since it happened
I don't like listening to this one, always tear up, but at least it's getting moisture to my dry eyes. Maybe I can skip the eye drops for now. Ren is a great poet. I am glad he is the one singing it, performing it, saying it, reading it. A poet will read his poetry with certain inflections to stress parts of it. Poetry isn't read like normal prose, it has rhythm and the writer of a poem will often stress "bars" or lines, with what people call "flow" because that is what poetry is. Someone, anyone, could pick up one of my poems and I would ask them to read it aloud. After he or she is done, I will take the same poem and read it aloud and ask if it sounds different, why does it now sound different, did they get it? Etc. What does it mean to you now? That is what hip-hop, rap and written rhyming lyrics any song is, it's poetry, and all have flow just set to different music or no music. Emotion is always in poetry, songs no matter the type. It's not just words. So thankful Ren can write it, perform it and let the world feel it.
You are just seeing the start of Ren he is the best truly he os so humble independent would sell himself out and just wants to do good please do more reactions to him ..new sub
Ren wrote the song "Su!cide" about his struggles with depression and was ready to release it, but felt it was unfinished. He sat down at the piano and started writing - his thoughts about Joe just flowed out. It's the second "movement" of that song. For this song he combined that movement with other songs and snippets he'd written with Joe in mind so you may hear some of this elsewhere as you go through his catalog. The song "Freckled angels" is the title track of his first album. It's one he wrote for Joe's memorial service and is the end of this song. Ren's been working on becoming an artist since at least 12 years old. He taught himself guitar, piano, singing, and several other instruments by watching RUclips videos and practice - lots of practice. Talent has to be there for sure, but he's worked his ass off to be the artist he is today at 33 years old. Life has put him through the wringer with his illnesses and tragedy, and his song writing is very raw talking about that. He also grew up reading a lot of dystopian/political fiction like 1984, Animal Farm, and so on. Many of his songs are commentaries on society - some overt like the "Money Game" trilogy - some you have to look a little deeper like "The Tale of Jenny & Screech". But, he's also someone who loves music and you'll find quite a lot of songs where he's just having fun, paying tribute to his influences, and flexing. I would definitely recommend "Love Music" parts 1-4, "Losing It" (his remix of a Fisher EDM club beat), "What You Want" (a tribute to The Beastie Boys), or "Down on the Beat" (Ren having fun with his friend Viktus). Because Ren was bedridden during so much of his 20's, he's still somewhat of a teenager at heart so expect a lot of dick jokes when he's joking around.
What an emotional song! Holy shit, man! He's so damn talented at telling a story with real feeling to it...he really draws you in. An amazing artist he is. Keep 'em coming...I'm sure there are subs who know his music better than me, so I'm not gonna suggest any of his other music but I'll definitely listen when you post 'em. My suggestions are usually more obscure and will draw very minimal views, so you're better off not doing them anyways haha! Cheers!
Yeah, I agree Mike very deep stuff. We all have a inside personality who has a different way they want us to move through life. It's a constant battle!
The scenery is Calgary in Canada. It's literally just a guy and a piano on a hill singing and yet even after a dozen views I still tear up. If you want something completely different you should check out the often overlooked Halloween favourite of mine... Children of the Moon. It's really outside even Ren's normal. For fun you could also check out Uninvited or Love Music (any but #4 for a laugh). Or for rap you could do Losing It or the Hunger. For rock or covers you could go to his band The Big Push and do War Pigs or I Shot the Sheriff (the version with red suspenders) or even Bongo bong or Englishman in New York. You could even go for church music with harmonies... Swan Song... he really has something for everyone.
Thank you for your reaction. Power by Ren is quite uplifting, Animal Flow is fun. He songs with his band The Big Push ate a lot of fun. Check out I Shot The Sheriff/Road To Zion/Hip-hop or Englishman in New York.
He was in a band called The Big Push. Check out their cover of Bongo Bong - a very upbeat, happy song. And he has written many lighthearted songs also. I've been listening to his songs since March - great stuff.
Ren sang this for Joe's Parents at his wake. Truly Sad yet Beautiful. Ren Gives the Gift of Understanding in many of his Artworks. Jenny and Screech with Violet Tales is a must and Money Games stay in order its a must as Ren Hides little Easter Eggs. Lol❤ great Reaction Oh don't be surprised if you have a Comment From Ren Himself. Ren is a Positive Humble Man that has gone through do much Mentally & Physically ❤
Loved the reaction! Subscribed! Thank you ❤ Other Fun songs from Ren: The Hunger, Illest of Our Time, Down on The Beat, Animal Flow, Dumb King Come & many more! Please also consider reacting to Playing For Change: When The Levee Breaks ft. John Paul Jones of Led Zepplin/Led Zepplin cover - songs from around the world. Absolutely Stunning!
Im 53 and have connected with Ren's music over the last year. what a brilliantly talented soul. Glad to see you are about to embark on this Ren journey as well. I'll be enjoying your first reactions. and btw.. love the new video backdrops
Welcome to the world of Ren! Oh, you gonna get it all with Ren. “What You Want” is a fun song. I love everything from REN’s band The Big Push. They are 🔥🔥🔥. The rabbit hole is deep enjoy it all!
Great reaction! I get choked up too, every time I listen to this song . For happy songs, my favourites are probably Power and Losing It. So much fun energy! I also love the Love Music series, 1 through 4, for a bit of fun (and admiration) have a look at Ren and Sam Tomkins- Blind Eyed ft Angry Car Park attendant. From the band Ren was a part of, the Big Push, look at Sweet Little lady, Bongo Bong, and of course, the most popular of all, I shot the sheriff/Road to Zion/Hip hop (the one where Ren wears the red braces. it has over 10.6 million views, can't miss it!)
Is not symbolic but Ren was literally running to the bridge, trying to stop his best friend since age 8 Joe , from jumping and was late couple of min ...
Happy Ren? Loads of it! Go for everything he did with his band The Big Push, both busking and in chilled backdrop style. Have a look at his duets with Sam Tomkins or Eden Nash. I'd also reach out to his busking with Chinchilla. His covers will make you smile I'm sure: Bittersweet Symphony or Right Here, Right Now. Off his Sick Boi album, The Hunger, Murderer, Animal Flow (all three have acoustic versions, all gems).
For something happy try Love Music 1,2 &3...or maybe Losing It (Fisher re-take). Can't go wrong either way. My main musical taste is metal, but Ren? I was enchanted from the very first song. Enjoy the Rabbit Hole, you'll have a big bunch of RENegades along for the ride!
He's definitely got sime fun stuff. 1990's (not the live version), What You Want, Love Music parts 1-4, Humble, Children of the Moon just to nsme a few.
Awesome reaction, love music 1,2,3,4 Losing it Humble Ren fat boy slim cover Ren was also in a band called the big push please check out I shot the sheriff road to Zion hip-hop,8 min version 🧠💥👍
Subscribed to watch you continue the Ren journey. Loving your enthusiasm! I see others have already suggested some happier, upbeat tunes from him - I'm sure you'll enjoy them. The backdrop in the video is Calgary where Ren has been receiving treatment for the better part of a year now.
search "top current album sales" ren's in with a shout in the US top 10. if your in the US & can buy the album please do. thx from the UK. #11 right now.
If you do Jenny and Screech PLEASE do full version. DO NOT do Voilets tale separately. Jenny and Screech FULL VERSION include Voilets Tale and they will all be in order. You have to do them in order. Enjoy!
where on earth did you get the idea in your head to do this song next? Ya gotta listen to the comments, my man! This is either the second of two or the third of three, depending on how you look at it. You should have watched "Suicide" first, at least. Good news is that it's not too late to react to "Suicide!" But not now. You're ready for some fun: Losing It Uninvited 90's Murderer Love Music 1, 2, 3, & 4 What Went Wrong 1 & 2 What You Want Great reaction, can't wait to see your next one! Enjoy!
Ren has so many different ‘types’ of songs… a fun one (for a change) is Bongo Bong (cover) or An Englishman in NY (cover) both with his band ‘The Big Push’. This song ‘For Joe’ - is about his childhood friend who committed suicide many yrs ago. Ren is still processing the loss; his first album was called Freckled Angel (Joe had freckles). This past summer Ren raised money to donate to the rescue team who spent several days searching for Joe; Ren visited Joe’s parents as well - some closure for him from this event that has been a huge part of his past. BTW, you mentioned that Ren was hit by the ‘good stick’.. but actually he’s been teaching himself guitar, piano, etc., since he was a child! (The setting was Toronto, I believe, where he’s receive treatment for his Lymes symptoms. Thanks for your reaction!!
Ren live like 10 minutes from the Bridge he got call from his friend she told him that Joe was on bridge wanted her to call tell everyone bye so Ren jump out of bed put on his clothes and took off running he knew it could run it in 5 minutes he call and got busy signal so he knew he was on phone he keep call last time he got no busy signal he was 2 minutes to late
IF you react to an artists newest stuff you are obviously not gonna understand some references to older works. Not that you need to know who Joe was to fully understand the song and its context.
Losing it, The Hunger, Illest of our time are fun songs. Just Ren Flexing!!! Trust me, and Go Bengals, Who Dey!!!
Thanks 🙏🏻 and WHO DEY😁🔥🔥
Us ren followers are called renagades so welcome to the renagades
Great reaction, I enjoyed your enthusiasm for the song and your immediate connection with the lyrics. Joe Hughes was Ren’s best friend from childhood and was nineteen years old when he tragically took his own life. Ren was twenty. Ren received a phone call from a friend that Joe was on the bridge linking the island of Anglesea to the rest of Wales and was threatening to jump. Ren lived only a short distance from the bridge and took off running. He was five minutes too late and Joe was gone. They never found his body. For a happier sound and yes we need happy Ren too please check out: the Love Music series in four parts, What You Want, Losing It, Down On The Beat, Bittersweet Symphony or Uninvited off the new album, they are all great.
Yeah the story behind this one is so sad!! Fortunately for listeners some of the best songs come out of tragedies.
Posted by Ren
I first met Joe when I was 8 years old, my friend Josh said I had to meet this guy, so we both walked over to his, it took about 10 minutes from my house. I was greeted by this kid covered head to toe in freckles, he grinned at us, climbed onto the back of his sofa and screamed “Swanton Bomb!” then front flipped off the top and landed right onto his back on a stone floor. He lay still for a moment, twitched a few times, then got up, grinned at us, brushed himself off, and did it again.
This was Joe. He’d do anything to make people laugh. He ended up becoming one of my best friends. He was there when we stole our first cigarettes out of his mum’s pack, way too young. He was there when I had my first kiss, with a girl twice my size on the back of the 42 bus. He was there when I first got so drunk I threw up in the woods after drinking as much White Lightning Cider as we could. I was there when he did his first backflip on skates, and saw him do a 720 off of the pier cave, that moment became legendary.
Joe was the funny one in our friend group, he’d make us laugh till it hurt. No one had a bad word to say about him. It was impossible not to like him. Usually we put celebrities, athletes and actors on pedestals, turn them into role models and admire them from a far. The person I admired was Joe.
He knew every word to the songs I’d write, we’d get drunk at parties and they’d be singing along as loud as they could. It gave me a lot of confidence back then.
On Christmas Eve 2010 I was sitting in a pub with Joe, he’d been feeling low after a couple of consecutive break ups. He tried to check himself into a mental health outpatient facility a few weeks earlier but they turned him away because he didn’t have an appointment. He turned to me and said that sometimes he wished he could just walk into the sea and keep walking. He said it in a kind of half joking throw away comment type of way, then took a sip of his drink, walked over to the juke box and put Dig by Incubus on.
If I knew that was the last time I’d see Joe I’d have hugged him, told him how much I loved him, how much I looked up to him, how much we all loved him, and I wouldn’t have left that pub. I didn’t know that, so I finished my drink, said Happy Christmas and left.
Two nights after Christmas I got woken up by a phone call at 3am, it was my friend Ella. She told me Joe was on the Menai Bridge, a large suspension bridge connecting the main land to the Isle of Anglesey where we lived. He’d been on the phone to her in tears saying goodbye. He told her to tell everyone he loved them. I pulled on my clothes as fast as I could and started running toward the bridge. It was up a hill. I lived about a ten minute walk away, I could run it in five. As I ran I started dialling then redialing his number. The line was busy, which was a good sign, it meant he was still on the phone to someone.
As I got about halfway, the busy tone changed. It told me the line was out of service. I got a sinking feeling and picked up my speed. I arrived to the bridge minutes after I left my house. It was deafeningly quiet. I was the first person to arrive. I got there probably about 2 minutes too late.
Joe’s body was never found.
Initially we refused to believe he was gone. The coastguard came out that night, with boats, and helicopters. Me and my friends spent the next 10 days putting up missing posters everywhere we could, walking up and down beaches with flashlights, getting about 3 hours sleep a night. When you’re walking up and down a beach with a torch when its dark everything looks like a body. We still haven’t found Joe.
As his birthday came around, I wrote a song, Freckled Angels, a song I dedicated to Joe which I sang in front of his friends and family. A charity football match was put on for him, raising money for the RNLI where I won two bottles of wine in a raffle, I drank them both as quickly as I could, naturally, turned to my friend and probably slurred something along the lines of “This is the last time I ever drink” That was 12 years ago, I haven’t touched a drop of alcohol since.
My first ever album I named Freckled Angels in tribute of one of the best people I ever knew.
Skip forward some years. I’d been sitting on this song I wrote a few years ago. It always felt a little incomplete. It was going to be my next release, but I was dreading it because of this feeling of incompletion. I decided, very last minute, to do something about it.
I sat by my piano, and the rest of the song fell out of me. I hadn’t thought about Joe in a little while, and the song initially wasn’t going to be about him, but the words all fell out of me. I wrote and recorded a whole 2 minutes extra, recording each part as I wrote it. Tears spewing out of my eyes pretty much the whole time, and decided not to do my usual thing of perfecting each line, I just recorded every line as it came.
That song is Ren’s latest single Suic*de. During the campaign for the single he raised money for the RNLI, and also donated 50% of the profit on all copies of the ‘Freckled Angels’ album directly to Joe’s family.
Holy smokes Bruh…this is a documentary 😁…great read and truly fills in the blanks I had about this Freckled angle!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🔥🔥🔥
@@chasalbert5113Thank you for taking the time to read it.
❤
Actually, Ren has been hit with at least a dozen talent sticks. Ren is a singer/songwriter/rapper, multi-instrumentalist guitar electric/acoustic, bass, piano, drums & beatboxes. He's an actor, director, poet, storyteller and a fully accomplished studio producer, who also create his own beats. All these talents and all SELF TAUGHT 🤯🤯
Some people just have it!! We are just blessed to be able to witness it 🙏🏻🔥🔥🔥
“Some people are just hit with a stick. I was just hit with a stick” 😂 Sorry but that cracked me up.
In tears and ive heard this song hundreds of times...thanks
I love Power for upbeat happy Ren vibes….
Thank you for your reaction. The background here is the Calgary, Canada skyline. As for the song, Ren's best friend, Joe Hughes, committed su!c!de on the 27th of December, 2010 by jumping off the Menai Bridge, a large suspension bridge connecting the mainland to the Isle of Anglesey where Ren and Joe lived. Ren alluded to it in one of his songs, stating that he lost his best friend before he was 25. The pain of this loss is evident in a few of his songs. "How to Be Me," "Freckled Angels," "Su!cIde," and this release, “For Joe,” are specifically dedicated to Joe.
Ren recently posted some background on his relationship with Joe and the tragic event. Ren explained that he got a call from his friend Ella around 3 a.m. saying that Joe was on the Menai Bridge, He’d been on the phone with her in tears saying goodbye. He told her to tell everyone he loved them. Ren went out on foot attempting to get to Joe while trying to reach him on the phone. Just minutes before Ren got to the bridge, his friend's cell phone went out of service. The Coast Guard started a search to no avail. Ren, friends, and volunteers unsuccessfully searched the shoreline for ten days; Joe’s body was never recovered.
Ren’s song "Su!cIde" gutted me, and I was not able to watch or listen to it again until now. I was not even able to watch a single reaction to it. It was a sad, haunting, gut-wrenching tribute. My best friend took his life 38 years ago. However, after listening to "For Joe" several times, I came to the realization that as sad and emotional as this song is, it has had a healing effect on me and has given me a sense of closure. Even the lyrics of the epilogue from "Su!cIde" that "gutted" me impacted me differently this time around.
Anthony Ray (@AnthonyRay) said after reacting to this performance (I am paraphrasing) that he felt that after all these years, Ren seems to have found a measure of acceptance regarding the loss of his best friend. Anthony's comment suddenly made me aware of the song's impact on me, and I am actually able to watch or listen to "Su!cIde" again. Although I will probably not watch any reactions to it, as I consider this song to be much too personal, and watching someone else's grief would only compound my pain.
Thomas Goldschmidt (@thomasgoldschmidt298) remarked, "For Joe" is a continuation of "Su!cIde," displaying the five stages of grief, adding acceptance to the end of his last song…..This song and the sobbing hug he received from Joe's mom after showing the video bring closure to all involved!
I think ending "For Joe" with lines from Ren's song "Freckles Angels," which was an earlier tribute to Joe, left me with a more optimistic outlook. It is as if Ren is trying to tell us that even though some of our loved ones are physically gone from our lives, their memory continues to live in and through us. I think that is why I got a sense of closure and peace.
How to be Me and Freckled Angels are also about Joe.
My commute playlist is Ren happy/inspiring, varying genres: "Ocean" (bluesy rockish); "Humble" (islandish); "Power" (upbeat electronic sorta); "What You Want" (90s hip-hop); "Losing It" (EDM rap about monsters 😂); "Uninvited" (IDK pop maybe - freaking hilarious); "Murderer" (reggae hip-hop); "Hold On" (indie rock). Many more on the list, but that gives you a start (and some idea of how diverse/genre bending he is). Ren's discography is literally all over the place, and 🔥 at the same time. Crazy.
The first song on his new album, "Seven Sins," not only switches flows like 8 times, but changes melody and sound; it's like getting 5 songs in one. Great song, but more on the serious side; definitely thought-provoking if you listen to/read the lyrics.
He Raised £21,000 for the lifeboats that search for his friend joe and he played this song for joes parents too 🏴
I have stood on that Bridge and looked down in to the Menai Strait, the tides are terrifying. The RNLI searched for days to find Joe but never did. Ren raised over £21000 for the RNLI.
His song Power is fun!
The freckled Angel in the song is Joe Hughes, Ren's best friend who unfortunately in 2010 aged just 19 took his own life. You want something a little more upbeat from Ren try "Losing It" A Fisher rap retake. But he has a huge catalogue of stuff. And whatever you choose I am sure you won't be disappointed. The guy is an absolute genius. You could also check out the Big Push his band when he was Busking on the streets of Brighton.
Thanks Stevenwaters!! 🙏🏻…I thought so but I also bought it may have been a little brother or something! That is sad that people have to endure tragedy like that, but it can also make us stronger 💪🏻
Ren uses silence as punctuation, and focus, in many of his songs. The beautiful backdrop was Calgary, Canada (where he is undergoing medical treatment)
Ren got a call from another friend 3am
She said Joe was on the bridge saying goodbye he was going to jump
Ren was his friend from age 8 he lived nearest
He ran to the bridge was around 2 minutes late
And the Lifeboats were unable to find his body despite hours of searching. Ren went back to Anglesey and handed over a large cheque to the Royal National Lifeboat Association for their hard work that night and he also visited Joe's parents who asked him to play this track for them. That was the first time he'd been back since it happened
War Pigs cover by his band the Big Push!
I don't like listening to this one, always tear up, but at least it's getting moisture to my dry eyes. Maybe I can skip the eye drops for now.
Ren is a great poet. I am glad he is the one singing it, performing it, saying it, reading it. A poet will read his poetry with certain inflections to stress parts of it. Poetry isn't read like normal prose, it has rhythm and the writer of a poem will often stress "bars" or lines, with what people call "flow" because that is what poetry is. Someone, anyone, could pick up one of my poems and I would ask them to read it aloud. After he or she is done, I will take the same poem and read it aloud and ask if it sounds different, why does it now sound different, did they get it? Etc. What does it mean to you now? That is what hip-hop, rap and written rhyming lyrics any song is, it's poetry, and all have flow just set to different music or no music. Emotion is always in poetry, songs no matter the type. It's not just words. So thankful Ren can write it, perform it and let the world feel it.
We are the RENegades! welcome ! ❤
1990s is my favorite fun REN song
What you want is my favourite fun song
You are just seeing the start of Ren he is the best truly he os so humble independent would sell himself out and just wants to do good please do more reactions to him ..new sub
Try Losing it (FISHER Rap Version)‼
Ren wrote the song "Su!cide" about his struggles with depression and was ready to release it, but felt it was unfinished. He sat down at the piano and started writing - his thoughts about Joe just flowed out. It's the second "movement" of that song. For this song he combined that movement with other songs and snippets he'd written with Joe in mind so you may hear some of this elsewhere as you go through his catalog. The song "Freckled angels" is the title track of his first album. It's one he wrote for Joe's memorial service and is the end of this song.
Ren's been working on becoming an artist since at least 12 years old. He taught himself guitar, piano, singing, and several other instruments by watching RUclips videos and practice - lots of practice. Talent has to be there for sure, but he's worked his ass off to be the artist he is today at 33 years old.
Life has put him through the wringer with his illnesses and tragedy, and his song writing is very raw talking about that. He also grew up reading a lot of dystopian/political fiction like 1984, Animal Farm, and so on. Many of his songs are commentaries on society - some overt like the "Money Game" trilogy - some you have to look a little deeper like "The Tale of Jenny & Screech". But, he's also someone who loves music and you'll find quite a lot of songs where he's just having fun, paying tribute to his influences, and flexing. I would definitely recommend "Love Music" parts 1-4, "Losing It" (his remix of a Fisher EDM club beat), "What You Want" (a tribute to The Beastie Boys), or "Down on the Beat" (Ren having fun with his friend Viktus). Because Ren was bedridden during so much of his 20's, he's still somewhat of a teenager at heart so expect a lot of dick jokes when he's joking around.
What an emotional song! Holy shit, man! He's so damn talented at telling a story with real feeling to it...he really draws you in. An amazing artist he is. Keep 'em coming...I'm sure there are subs who know his music better than me, so I'm not gonna suggest any of his other music but I'll definitely listen when you post 'em. My suggestions are usually more obscure and will draw very minimal views, so you're better off not doing them anyways haha! Cheers!
Yeah, I agree Mike very deep stuff. We all have a inside personality who has a different way they want us to move through life. It's a constant battle!
The scenery is Calgary in Canada. It's literally just a guy and a piano on a hill singing and yet even after a dozen views I still tear up. If you want something completely different you should check out the often overlooked Halloween favourite of mine... Children of the Moon. It's really outside even Ren's normal. For fun you could also check out Uninvited or Love Music (any but #4 for a laugh). Or for rap you could do Losing It or the Hunger. For rock or covers you could go to his band The Big Push and do War Pigs or I Shot the Sheriff (the version with red suspenders) or even Bongo bong or Englishman in New York. You could even go for church music with harmonies... Swan Song... he really has something for everyone.
Thank you for your reaction. Power by Ren is quite uplifting, Animal Flow is fun. He songs with his band The Big Push ate a lot of fun. Check out I Shot The Sheriff/Road To Zion/Hip-hop or Englishman in New York.
He was in a band called The Big Push. Check out their cover of Bongo Bong - a very upbeat, happy song. And he has written many lighthearted songs also. I've been listening to his songs since March - great stuff.
Yes - he has fun Songs, try Losing it, bittersweet symphony or what you want. Thanks for the reaction
It was filmed in Calgary Canada while undergoing treatment.
Ren sang this for Joe's Parents at his wake. Truly Sad yet Beautiful.
Ren Gives the Gift of Understanding in many of his Artworks. Jenny and Screech with Violet Tales is a must and Money Games stay in order its a must as Ren Hides little Easter Eggs. Lol❤ great Reaction
Oh don't be surprised if you have a Comment From Ren Himself.
Ren is a Positive Humble Man that has gone through do much Mentally & Physically ❤
Loved the reaction! Subscribed! Thank you ❤
Other Fun songs from Ren: The Hunger, Illest of Our Time, Down on The Beat, Animal Flow, Dumb King Come & many more!
Please also consider reacting to Playing For Change: When The Levee Breaks ft. John Paul Jones of Led Zepplin/Led Zepplin cover - songs from around the world. Absolutely Stunning!
Im 53 and have connected with Ren's music over the last year. what a brilliantly talented soul. Glad to see you are about to embark on this Ren journey as well. I'll be enjoying your first reactions. and btw.. love the new video backdrops
Ren was in a band called
The Big Push
They did covers of Englisman in New York.
Or
Praise You
Both happy songs
Made me cry so good
Who Dey Brother, it's about his friend Joe Hughes.
Welcome to the world of Ren! Oh, you gonna get it all with Ren. “What You Want” is a fun song. I love everything from REN’s band The Big Push. They are 🔥🔥🔥. The rabbit hole is deep enjoy it all!
Another great reaction! Ren never disappoints.
Great reaction! I get choked up too, every time I listen to this song . For happy songs, my favourites are probably Power and Losing It. So much fun energy! I also love the Love Music series, 1 through 4, for a bit of fun (and admiration) have a look at Ren and Sam Tomkins- Blind Eyed ft Angry Car Park attendant. From the band Ren was a part of, the Big Push, look at Sweet Little lady, Bongo Bong, and of course, the most popular of all, I shot the sheriff/Road to Zion/Hip hop (the one where Ren wears the red braces. it has over 10.6 million views, can't miss it!)
I thought I was going to have to beat you with that stick at the beginning of your reaction, but you got there in the end. Thanks.
Fisher, the hunger, or his i shot the sheriff/road to Zion/hip hop or even blind eye ft Sam Tompkins the emcee version
Is not symbolic but Ren was literally running to the bridge, trying to stop his best friend since age 8 Joe , from jumping and was late couple of min ...
Money game 3 is an eye opener for us all. You Will really enjoy it
+1 sub let's see you sink in to Rens rabbit hole and his brain ;-)❤from the UK 🇬🇧
Happy Ren? Loads of it! Go for everything he did with his band The Big Push, both busking and in chilled backdrop style. Have a look at his duets with Sam Tomkins or Eden Nash. I'd also reach out to his busking with Chinchilla. His covers will make you smile I'm sure: Bittersweet Symphony or Right Here, Right Now. Off his Sick Boi album, The Hunger, Murderer, Animal Flow (all three have acoustic versions, all gems).
Check out “what you want” tribute to the beastie boys. Definitely a lighter side of Ren❤
Ren play bass drum piano he mixes his own beats produces beatboxes sings raps
What you want. Paying respect to beastie boys It’s nostalgia is his funniest song
For something happy try Love Music 1,2 &3...or maybe Losing It (Fisher re-take). Can't go wrong either way. My main musical taste is metal, but Ren? I was enchanted from the very first song. Enjoy the Rabbit Hole, you'll have a big bunch of RENegades along for the ride!
Great reaction thank you, keep going with Ren ❤❤❤
He's definitely got sime fun stuff. 1990's (not the live version), What You Want, Love Music parts 1-4, Humble, Children of the Moon just to nsme a few.
Awesome reaction, love music 1,2,3,4
Losing it
Humble
Ren fat boy slim cover
Ren was also in a band called the big push please check out I shot the sheriff road to Zion hip-hop,8 min version 🧠💥👍
What You Want is one of my favorites! An homage to the Beastie Boys. ☮️❤️😎
Subscribed to watch you continue the Ren journey. Loving your enthusiasm! I see others have already suggested some happier, upbeat tunes from him - I'm sure you'll enjoy them. The backdrop in the video is Calgary where Ren has been receiving treatment for the better part of a year now.
Happy Ren song = Love Music Part 3.
(Part 2 is happy, too. 😊).
New subscriber here. Thanks for the great reaction!
I am loving this music..so different! Thanks for subbing i hope you enjoy my content 🙏🏻💪💪
Hes actually self taught from watching YT videos of playing the guitar.
search "top current album sales" ren's in with a shout in the US top 10. if your in the US & can buy the album please do. thx from the UK. #11 right now.
If you do Jenny and Screech PLEASE do full version. DO NOT do Voilets tale separately. Jenny and Screech FULL VERSION include Voilets Tale and they will all be in order. You have to do them in order. Enjoy!
where on earth did you get the idea in your head to do this song next? Ya gotta listen to the comments, my man! This is either the second of two or the third of three, depending on how you look at it. You should have watched "Suicide" first, at least. Good news is that it's not too late to react to "Suicide!" But not now. You're ready for some fun:
Losing It
Uninvited
90's
Murderer
Love Music 1, 2, 3, & 4
What Went Wrong 1 & 2
What You Want
Great reaction, can't wait to see your next one! Enjoy!
Try The Uninvited from his new album for a happy love song - maybe!! 🤪
Try something different - War Pigs by The Big Push which is the band Ren was in
If you do Money Game please do them in order as well…. There are 3. Sooooooo Goooood
Losing It, Loco, Love Music parts 1 to 4 are all great if you want fun Ren
Great reaction dude!! Gets a sub from me instantly. Fun tracks try love music parts 1-4 they are all great!!!
🙏🏻🔥🔥🔥
Ren has so many different ‘types’ of songs… a fun one (for a change) is Bongo Bong (cover) or An Englishman in NY (cover) both with his band ‘The Big Push’. This song ‘For Joe’ - is about his childhood friend who committed suicide many yrs ago. Ren is still processing the loss; his first album was called Freckled Angel (Joe had freckles). This past summer Ren raised money to donate to the rescue team who spent several days searching for Joe; Ren visited Joe’s parents as well - some closure for him from this event that has been a huge part of his past. BTW, you mentioned that Ren was hit by the ‘good stick’.. but actually he’s been teaching himself guitar, piano, etc., since he was a child! (The setting was Toronto, I believe, where he’s receive treatment for his Lymes symptoms. Thanks for your reaction!!
It's Calgary, in Alberta, ;-)
😭😭😭 every time
Big Push, I Shot the Sheriff BUT do the one that include Road to Zion…. He’s in red suspenders.
Ren live like 10 minutes from the Bridge he got call from his friend she told him that Joe was on bridge wanted her to call tell everyone bye so Ren jump out of bed put on his clothes and took off running he knew it could run it in 5 minutes he call and got busy signal so he knew he was on phone he keep call last time he got no busy signal he was 2 minutes to late
make a playlist just for Ren. ok found it in your videos. Joe was his Best Friend.
Freckled angels is the song you should listen to not the live version
You have to check out Blind Eyed fr sam thompkins ALL VERSIONS and Humble ft Eden Nash or Love Music 1-3 (3 is my fave!)
❤❤
Do power, losing it for fun!
Pretty good reaction except for that Bengals sweatshirt. 😂
Thanks, Derrick, for the compliment. I Think:) :) :)
IF you react to an artists newest stuff you are obviously not gonna understand some references to older works. Not that you need to know who Joe was to fully understand the song and its context.
Am I imagining things or is the song playing a tad fast?