Tim Bergling
Legacy Name: Tim Bergling

• Name: Tim "Avicii" Bergling
• Lived: 8 September 1989 - 20 April 2018
• 

Wake me up when it’s all over

Wake Me Up might not have been the very first song, by Avicii, that I heard. But it was certainly the first one that really stuck with me. There hasn’t been a single time when it’s been played on the radio that I haven’t sung along to it. I loved it from the get-go. Tim’s music has filled my life with so much joy and happiness. Different days have had a different song that I’ve pretty much listened to on repeat. Singing along every time.
He was a master at what he was doing, as so many artists around the world now know. All of the ones that worked with him know that he was very particular about how a song should sound. Some might have called him a perfectionist, but it was all down to the fact that he knew beforehand how he wanted the song to sound. Like Wyclef Jean says in the documentary Avicii: True Stories Tim had the symphony in his head, just like Michael Jackson and Johann Sebastian Bach did.

when I’m wiser and I’m older.

I can’t think of a single song of his that I dislike. Sure, I might not prefer to listen to the song Somewhere in Stockholm but I can listen to it no problem if it starts playing. It’s just not a song that I would actively choose to play.
Out of all of his songs, that I’ve heard so far, I do have some favorites. On the top of that list is without a shadow of a doubt Broken Arrows. I love the lyrics as well as the music itself. The line Cause I see you for you and your beautiful scars is such a moving piece of lyric to me. Any song that has to do with accepting a person, flaws and all, will always grab me. It’s the biggest reason I love John Legend’s All of Me as much as I do. Because of the beautiful line Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections.
Up next on the list we have Trouble, which also has amazing lyrics and equally as amazing music. It’s a song that’ll always put a smile on my face because the entire song is uplifting.
Also one of my top Avicii songs is The Days. The combination of Tim’s brilliance and Robbie Williams’ vocals is a winner to me. I’ve been a fan of Robbie Williams pretty much ever since he left Take That so it was almost a given that I’d love this collaboration. And again, the quality of the music and lyrics make it even better.
Shame On Me also makes my list. First time I heard this song after getting the True album I was hooked. The music, that almost jazzy feel it’s got in certain parts. I just can’t help but love it. I loved it so much that I used part of it as my ringtone for a while.
Last but certainly not least on my top five Avicii songs is Liar Liar. Honestly the reason I got hooked on this one was because of the simple reason that I love how the guy sings the chorus. Plus it has a nice beat to it.

All this time I was finding myself and I

It was my mom that told me of Tim’s passing. She asked me in the evening of April 20th 2018 if I’d heard the news. I didn’t know what she was referring to and told her as much. Then she told me that Avicii was dead and that they hadn’t gone out with how or why he died. The realization of it all didn’t really hit me until the next day. I sat down at my pc and started listening to his songs. It didn’t take long before my eyes were watering. I couldn’t believe that he was gone. Many celebrity deaths have made me sad, some more than others, but only two have affected me as fundamentally as those of Robin Williams and Avicii. Robin was a part of my life for much longer than Avicii but Tim’s death still shook me to my core. Just thinking of him can bring tears to my eyes.
As I was browsing the website of a Swedish TV channel I saw that they had the documentary available for viewing. I didn’t hesitate a second before clicking it. What ensued was almost an hour and a half of smiles and tears. And lots and lots of frustration at seeing how he was pushed around by his management. Even after telling them how stressed he got every time he had to go up on stage they pushed him to do more shows. After he got pancreatitis and, then subsequently had his appendicitis and gallbladder removed after they burst, he barely had time to get out of the hospital before they were planning even more shows. When he decided to stop touring in 2016 he still had to do more shows after making that decision because they had already been booked. Talking with his team about the shows he had left to do almost made him have a panic attack.
When his family released the statement about his death being a suicide I have to say that I wasn’t surprised. Sure, at the end of the documentary he seemed so much happier than before but his body never had a chance to fully recover from the damages it had suffered. I know that I have no real idea of the exact reason for his suicide but my guess is that he was tired of living like he was, and knowing that he would never be fully healthy ever again.
I’m looking forward to listening to his third, and final, album when it’s released. I’m sure I will love all of the songs on it. And cry while listening to all of it.

I will miss you forever, Tim Bergling. You were too good for this world...

didn’t know I was lost.

Credits

Text by me. Overlay by Shiny. Quote from the songs Broken Arrows and Wake Me Up by Avicii. Speakers by mostpato, modified by me. DJ turntable graphic from Stmed. Equalizer graphic from Wallpaperswide.