Alternative rock band Say Anything recently released their 4th Full Length album entitled “Say Anything.” As a departure from their usually pessimistic lyrics, Say Anything’s lead singer/songwriter Max Bemis decided to write an optimistic call to action.

In the song, Bemis cries “You could do better, You could be the greatest man in the world” These lyrics remind me of the teachings of Anthony Robbins and other popular motivational speakers.  Take a listen:

In a recent AP podcast interview Max went into detail about this particular track, it’s a very good listen check it out on itunes by clicking here, also Mike Riggs of The Washington City Paper had this to say about “Do Better”:

“Take the best track from Say Anything (the album), “Do Better.” The chorus goes like this:

You could do better, you could do better/
You could be the greatest man in the world/
You could do better, you could do better/
You could be the greatest man in the world.

Gender exclusivity aside, this is a great chorus. It is a) positive and b) catchy and c) sincere. Pop music is really good at being all three of those things, but not all pop songs are good at being all three of those things at the same time and still being good songs. And, gender exclusivity aside (again), this song has nothing to do with being a man in the context of a romantic relationship. It’s about living so fully that it doesn’t matter if you are the best at something, because you feel like “the greatest man in the world” for the magnitude of your efforts.”

That’s a message I can stand behind.

Check out the entire album on Amazon here.