With Man I Used to Be, Dax has delivered something that is deeply emotive, an experience which Lays bare all the pretense to get down to the bare bones of personal change. It is not just another song but a weak confession with a melody, which touches everyone who ever struggled with their past self.
The staging decisions are highly skilled in their economy. Instead of suffocating the message with pompous decorations, the minimalist style leaves room so that each word can breathe and each feeling can hit with all its weight. The minimalist instrumentation acts as a backdrop and it does not divert attention away, as Dax uses his voice to present the entire burden of his story.
The first thing that impresses is the merciless frankness. Dax does not romanticize his story and does not make himself a hero who comes out a winner. He rather gives the dirty, uncomfortable reality of growth, taking into consideration the pain of getting rid of old skin but also the necessity of this process. His weakness in delivery implies that these are not mere lyrics that he is singing, but real life things that he has experienced.
The song defines that common struggle of growing out of the person you used to be, even though that old self is at times less threatening or more comfortable. It is eerie when he confesses that he is half of what he once was–not less, but changed. It addresses the bravery that it takes to break apart the aspects of yourself that do not serve your development anymore.
The success of the song, “Man I Used to Be” is that it does not give some quick solutions or false hope. Rather, it exists in the uncanny zone between who we were and who we are becoming and loveliness lies in that dislocation. Dax has produced a piece of work that can only be experienced, as opposed to listened to, a lesson that is always necessary to be reminded of, that the greatest music is sometimes the most sincere in us.