It’s always strange when pop culture does an unexpected shift—when something you once appreciated suddenly takes on a new, unsettling context. You can still love it, but there’s a discomfort now, a queasiness that lingers when you engage with it.
That’s exactly what’s happening with Take My Hand by Matt Berry, a song that has recently gained newfound attention for its inclusion in the Netflix documentary about Gabby Petito. The case of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie is unsettling, and the details surrounding her murder and Laundrie’s subsequent suicide continue to fascinate and disturb people. But one particular aspect of the documentary has caught many off guard—the song that plays in its final scene.
Take My Hand isn’t a new song. It has existed for years since 2009.. it was simply a well-loved track with a loyal following. If you look at the comments on YouTube videos featuring the song, you’ll see people praising it as far back as a decade ago. Many have even called it a “national treasure.” It was a song that people simply enjoyed—one that evoked feelings of peace, nostalgia, or even joy.
But its use in the Gabby Petito documentary has altered its meaning for many listeners. The song was reportedly on Gabby’s playlist around late August 2021, shortly before her disappearance and murder. There is debate over whether she added it herself or if Brian Laundrie did, which adds an eerie layer to its inclusion in the documentary. And now, rather than just being a song associated with road trips, nature, and life’s simple pleasures, it’s forever linked to one of the most widely discussed true crime cases of recent years.
What makes Take My Hand even more unsettling in this context is that, in many ways, it encapsulates what Gabby Petito’s life appeared to be. She was building a brand as a travel vlogger, someone who wanted to appreciate nature, embrace adventure, and find happiness in the moment. Whether that was her reality or simply an image projected online is another conversation, but the song now feels like a haunting reflection of what she was striving for.
Hearing it in the documentary, knowing what happened to her, makes the experience even more painful. The song is beautiful, almost uplifting in its melody—but when paired with the tragic circumstances, it takes on a new, sorrowful weight.
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For longtime fans of the song, this change is unsettling. A song that once felt comforting or nostalgic now carries the weight of a murder-suicide and the lingering mysteries of the case. It has resurfaced on YouTube and playlists because of its association with the documentary, but now, listening to it feels different.
A few years ago, if you had it on your playlist, no one would have thought twice about it. Now, someone might hear it and immediately associate it with Gabby Petito’s tragic story. You may even find yourself having to explain why it’s still on your playlist. Some might view that as ghoulish, while others may understand that music often transcends the context it’s placed in.
There’s no right or wrong here. Personally, I still love the song and plan to keep it on my playlist. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t more uneasy when it comes on. When I heard it in the documentary, it hurt more than I expected. And now, when it pops up in my music rotation, I sometimes have to skip it—not because I don’t love it, but because I might not be ready for the emotions that come with it.
This is the strange, sometimes unsettling power of pop culture. A song, a movie, a piece of art—something that once held one meaning can suddenly take on another. And whether we embrace that shift or struggle with it, we can’t deny that it changes the way we experience it forever.
