It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since Chester Bennington left this Earth.

To this day, I still cannot listen to “One More Light” without instantly breaking down. No matter how much time passes, I don’t think that’ll change.

Bennington had the ability to connect with an entire generation of people who felt alone, unwanted, and unloved. His music brought out our rebellious sides and gave us the confidence to stand up for ourselves, even if only for a short amount of time.

And that’s why his passing hurt so much to so many people. We didn’t know him personally, but he always felt like a friend, like someone on our side when no one else was.

Most people remember Bennington for his contributions to the massively successful Linkin Park, however, we can’t forget his side projects– one of those being the band Dead By Sunrise.

Dead By Sunrise was formed by Bennington in 2005 while he was writing songs for Linkin Park’s Minutes to Midnight. He realized he had a few songs that were too dark for the band, so he went ahead and started a new project with Julien-K members Amir Derakh, Ryan Shuck, Brandon Belsky, Elias Andra, and Anthony “Fu” Valcic.

The supergroup released one album, 2009’s Out of Ashes. A few of their songs charted in the U.S. (“Crawl Back In,” “Inside of Me,” and “Too Late”), but I want to focus on one of the lesser-known tracks from their album.

‘Give Me Your Name’

Bennington had no intention on including “Give Me Your Name” on Out of Ashes. After all, it was originally written for his wedding to his wife Talinda.

“Obviously I’m not a love song kind of guy, but I looked inside myself and those words came out,” He told MusicRadar. “It came out so good that I thought, hey, I should put this on the record. Maybe other people will use it for their weddings.”

It is, without a doubt, a very personal song, filled with raw emotion that perfectly highlights Bennington’s vocals.

Give me your hand,
Come walk with me girl.
Nothing’s that far when you’re near.
So come even closer to me,
Something so easy to do.

Little by little, this soft and sweet song builds to a powerful, climactic bridge:

With a smile into the ocean,
Inside of your arms,
Taking me deeper,
Giving me new life.

Bennington bared his soul and created a vulnerable and heartfelt testament to his feelings for his future wife. It’s a very touching tribute to Talinda.

I could go on about the intricacies of “Give Me Your Name,” but I think it’s best if you just listen to it yourselves. Who cares what I have to say.

And while you’re at it, you may as well just listen to the rest of the album. And then the entire Linkin Park discography. I promise, it’ll be worth your time.

I think we owe it to Chester to give his music another listen, anyway. A kind soul, gone far too soon.

If you or someone you know is going through a rough time, feeling depressed, or thinking about self-harm, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or visit their website here.

Featured image taken from Dead By Sunrise – Let Down (OFFICIAL Video) HD via DBSVideosHD.