Their first album, Short Bus, was released in 1995. The album was commercially successful, and included the hit single "Hey Man, Nice Shot". The song was somewhat controversial, as it was seen as capitalizing on the public suicide of Budd Dwyer. Kurt Cobain's suicide was widely rumored to have inspired the song, but the band refuted this. In need of a live band to tour the album, Patrick and Liesegang recruited Geno Lenardo on guitar, Frank Cavanagh on bass, and Matt Walker on drums. They would all later be featured in the video for the album's second single, "Dose".
Between Filter's first and second albums, the band became known for their soundtrack contributions, The first of these tracks, "Thanks Bro", landed on the Songs In The Key Of X: Music From And Inspired By The X-Files album. In 1996, Filter recorded and filmed the video for the song "Jurassitol", for The Crow: City of Angels soundtrack. They also released the home video Phenomenology in 1996, which showcased some of the band's live performances and music videos, as well as an interview with Patrick and Liesegang filmed in New Mexico.
Liesegang left in 1997 shortly after recording the Filter/The Crystal Method collaboration "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do" for the Spawn movie soundtrack, due to creative differences with Patrick. In 1998, for the X-Files film soundtrack, Patrick decided to keep the Filter name and recorded a cover of Harry Nilsson's "One".
Patrick continued with 1999's Title of Record with returning members Lenardo and Cavanagh, as well as Steve Gillis on drums, filling in the gap left by Walker after he left to work with The Smashing Pumpkins. Title of Record moved away from industrial rock somewhat, and resulted in the band's biggest hit, the mellow ballad "Take a Picture", along with other lesser-heard singles "Welcome to the Fold" and "The Best Things". The song "Take a Picture" is about a dispute on an aircraft, when Richard Patrick drunkenly stripped down to his boxers, alarming the other passengers.
The song "Captain Bligh" (after Vice-Admiral William Bligh of the HMS Bounty) was written by Patrick after leaving Nine Inch Nails and was about Trent Reznor's notoriously anti-social habits. "Miss Blue" is said to have been about Smashing Pumpkins bassist D'arcy Wretzky. She can be heard on the songs "Cancer", and "Take A Picture".
2002 saw the release of The Amalgamut, featuring the singles "Where Do We Go from Here?" and "American Cliché". "The Only Way (Is the Wrong Way)" was also featured in the first wave of Hummer2 commercials that year and in the 2003 movie Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Alan Bailey was recruited for live guitar when they set off to tour the album; however, the tour ended abruptly in a matter of weeks when Richard Patrick voluntarily checked himself into rehab. He has since tattooed his date of sobriety, September 28, 2002, on his forearm.
Richard Patrick was part of the supergroup The Damning Well, which has only released one track on the Underworld movie soundtrack in 2003, despite an entire album's worth of recording. While nothing has directly surfaced, it is rumored that some of the material from these sessions have been an influence or has been reworked in Filter's 2008 release Anthems for the Damned and Black Light Burn's first album Cruel Melody, due to the fact that Wes Borland was the guitarist of both The Damning Well and Black Light Burns.
Army of Anyone, a second supergroup side-project with drummer Ray Luzier and Stone Temple Pilots members Robert and Dean DeLeo, released its debut album on November 14, 2006. Low album sales, coupled with Richard Patrick's desire to do more work with Filter, led the band's break-up around mid-2007.
As Army of Anyone wound down, Patrick began working on material for a new Filter album, to eventually be titled Anthems for the Damned. Released to the public in May 2008, it was more serious in tone than some expected and expressed more of his mixed emotions regarding the state of the world and the state of his life.
On March 7, 2008, it was announced that Frank Cavanagh had reunited with Filter and would play as a live member at the Operation MySpace concert in Kuwait. It was confirmed at Operation MySpace that he would not be joining Filter on the full tour as he would be shipping off to Iraq in April. The only song played live during the March 10 performance by Cavanagh, now a Sergeant and Paralegal in the U.S. Army Reserve, was the band's first mainstream hit, "Hey, Man, Nice Shot".
Patrick also announced a remix album to Anthems For the Damned on November 4, titled Remixes For the Damned. Remixes For the Damned was released on November 21, 2008 in the U.S. and Canada, and internationally on December 1, 2008. The lead-off single was "I Keep Flowers Around".
A greatest hits album entitled The Very Best Things (1995-2008) was released March 31, 2009. It featured tracks from all four previous studio albums and various movie soundtrack contributions, but no new content. There are 14 tracks total, with some tracks being radio edits.
Filter started work working on a fifth album shortly after the release of the remix and greatest hits albums, with Bob Marlette as a producer. The album, said Richard Patrick, would be a lot heavier than Anthems for the Damned and was to have a song written for The Amalgamut on it. He also stated he would be moving away from the political lyrical content present in Anthems for the Damned.
When asked about the direction of his upcoming music style in an interview with Suicide Girls on September 13, 2008, Patrick said, "Actually the stuff I’m writing right now for a record that I’m going to release sometime next year is actually way more heavy industrial, more electronic. There’s probably not going to be that many live drums on it." It's important to note that he originally saw this album releasing in 2009, while it has now obviously slipped into 2010.
Richard Patrick has stated on the Filter website that he has been recording songs for movies recently. Filter covered the song "Happy Together" by The Turtles for the soundtrack to the movie The Stepfather (2009). The song features ambient sound with alternative metal.
Filter also contributed a new song "Fades Like a Photograph" for the soundtrack of the movie 2012 (2009). The song has a similar lyrical mood to "Take a Picture" and saw Patrick reuniting with former Filter co-conspirator, Brian Liesegang, who co-produced the track.
Through the end of 2009 and into 2010, Filter released a series of fourteen studio updates chronicling the progress made on the album. Each update touched on a certain part of the album process, such as "recording guitar parts" or "mixing the album". The last studio updates confirmed that the album recording had been completed. In their last studio video update, Richard Patrick showcased two clips from final mixed songs on iTunes that listed track listing and track lengths. While the video was legitimate, it was not the actual final track list, it was only a collection of new Filter songs on a playlist.
The album has been recorded, mixed and mastered, and band is currently signed with the label Rocket Science Ventures. Filter released a new single, "The Inevitable Relapse", as their first single on May 26th. The song is available on the band's official website as a free digital download. The Trouble with Angels will be released in August 17, 2010, with touring starting in the summer. The second track on the album, titled "Drug Boy," was released on the band's website on August 3rd.
Hey Man Nice Shot
Filter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now it's a little late
What you could've taught me
I could've saved some face
They think that your early ending was all wrong
For the most part, they're right
But look how they all got strong
That's why I say, "Hey man, nice shot"
Good shot, man
That's why I say, "Hey man, nice shot"
Good shot, man
A man has gun
Hey man, have fun
Nice shot
Now that the smoke's gone
And the air is all clear
Those who were right there
Got a new kind of fear
You'd fight and you were right
But they were just too strong
They'd stick it in your face
And let you smell what they consider wrong
That's why I say, "Hey man, nice shot"
Good shot, man
That's why I say, "Hey man, nice shot"
What a good shot, man
A man has gun
Hey man, have fun
Nice shot
A man has gun
Hey man, have fun
Nice shot, man
Nice shot, man
I wish I would have met you
I wish I would have met you, oh
I wish I would have met you
I wish I would have met you
I'd say, "Nice shot"
The lyrics to Filter's song Hey Man Nice Shot appear to be a reflection on someone's life, lamenting the fact that they never got the chance to meet this person and learn from them. The song suggests that this person suffered an early death, one that was perhaps met with some degree of controversy or disagreement. The line "they think that your early ending was all wrong" implies that not everyone agreed with the circumstances of this person's death. However, the song suggests that despite this, there is something to be admired in the way that this person handled their life and their struggles. The line "look how they all got strong" suggests that perhaps the person's death served as inspiration for others to overcome their own difficulties.
The chorus of the song, which repeats the phrase "hey man, nice shot," appears to be a reference to a specific incident involving a politician who committed suicide on live television. The phrase was allegedly spoken by a news anchor who was impressed with the politician's choice of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head as a means of ending his own life. The song has been interpreted as a criticism of this kind of sensationalism in the media, and as a commentary on the way that society values aggression and violence.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of frustration and anger at the world and the way that people behave towards one another. The line "they'd stick it in your face and let you smell what they consider wrong" suggests that there is a certain amount of hypocrisy and cruelty in the way that people treat one another. The song appears to be an attempt to come to terms with these kinds of issues and to find some way of making sense of them.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I would've met you
Regretting the missed opportunity of meeting someone who could have taught me valuable lessons
Now it's a little late
Realizing that it's too late to learn from that person
What you could've taught me
Acknowledging that the person had knowledge and wisdom to offer
I could have saved some face
Recognizing that learning from them could have helped me avoid embarrassment or shame
They think that your early ending was all wrong
Others believe that the person's tragic death was unjust or unnecessary
For the most part they're right
Admitting that there may be some merit to the criticism or objections raised by others
But look how they all got strong
Noting that despite the tragedy or injustice, others were empowered or emboldened because of it
That's why I say man, nice shot
Commenting on the irony of a tragic event that inadvertently produced a positive outcome
Now that the smoke's gone
Describing the aftermath of the tragic event
And the air is all clear
Implying that the situation has been resolved or calmed down
Those who were right there
Referencing those who witnessed or experienced the tragedy firsthand
Got a new kind of fear
Describing how the tragedy has left a lasting impact on those who were present
You'd fight and you were right
Acknowledging that the person stood up for what they believed in and was courageous
But they were just too strong
Recognizing that despite the person's bravery, the opposition was too powerful
They'd stick it in your face
Describing how the opposition arrogantly and aggressively flaunted their power
And let you smell what they consider wrong
Implying that the opposition's actions were immoral or unethical
That's why I say hey man, nice shot
Reflecting on the tragedy and how it was interpreted or perceived by others
I wish I would have met you
Reiterating the regret over not having the chance to learn from the person
I wish I would have met you
Reiterating the regret over not having the chance to learn from the person
I'd say nice shot
Acknowledging the impact the person had, despite the circumstances
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Richard Michael Patrick
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind