In 1999, the band released their debut album, the tongue-in-cheek titled 'Greatest Hits'. It went on to win "Best Independent Album" in the L.A. Music Awards and has picked up a big fan response. In 2000, after forging a friendship with the alternative rock band Papa Roach, Alien Ant Farm signed with DreamWorks SKG for their first major studio album, called 'ANThology'. The band's tunes showcased an energetic sound that featured humorous, often cynical lyrics and a desire to take in all kinds of musical influences.
In 2001, their cover of the Michael Jackson song, "Smooth Criminal", was a #1 single in both Australia and New Zealand as well a #3 single in the United Kingdom and #1 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart. The song's music video features numerous homages to Michael Jackson's life and career as well as Jackson's many videos. The song was featured on the soundtrack of the first season of 'WWE Tough Enough' and in the movie 'American Pie 2'. Their following single, "Movies", also featured a quirky music video with references to classic films such as 'The Karate Kid' and 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'. The tune became top 5 hit in the U.K. and a top 20 hit in New Zealand. The band began touring in promotion of these two singles and their album, which later went platinum.
In spring of 2002, the band contributed the track "Bug Bytes" to the first 'Spider-Man' soundtrack, giving them even more exposure after the Tobey Maguire film's major success. However, tragedy struck the group. In May 2002, the band was involved in a bus accident while touring in Spain. The driver, 26-year-old Christopher Holland, was killed, and lead singer Dryden Mitchell suffered a fractured C2 vertebra. The horrific event scarred the group permanently, and many fans speculated that the band might have to go on a long hiatus or even fold for a while.
Nontheless, Alien Ant Farm soon returned to the studio to work on their next album, titled 'truANT', which was released in 2003. Produced by Stone Temple Pilots' Robert and Dean DeLeo, the work found the band doubling down on their past style. The video for "These Days", the first single from the album, was filmed on top of a nearby building during the Red Carpet at the 2003 BET Awards. While that tune ended up having more modest success that the band had hoped, song "Glow" was a mainstream radio success, achieving long lasting Top 20 success in New Zealand. Two months after this album was released, however, the group's record label closed its doors. Some fans speculated that the outfit had some kind of black cloud of bad luck around them, despite the guys' talents.
In October 2003, guitarist Terry Corso split with the band, citing "irreconcilable differences". Soon after, he joined the popular alternative metal outfit Powerman 5000 for a time. Joe Hill was named the new guitarist in 2005. The musician had formerly served in the underground California rock outfit Spiderworks.
In 2004, the band recorded the song "Dark in Here" for the Punisher video game. Unfortunately, the band was forced to wait for Geffen to allow them to record another album. Label Universal Music had bought DreamWorks and assigned the band to the Geffen Records company, and it appeared as if corporate shenanigans had stopped the band's momentum in its tracks, the mainstream popularity having faded.
In 2005, the band recorded with producer Jim Wirt (who recorded their independent, debut release "Greatest Hits") and planned to release the album during that summer. However, Geffen shelved the album and subsequently denied the band the rights to release it themselves. The band hit the road and made bootleg copies of the album material available to all of their fans. This unofficial release was dubbed 3rd Draft by fans.
In late 2005, Geffen finally agreed to let the band release the album on another Universal label, Universal Music Enterprises (its catalogue division). On May 4, 2006, information began showing up on music store websites and release calendars about an upcoming release from the band. The band also released information about a DVD that same day. On May 30, 2006 the new album, Up in the Attic, was released digitally on iTunes. The first single was "Forgive and Forget", the one added track to 3rd Draft.
In April 2006, bassist Tye Zamora left the band and decided to go to college. He was replaced by Alex Barreto (formerly of hardcore bands Chain of Strength, Hardstance, and Inside Out). On June 29, 2006, the band performed on G4's Attack of the Show, and on July 18, 2006, Up in the Attic was released worldwide, along with BUSted: The Definitive DVD. Included on the DVD were music videos for "Forgive and Forget", "Around the Block", and "She's Only Evil". Notably, the three videos feature only Dryden Mitchell and Mike Cosgrove.
Since the July 2006 release of Up in the Attic, very little has happened. Their website remained unupdated from November 2006 until April 2007, the update promoting the Alien Ant Fans website, created by a long time Polish fan, Bartek.
The band released Around the Block, the second single from Up in the Attic, on iTunes Store in 2007.
On February 11, 2008, the band posted a statement on their website saying all the original members of the band are back together. It was also revealed that the band had "unofficially broken up" in 2007 due to the fact that 2006's Up in the Attic was their least successful album. Around this time, vocalist Dryden Mitchell formed a new band, Send the Sages. Guitarist Terry Corso and drummer Michael Cosgrove worked on a side project titled Ghost In The Flesh, bassist Tye Zamora worked with the band eEnik. Alien Ant Farm toured sporadically, and released a new live album, Alien Ant Farm: Live In Germany.
In 2009, they played the Sonisphere Festival in Knebworth, UK on August 1. They had also performed "Smooth Criminal" at the 2009 Vans' Warped Tour in memory of Michael Jackson, who had recently died.
On February 9, 2010, Alien Ant Farm posted on their official website that the original line up (Dryden Mitchell, Terry Corso, Tye Zamora and Mike Cosgrove) was back together for the first time since 2003. On February 27, 2010, the Alien Ant Farm official website released the band's first "webizode" titled Bassmasters.
Always And Forever and upcoming sixth studio album (2011–present)
Alien Ant Farm playing in 2015
The band's "ANTicipation" 2011 Tour took place across the continental U.S. from July to October 2011. They also took part in the "Michael Forever Tribute Concert" which took place on October 8, 2011 in Cardiff, Wales. Alien Ant Farm started writing new material and in July 2012 started recording their fifth album, Always and Forever, at Groovemaster Studios in Chicago in July 2012. In March 2013 they set up a crowdfund, using PledgeMusic, to finance the album's release. The first single from Always and Forever, "Let 'Em Know", was released in May 2013. Also in the summer of 2013, Alien Ant Farm participated in "The Big Night Out Tour", opening for Hoobastank and Fuel.
Founding member and bassist Tye Zamora left Alien Ant Farm in March 2014 and was replaced by Tim Peugh. At the same time, Michael Anaya joined as a touring member of the band, providing backing vocals, percussion, and keyboards. Another single, Homage, was released in September 2014, followed a month later by E.P. Phone Home. The album Always and Forever was released on February 24, 2015.
On March 31, 2016, Alien Ant Farm announced on their official Facebook page that they were writing material for a new album.
On May 17, 2016, the band took part in the Make America Rock Again super tour throughout the summer and fall of 2016. In addition, they announced a headlining tour where they intend to perform the album Anthology in its entirety. In 2018 they toured as part of the "Gen-X Tour", alongside Buckcherry, P.O.D., and Lit.
On May 8, 2020, the new single "Everything She Wants" was released digitally on streaming services. It is a cover of the song by Wham!.
Attitude
Alien Ant Farm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe waves crash like semi-trailer
Maybe I'll spend my off-time without you
It seems like we need our own space
And all the time I wasted away
I don't feel good unless you stay
And all the time I chased you away
[Chorus]
Your solitude is welcome
Your attitude is welcome
All you see is red lights behind me
Maybe this isn't what you wanted, baby
I don't blame you falling backwards
No one's ever quite confused you this way
And all this time we wasted away
We don't feel good unless we're gray
And all the times I chased you away
I simply don't feel good
[Chorus]
All this time, we heard alarms
Come to find, we fell apart
This whole thing has crashed down, crashed down
All this time, we heard alarms
[Chorus]
You are welcome
The Alien Ant Farm song Attitude is a poignant reflection on a relationship that has lost its way due to conflicting behaviors and the need for personal space. The singer acknowledges that his actions may have been confusing, and describes how the relationship has become about constantly chasing each other, unable to find any stability. The line "Maybe waves crash like semi-trailer" is particularly striking, representing the destructive force of their actions colliding.
The chorus, "Your solitude is welcome, your attitude is welcome," is a bittersweet expression of acceptance - acknowledging that their differences may not allow them to be together, but still finding value in the other person's presence. The repeated phrases "All this time, we heard alarms" emphasize the urgency of the situation, as if warning that time is running out to salvage what remains.
Overall, Attitude is a complex exploration of the push-and-pull of relationships, and the importance of recognizing when personal space and differing attitudes may be irreconcilable.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe I act on confused behaviour
I sometimes act in a way that is not clear to myself and others
Maybe waves crash like semi-trailer
Perhaps there are big obstacles in our way that are hard to overcome
Maybe I'll spend my off-time without you
Sometimes I need to be alone without you
It seems like we need our own space
It seems like we need some time and distance to figure things out
And all the time I wasted away
I regret all the time that we lost
I don't feel good unless you stay
I feel incomplete without you
And all the time I chased you away
I pushed you away at times for no good reason
Simply to catch back up with
Only to try to reconcile with you later
Your solitude is welcome
It's okay if you want to be alone sometimes
Your attitude is welcome
I accept you for who you are
All you see is red lights behind me
You only see my flaws when you look at me
Maybe this isn't what you wanted, baby
Maybe our relationship is not working out as planned
I don't blame you falling backwards
I understand if you want to take a step back
No one's ever quite confused you this way
No one has ever made you feel as confused as I have
All this time, we heard alarms
We ignored warning signs that our relationship was failing
Come to find, we fell apart
We realized that our relationship is over
This whole thing has crashed down, crashed down
Our relationship has completely failed
You are welcome
I accept you no matter what
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: YOUSSEF SOUKOUNA, STEEVIE LEGENTY, OUMAR SAMAKE, JUNIOR BAPTISTE, BRIAN EBATA, MAKAN FOFANA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Žana Ladiha
Maybe I act on confused behavior
Maybe waves crash like semi trailer
Maybe I'll spend my off time without you
It seems like we need our own space
And all the time I wasted away
I don't feel good unless you stay
And all the times I chased you away
Simply to catch back up with
Your solitude is welcome
Your attitude is welcome
All you see is red lights behind me
Maybe this isn't what you wanted baby
I don't blame you falling backwards
No one's ever quite confused you this way
And all this time we wasted away
We don't feel good unless we're gray
And all the times I chased you away
I simply don't feel good
All this time, we heard alarms
Come to find, we fell apart
This whole thing has crashed down, crashed down
All this time, we heard alarms
You are welcome
Zane Priest-Lakey
2022 and AAF still one of the most underrated, the chemistry between bass lyrics and drums is immaculate
Rodney Eldorado
Well said!
Samhian Blackmoon
indeed my friend 👊🏽
Phil Hipp
let's not forget the video
Tibor Pap
true...
Terilyn Erickson
There not underated.. they are overlooked.
Sam Hunt
AAF get nowhere near the amount of credit they deserve. Such an underrated band.
mart f
true
kritischer konsument
Szaam so true, i only hearded smooth criminal in the past. now im exploring more songs and its awesome
-redacted
Szaam I agree. they might have got noticed by smooth criminal but they had way too much to offer yet no one took notice of good music. people are fickle.they see in black and white.But this attitude is welcome!