Tom DeLonge began working new material during the blink-182's final tour in 2004 and shortly after they began their hiatus in February 2005. For half a year he worked alone in his home studio before gathering musicians to form the band. Upon fiddling randomly for several weeks with the band's logo, Tom suddenly realized that if he were to invert the middle "A" of the band 's acronym into what appeared to be a "V", he would have the name of his daughter, Ava. As rumors were floating around about the band's "break-up", DeLonge chose to abstain for half a year from any interviews surrounding the issue and his future plans; instead he concentrated on writing and recording in his home-based studio. In September 2005, he finally spoke publicly in Kerrang! magazine, where he unveiled the name of his new band, "Angels & Airwaves". The band included former Hazen Street guitarist and high-school friend David Kennedy, former Rocket from the Crypt drummer Adam Willard and former The Distillers bassist Ryan Sinn.
The band released their first single, "The Adventure" on May 18, 2006 and their debut album, "We Don't Need to Whisper", on May 23, 2006. Recorded and produced at DeLonge's Never Pants Ranch, the album is a mix of huge production values and anthemic songwriting sounding nothing like the pop-punk sound that earned DeLonge huge amounts of credit for his work with Blink-182
The band released new album "I-Empire" On 5th November, 2007 which gained fast popularity, climbing to the number one spot on iTunes almost overnight. The first single from the new album, "Everything's Magic", was leaked onto the internet, and on August 25, 2007 it was the most requested song on California radio station KROQ. Angels & Airwaves began streaming the song on their myspace profile on August 28, 2007. I-Empire debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at No.9 with sales of 66,000 in its first week. On November 16, 2007, Tom announced on Modlife.com that "Breathe" will be the next single/music video off of the I-Empire album. A documentary by the band entitled Start The Machine has also been released.
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Tom Delonge tradmarked the name "Angels and Airwaves" on June 24, 2005. The name apparently occured to him whilst driving in his car. Realizing this would be frequently abbreviated to "AAA", he decided to move the middle letter upside down for a more unique and personally meaningful "AVA" as his daughter is named Ava. This was amongst the lingering confusion of Blink-182's "indefinite hiatus" which later led to a confirmed split and the beginning of the band.
In an interview with British magazine Kerrang!, DeLonge commented about the band's beginning:
"Just before all the blink-182 stuff happened when we were in Europe, I had a really weird epiphany. My heart was beating about a hundred miles a minute for three weeks straight and it had never happened to me before in my life. I really felt like I'd been touched by something and I felt I was meant to do something massive."
Originally, "Valkyrie Missile" was stated for release via iTunes on December 13, 2005, DeLonge's 30th birthday. However, due to discussions with their record label, Geffen, the band decided to push the release date back to a later date. Instead, the Angels & Airwaves website produced the first ever glimpse at the movie currently in production, a 1-and-a-half minute long trailer featuring portions of the delayed song.
Angels and Airwaves released both a music video and a short film for their first single, "The Adventure"; the band also released a short film for "It Hurts" via the band's official website. Both are short sci-fi films and together form the first part of a proposed ten-part series, following the cast's struggle through an unfamiliar world. On October 3, 2006, the band released the third installment in the series, "The Gift".
"Do It for Me Now" was released in the US as the second single and "It Hurts" was released in the UK as the second single at the same time. The music video for "It Hurts" is in fact the short-film released on April 18th and was available to select on the UK music television channel Kerrang!.
In 2006, the band embarked on their first full-length tour, which was headlined by Taking Back Sunday and supported by Head Automatica and The Subways. Numerous one-stop dates at the Give It A Name 2006 festival were played with the likes of My Chemical Romance, Lostprophets, We Are Scientists, Hundred Reasons, Panic! at the Disco, The Bled, Thrice, Billy Talent, Goldfinger, Underoath, Paramore, The Ataris, Aiden and Atreyu. The band also played on The Late Show with David Letterman on May 15, 2006. The band headlined a tour in the US, supported by The Sounds, which ended with a stop in Mexico City, Mexico. After that tour, the band went to perform in Japan and Australia.
They also performed at two shows at London's Hyde Park and in Manchester supporting the Foo Fighters on their successful In Your Honor tour. Over 100,000 people over both days. Other bands they played with over the two days included The Strokes, Eagles of Death Metal, Motorhead, Queens of the Stone Age, Juliette and the Licks, and Brian May and Roger Meddows-Taylor from Queen.
Among the plans for a big future, AVA have announced they are planning on releasing a film involving their music. The World War II-based movie is being created primarily through the use of CGI. This "story" is apparently based upon Tom's life and will give viewers insight into the hiatus of blink-182. Currently, the only known cast member is Michael Ostman.
Tom DeLonge stated in his PR Editorial Review:
"So preachy, I know. And I don't mean for it to be. I wanted it to be the recording of an emotional event in my life. I love the idea of an album doing that, because I knew that if I could get 150,000 people in an arena to have the same feeling at the exact same moment, it would end up feeling like a religious event. I really want the room to be dark, with black light or a candle. People should have headphones on, and they should be really comfortable, maybe sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed. I spent a year and a half working on this record, trying my hardest to give people a moment of escapism. All I ask is 50 minutes of a lowered heart rate."
On 16 July 2007, the Angels & Airwaves website was updated to feature a teaser trailer in the startup. The trailer features the song Star Of Bethlehem playing over concert footage, quotes from critics about "We Don't Need To Whisper", and members of the band riding on motorcycles and riding in a truck.
Rite of Spring
Angels & Airwaves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a small brown house in suburban streets
With a skateboard and my shit guitar,
I dreamed all day that they would get me far.
My dad would ask me about my grades,
The asshole sports that I never played.
And then I'd ask about the girls he'd date,
Behind our back when mom had stayed up late.
Got kicked out of school and so it seemed,
Things were closing in and ready to blow.
My dad moved out about that year or so.
It took an hour to start a punk rock band,
To upset my fucked up family land.
And as I held my mum would start to cry,
I swore ourselves, a better life
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
The summers gone, the years have passed,
My friends have changed, a few did last,
The smallest dreams got pushed aside,
The largest ones that changed my life,
And all I wish for was come to past
From rock and roll, to love and cash
It's all success if it's what you need
Do what you like and do it honestly
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
(The whole wide world is mine)
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
(The whole wide world is mine)
The song 'Rite of Spring' by Angels & Airwaves is all about the journey of the singer who grows up to become a punk rocker defying his father's expectations. The song begins with the singer reminiscing about his early years being locked inside his house with the skateboard and the guitar. His father would question him about his academics, and he would retort by asking about his father's romantic conquests. When he came of age, he was kicked out of school, and his father moved out. That's when he started the punk rock band that would lead him away from his family's dysfunctional land. While holding his mother, he would swear to have a better life. The song goes on to talk about how he's content with his journey and wouldn't change a thing, as it's made him who he is on the inside. He's thankful for being alive and content with his little white lie, telling himself that the whole wide world belongs to him.
Line by Line Meaning
I was locked all day in the summer heat,
I spent the day inside a small suburban home, in the oppressive heat of summer.
In a small brown house in suburban streets
The house was situated on the streets of a typical suburban neighborhood.
With a skateboard and my s*** guitar,
I had only a skateboard and a bad guitar to keep me entertained.
I dreamed all day that they would get me far.
All day long, I daydreamed about achieving success and fame through my passions.
My dad would ask me about my grades,
My father was always concerned about my academic performance.
The a**hole sports that I never played.
He would also pester me about playing sports, which I had no interest in.
And then I'd ask about the girls he'd date,
In return, I would ask about the women he was seeing behind my mother's back.
Behind our back when mom had stayed up late.
These dates would occur when my mom had gone to bed.
It was near when I turned sixteen,
When I was almost sixteen years old,
Got kicked out of school and so it seemed,
I was expelled from school, and things started to look bleak.
Things were closing in and ready to blow.
I felt like things were getting worse and something was about to give.
My dad moved out about that year or so.
Around that time, my father moved out of our home.
It took an hour to start a punk rock band,
I quickly formed a punk rock band with some friends.
To upset my f***ed up family land.
This caused tension in my family, which was already dysfunctional.
And as I held my mum would start to cry,
As I comforted my mother, she began to cry.
I swore ourselves, a better life
I promised that we would have a better life someday.
If I had a chance for another try,
If I had the opportunity to go back in time,
I wouldn't change a thing
I wouldn't alter any of the events that led me to where I am now.
This made me all on who I am inside
My experiences have shaped me into the person I am today.
And if I could thank God
If I were to express gratitude towards a higher power,
That I am here, and that I am alive
It would be for the fact that I am alive and present in this moment of time.
And everyday I wake
Every morning that I wake up,
I tell myself a little harmless lie
I tell myself a small, insignificant lie
The whole wide world is mine
That I am in control of my life and the world around me.
The summers gone, the years have passed,
The summer has come and gone, and years have passed since my teenage years.
My friends have changed, a few did last,
Some of my friendships have endured, but many have faded away.
The smallest dreams got pushed aside,
My smallest aspirations were neglected, and put on the backburner.
The largest ones that changed my life,
My biggest dreams had a transformative impact on my life.
And all I wish for was come to past
All I ever wanted had come to fruition.
From rock and roll, to love and cash
Throughout my life, my motivations changed from wanting to make it big in music, to wanting love and money.
It's all success if it's what you need
Success can be measured by your own personal needs and desires.
Do what you like and do it honestly
Follow your passions and be true to yourself in everything you do.
Yo oh oh oh
A vocal interlude.
Yo oh oh
Another vocal interlude.
Yo oh oh oh
A further vocal interlude.
Yo oh oh
One final vocal interlude before the chorus.
The whole wide world is mine
The world belongs to me, or at least that's what I tell myself to keep going.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: THOMAS DELONGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jay Bouchard
“I swore ourselves a better life”
“It’s made me all who I am inside”
“Do what you like and do it honestly”
These lines hit different
Be a decent person. An honorable person. A dependable person. A person that always does the right thing. Be an HONORABLE person. Be a person that spreads happiness
Happiness is what it’s all about in life if you think about it
Sangbawi Guite
Lyrics
I was locked all day in the summer heat,
In a small brown house in suburban streets
With a skateboard and my shit guitar,
I dreamed all day that they would get me far.
My dad would ask me about my grades,
The asshole sports that I never played.
And then I'd ask about the girls he'd date,
Behind our back when mom had stayed up late.
It was near when I turned sixteen,
Got kicked out of school and so it seemed,
Things were closing in and ready to blow.
My dad moved out about that year or so.
It took an hour to start a punk rock band,
To upset my fucked up family land.
And as I held my mum would start to cry,
I swore ourselves, a better life
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
The summers gone, the years have passed,
My friends have changed, a few did last,
The smallest dreams got pushed aside,
The largest ones that changed my life,
And all I wish for was come to past
From rock and roll, to love and cash
It's all success if it's what you need
Do what you like and do it honestly
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
(The whole wide world is mine)
Simone Ravo
Thank you Tom.
I was locked all day in the summer heat,
In a small brown house in suburban streets
With a skateboard and my shit guitar,
I dreamed all day that they would get me far.
My dad would ask me about my grades,
The asshole sports that I never played.
And then I'd ask about the girls he'd date,
Behind our back when mom had stayed up late.
It was near when I turned sixteen,
Got kicked out of school and so it seemed,
Things were closing in and ready to blow.
My dad moved out about that year or so.
It took an hour to start a punk rock band,
To upset my fucked up family land.
And as I held my mum would start to cry,
I swore ourselves, a better life
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
The summers gone, the years have passed,
My friends have changed, a few did last,
The smallest dreams got pushed aside,
The largest ones that changed my life,
And all I wish for was come to past
From rock and roll, to love and cash
It's all success if it's what you need
Do what you like and do it honestly
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
Yo oh oh oh
Yo oh oh
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
(The whole wide world is mine)
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn't change a thing
This made me all on who I am inside
And if I could thank God
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
(The whole wide world is mine)
crntn96
I was locked all day in the summer heat,
In a small brown house in Suburban Street,
With a skateboard and my shit guitar,
I'd dream all day that they would get me far,
My dad would ask me about my grades,
The asshole sports that I never played.
And then I'd ask about the girls he'd date,
Behind our backs when mom would stay up late.
It was near when I turned sixteen,
Got kicked out of school, and so it seemed
that things were closing in and ready to blow,
My dad moved out about that year or so,
It took an hour to start a punk rock band
To offset my fucked up family land
And as I held my mom would start to cry
I swore ourselves a better life
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn’t change a thing
It's made me all of who I am inside
And if I could thank god
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
The summers gone, the years have passed,
My friends have changed, a few did last,
The smallest dreams got pushed aside,
The largest ones that changed my life,
And all I wish for has come to pass
From Rock N Roll, to love and cash
It’s all success if it’s what you need
Do what you like and do it honestly
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn’t change a thing
It's made me all of who I am inside
And if I could thank god
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
Hey yo oh oh oh
Hey yo oh oh
Hey yo oh oh oh
Hey yo oh oh
Hey yo oh oh oh
Hey yo oh oh
Hey yo oh oh oh
Hey yo oh oh
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn’t change a thing
It's made me all of who I am inside
And if I could thank god
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
[x2]
TRHenry Vlogs
He is literally singing about the things that started Blink, this is one awesome song. Thank you Tom.
Daniel gibeault
Hunter Henry that's so cool
thekardo444
it's the second part of Dick Lips of Blink 182
King Nomad
Such an amazing experience he has given us, and he keeps on giving❤️
D V
Yeha he said in a 2009-2010 interview this song is purely about blink
Roxxy
Yeah it's about him and Mark starting blink-182 after the divorce.
Walle Clyde
The chorus is very powerful because of how true it is to me. I had a rough life...Going through the foster care system at 2 weeks old. Getting diagnosed with Autism around 8 or 9. Suffering from depression throughout the last few years of HS. But I wouldn't change a thing, because of who I am today and all the people I wouldn't have met, most notably being my sister.
David Smith
Well done buddy ! You are the person you are for this !
pratham kamath
Hang in there bud, you're gonna rock!
Walle Clyde
@davidsmith8950 Thanks, man! I'm in a much better place than I was back then.🤘