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.
Spellbound
Angels & Airwaves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't dig myself out
Something's out there pulling at me
Like a ghost most definitely, yeah
Like having sex while on fire
There's no putting you out
Always out there biting that leash
But you do it so delicately, yeah
Hey now, I'll never say I'm sorry
I was never that coy
Pull the pin, you're a crack my head
Either way, I'm better off dead, yeah
Your rope is gripping me much tighter
I will figure you out
Waiting for these cuts to sting
Knowing how my heart will bleed, yeah
That girl will be your end
And she'll bury you underground
She'll kill you now and then
When your heart has been spellbound
Some day I think I might scare ya
I'll be sneaking around
I'm a thief who would think it was fun
When you sleep, your alarm's undone, yeah
One day you'll know that I'm prowling
Am I creeping you out?
An enemy having bad intentions
Like Halloween as an intervention
That girl will be your end
And she'll bury you underground
She'll kill you now and then
'Cause your heart has been spellbound
And if you try to run
If it goes it comes around
It's not hard to die from love
When your heart has been spellbound
I'm so lost in desire
Can't dig myself out
Something's out there pulling at me
Like a ghost most definitely, yeah
That girl will be your end
And she'll bury you underground
She'll kill you now and then
'Cause your heart has been spellbound
And if you try to run
If it goes it comes around
It's not hard to die from love
When your heart has been spellbound
The song "Spellbound" by Angels & Airwaves is about being caught up in desire and obsession, and the danger that comes with it. The opening lines express the singer's feeling of being lost and unable to escape the pull of their desires. They compare their attraction to feeling like they are having sex while on fire, unable to be put out. The metaphor of a ghost evokes the haunting quality of this desire and the sense that it is a force beyond their control.
The middle section of the song shifts to a more aggressive tone, with the singer suggesting that they may become a threat to the object of their desire. The image of pulling the pin implies that they are ready to unleash their destructive impulses. The lines "Your rope is gripping me much tighter / I will figure you out" suggest that the object of their obsession is not necessarily reciprocating their feelings, but rather is manipulating and controlling them.
The chorus reinforces the idea that this infatuation is dangerous and potentially deadly. The image of being buried underground highlights the finality and darkness of the obsession. Overall, the song captures the intense, all-consuming nature of desire and the destructive force it can become when it is not reciprocated or fulfilled.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm so lost in desire
I am deeply consumed by my passion and cannot find my way out
Can't dig myself out
I am trapped in my longing and cannot escape
Something's out there pulling at me
There is a force drawing me towards something
Like a ghost most definitely, yeah
This force is eerie and certain
Like having sex while on fire
My desire is intense and all-consuming, like passion and flames
There's no putting you out
I cannot extinguish the flame of my longing for you
Always out there biting that leash
My desire is constantly gnawing at me, like a wild animal restrained by a tether
But you do it so delicately, yeah
Despite my all-consuming desire, you approach me with tenderness and care
Hey now, I'll never say I'm sorry
I will not express regret for my actions or feelings
I was never that coy
I was never hesitant or reserved in my pursuit of you
Pull the pin, you're a crack my head
Your actions will lead to my downfall, no matter what I do
Either way, I'm better off dead, yeah
No matter the outcome, I will suffer and be ruined
Your rope is gripping me much tighter
Your hold on me is growing stronger and more constricting
I will figure you out
I will discover your true motives and intentions
Waiting for these cuts to sting
I am anticipating the pain of being hurt by you
Knowing how my heart will bleed, yeah
I am aware of how deeply I will be wounded by you
That girl will be your end
You will be destroyed by the woman you desire
And she'll bury you underground
She will leave you buried and forgotten
She'll kill you now and then
Her actions will repeatedly cause you harm and pain
When your heart has been spellbound
When you are consumed by your desire for her
Some day I think I might scare ya
One day I may frighten or intimidate you
I'll be sneaking around
I will be lurking or hiding in secret
I'm a thief who would think it was fun
I am mischievous and enjoy the thrill of stealing or taking risks
When you sleep, your alarm's undone, yeah
I will slip past your guard and take advantage of your vulnerability
One day you'll know that I'm prowling
Eventually you will become aware of my scheming or plotting
Am I creeping you out?
Are my actions making you feel uneasy or uncomfortable?
An enemy having bad intentions
I am your adversary and plan to do you harm
Like Halloween as an intervention
My actions are like a scary holiday or an attempt to scare you straight
And if you try to run
If you attempt to escape your desire
If it goes it comes around
Your passion will inevitably return and consume you again
It's not hard to die from love
The intensity and pain of love can be lethal
When your heart has been spellbound
When you are consumed by your desire for someone
Lyrics © HIPGNOSIS SONGS GROUP, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Aaron Rubin, Ilan Rubin, Tom DeLonge
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
riserecords
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👽Wills-Suburban-Covers👽
Nice. And empire club members get what exactly?. Nice job sinking the ship before it's sailed 🤔🤨🤪
Phia Doren
SPEARHEAD ANTHEM
Tyronemannn
Nice one Robert Smith
justnTime077
@👽Wills-Suburban-Covers👽 nothing special. We were largely conned. SURPRISE!
jdogsful
it would be cool to see the blink boys featured in some tracks, and vice versa. it would warm the heart
Alex Batako Toons
Tom... lo hiciste de nuevo 💙🤘🏼🔥
Ericthekid77
Pixar lo aceptó
ivan zelaya
Un hombre de cultura ya veo. Me quito el sombrero Batako
VIKTOR GARCIA
Perfecta 👌🏻 🔥🔥🔥