Ben Jorgensen created Armor for Sleep in 2001 and Nash Breen and PJ DeCicco later joined the band after leaving fellow New Jersey band Prevent Falls. He stated that the name of the band comes from his early experiences of writing music and not being able to sleep. After distributing demos Albany, New York-based indie label Equal Vision signed the band and released their first two concept albums: Dream to Make Believe, released in 2003, and What to Do When You Are Dead, released in 2005.
What to Do When You Are Dead spawned the popular singles "Car Underwater" and "The Truth About Heaven," receiving lots of airplay with their music videos. Each song on the album tells the story of the protagonist's suicide as well as his journey through the afterlife. The story goes through moments of personal introspection at the positive and negative aspects of his life while he quietly visits important locations of his past life without disturbing anyone. Analyzing the lyrics of each track, you can see him progress through the Kübler-Ross 5-stage model of grief management as he initially denies his situation, then wishes for a reversal, and finally accepts his fate. The album ends with the character finally coming to grips with his decision, and his spirit continues on, having completed his business in this life. Initial copies of the CD came with a bonus DVD that featured live footage of the band as well as the music videos for "My Town" and "Dream to Make Believe," both from Dream to Make Believe. It also included a making-of documentary and a small booklet titled "What to Do When You Are Dead: A Comprehensive Guide to The Afterlife" which featured satirical ways to cope with death should you unexpectedly perish. A remix by Machine Shop of "Remember to Feel Real" was featured on Snakes on a Plane: The Album in August 2006. A new song, "End of the World," was featured on Transformers - The Album. That song would be on their third and final album, Smile for Them, released through their new label Sire/Warner Bros..
Armor for Sleep released their first single from Smile for Them, "Williamsburg," on September 18, 2007, through iTunes. "Hold the Door" also received indie radio airplay. They played on Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution tour in 2008 on the US leg Revolution Stage to promote the album.
The band's final release, The Way Out Is Broken, was an EP released digitally on September 5, 2008. Fans were able to purchase download cards during the band's run on Projekt Revolution to use to download the EP on the release date.
On October 28, 2009, it was officially announced that Armor for Sleep would disband. Ben Jorgensen wrote a statement on AltPress.com informing fans of the inevitable, after the band had been inactive and not performing for over a year. Ben Jorgensen has since taken on a solo project and was associated with God Loves a Challenge with Sierra Shardae. PJ DeCicco has also moved on playing in Love Automatic with former Senses Fail bassist Mike Glita.
The band has embarked on multiple reunion tours, and played multiple reunion shows, the first of these being at Bamboozle 2012. They played three more shows following the festival appearance and then disbanded again. The band then announced an eight city tour to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their album What To Do When You Are Dead. On February 24, 2020, the band announced they would be reuniting for a summer tour with nineteen tour dates to celebrate the 15th anniversary of What To Do When You Are Dead. The tour was later postponed due to COVID-19, and later in year postponed dates for 2021 were announced.
Armor For Sleep officially returned with their new single How Far Apart on July 7, 2022. The band has signed back on to Equal Vision Records and are set to release their fourth full length album The Rain Museum in early September 2022.
Smile for the Camera
Armor for Sleep Lyrics
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Everyone that's in your life
Is only being paid off
By a T.V. studio
And every conversation
Everyone's had with you
Was scripted by the writers
Living in Los Angeles
Smile for the camera
Put on a show for the viewers back home
Hide the truth so they'll never know
You hate what you got
Can't you love what you got?
So smile for the cameras that keep rolling
What if you find out
Everything that's in your life
Was only put in front of you
By people waiting for you to fall
And every time you trip up
It's all just a game
Nothing's really mattered
Nothing was as bad as you thought it was
Smile for the camera
Put on a show for the viewers back home
Hide the truth so they'll never know
You hate what you got
Can't you love what you got?
So smile for the cameras that keep rolling
The banquet the reception, it was all for you
Affectionate obsession from the masses grew
But little do they all know
You're just scared
You're just scared of when they'll write you off your own show
Put on a show for the viewers back home
Hide the truth so they'll never know
You hate what you got
Can't you love what you got?
So smile for the cameras that keep rolling
Love what you got, can't you love what you got?
The song "Smile For the Camera" by Armor For Sleep deals with the theme of living a fake and scripted life on camera. In the first verse, the lyrics question the authenticity of relationships and conversations in someone's life, suggesting that everything is orchestrated by a TV studio and scripted by writers in Los Angeles. The chorus urges the individual to "smile for the camera" and put on a show for the viewers at home, hiding any negative emotions or opinions. The second verse continues this theme, suggesting that everything in the individual's life has been artificially created and presented, waiting for them to fall so it can be captured on camera. The bridge highlights that the individual is aware of the façade they are living and that they are scared of being written off their own show.
The lyrics of this song are a commentary on the pressure from society and media to present a perfect and happy image at all times, even if it is not reflective of reality. The chorus's repetition urges the individual to continue pretending, hiding their struggles and emotions to maintain the image they have created. The bridge adds depth to the message that the individual is aware of the falseness of it all, but is powerless to escape it. Ultimately, "Smile for the Camera" is a reminder that everything we see on television or social media is not necessarily real, and the importance of being true to oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
What if you find out
Imagine realizing that
Everyone that's in your life
All the people you know
Is only being paid off
Are being compensated to be there
By a T.V. studio
By the producers of a television show
And every conversation
Every talk you've had
Everyone's had with you
That people have had with you
Was scripted by the writers
Was pre-written by the writers
Living in Los Angeles
Living in the city of Los Angeles
Smile for the camera
Pretend to be happy for the sake of the cameras
Put on a show for the viewers back home
Act differently for the audience at home
Hide the truth so they'll never know
Conceal the reality so they'll remain ignorant
You hate what you got
You dislike what you have
Can't you love what you got?
Why can't you appreciate what you have?
So smile for the cameras that keep rolling
Keep faking it for the cameras
Everything that's in your life
Everything that's happening in your life
Was only put in front of you
Was simply presented to you
By people waiting for you to fall
By envious individuals hoping for your failure
And every time you trip up
And every mistake you make
It's all just a game
It's all part of the game
Nothing's really mattered
Nothing was truly significant
Nothing was as bad as you thought it was
Things weren't as terrible as you believed
The banquet the reception, it was all for you
The fancy events were organized just for you
Affectionate obsession from the masses grew
An obsessive fondness from the public developed
But little do they all know
But they're all unaware
You're just scared
You're only afraid
You're just scared of when they'll write you off your own show
You're apprehensive about being eliminated from your own program
Love what you got, can't you love what you got?
Don't you feel you should value what you have?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ben Jorgensen, Peter James Decicco, Anthony Diionno, Nash Breen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind