While writing material for a fourth Filter album, Richard Patrick linked up with the DeLeo brothers for help. The result of their meeting was a track called "A Better Place". A few days later, they decided to form a new band. Ray Luzier was called to audition after the DeLeo brothers were impressed with Ray's sound check at a show. Luzier joined the band later after a successful auditioning. The band had recorded more than 30 songs in Patrick's home studio, 11 of which would make their way on to their debut album. Army of Anyone's debut album was originally slated for an early 2006 release.
Army of Anyone originally signed with Columbia Records to release their debut album but most of the personnel who backed them at Columbia Records were fired, making them opt to change their label.
In a message posted by Luzier on his official message board, he stated the album would be released in August 2006. It was finally released on November 14. The album was produced by Bob Ezrin, the producer behind Pink Floyd's epic rock opera The Wall and Alice Cooper's early hits. Patrick commented that the delays were caused by a few personal reasons such as members getting married and having children. During that time, they opted to re-mix and re-master the record.
The band's first single was titled "Goodbye", which can be found on the band's Myspace page. For a brief period of time, an instrumental track called "Used to Know Her" was also available on the page, but has since been removed. "Goodbye" made its video debut on Yahoo Music, on October 3, 2006.
While promoting their debut album, Army of Anyone visited radio stations across the country from late September. Among the songs they played at these stations were covers of Filter's "Take a Picture" and Stone Temple Pilots' "Interstate Love Song". Since the release of their first album on November 14th, the band has gone out on tour to further promote the album. In addition to playing songs from the album, they also include covers of "Big Bang Baby", "Vasoline", and "Piece of Pie" by Stone Temple Pilots as well as covers of Filter's "Hey Man, Nice Shot" and "Welcome to the Fold", as well an interlude version of Led Zeppelin's "The Rain Song" as a part of their set.
An iTunes exclusive three-in-one EP was released on 31 October. The EP includes the single "Goodbye", the music video for the single and a special podcast featuring interviews with all of the band members discussing the tracks on the CD.
The band headlined the 2007 edition of the Snocore Tour which has in the past been headlined by bands such as Seether, Chevelle, Helmet and Shinedown. Army of Anyone were supported by Hurt throughout the tour.
On May 14, 2007 Richard Patrick did an interview with LunaticRadio.com and announced that he was working on new Filter material and on May 26, 2007 the band played their last concert to date in El Paso, Texas. Since then, they have been "on hiatus".
Richard Patrick subtly confirmed on Sirius' Lithium channel that the band is likely in the past now, after playing Stone Temple Pilots' "Big Bang Baby" he stated, "I was in a band with Dean and Rob," referring to Army of Anyone in the past tense.
GENERATION
Army Of Anyone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You get what you get
They take what they're taking
No matter what you said
Or maybe it's just apathy
Or maybe we don't question it
So helpless
In this mess The fault of all of us, yeah
Contagious complacent kiss goodbye
Generation of fear and whatever
Life in the bull's eye
They won't ignore
Life in the big lie
We won't absolve
Or maybe it's just letargy
Or maybe we should question it
[Chorus]
Generation of fear and whatever Generation of fear and whatever
The lyrics of Army of Anyone's song "Generation" are about the state of society and how people are often accepting of the status quo without questioning it. The opening lines "They give what they give ya, You get what you get" indicate that people are often given what they are given and are expected to accept it without question. The lines "They take what they're taking, No matter what you said" suggest that those in power do what they want without taking into account what others may have to say.
The chorus of the song highlights a sense of helplessness in the current state of affairs. The line "Contagious complacent kiss goodbye" suggests that people are accepting of the problems at hand and are waving them goodbye without doing anything to change them. The phrase "Generation of fear and whatever" indicates that people are living in a generation where fear is the norm, and people are accepting of whatever happens.
The second verse further emphasizes the theme of apathy and a lack of questioning the state of society. "Life in the bull's eye, They won't ignore" suggests that people are living in a world where they are constantly under scrutiny, and those in power will not ignore any perceived transgressions. And yet, "Life in the big lie, We won't absolve" indicates that people are aware of the falsehoods that surround them but do nothing to absolve themselves of them.
Overall, the song Generation by Army of Anyone is a commentary on society in general, the acceptance of the status quo, and the lack of questioning that may lead to bettering our world.
Line by Line Meaning
They give what they give ya
The world presents certain things and we have no control over them.
You get what you get
Our experiences in life are predetermined and we have to accept them.
They take what they're taking
People in power will take what they want regardless of the consequences.
No matter what you said
Our opinions and objections are ignored by those who hold power.
Or maybe it's just apathy
We have become disengaged and indifferent to the problems around us.
Or maybe we don't question it
We accept the status quo instead of questioning and challenging it.
So helpless
We feel powerless to change the situation we are in.
In this mess
We are stuck in a chaotic and troubling situation.
The fault of all of us, yeah
We are all responsible for the problems we face as a society.
Contagious complacent kiss goodbye
We are spreading a culture of apathy and complacency that will lead to our downfall.
Generation of fear and whatever
We are part of a generation that is afraid and lacks the motivation to make any real change.
Life in the bull's eye
We are at the center of the problem, constantly being targeted and affected by various issues.
They won't ignore
Those in power will not overlook us, they will continue to exploit and oppress us.
Life in the big lie
We live in a world where everything seems like a lie, and truth is hard to come by.
We won't absolve
We won't forgive or forget the injustices that have been done to us.
Or maybe it's just lethargy
We lack the energy and enthusiasm to create any positive change in our lives.
Or maybe we should question it
We need to start being critical of the world around us and take action to create a better future.
Generation of fear and whatever Generation of fear and whatever
We are part of a generation that is numb and unresponsive to the problems that we face.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEAN DELEO, RICHARD MICHAEL PATRICK, ROBERT EMILE DELEO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind