Greg Graffin, the band's frontman, holds a Master's degree in geology from UCLA and a Ph.D. in zoology from Cornell University. His dissertation for Cornell was a comprehensive study of how modern scientists, especially those who believe in strict Darwinism, view theism and religion, and how their own religious beliefs, if any, affect their study and work. He has since published it for fans of the band.
In 1983, Bad Religion released into the unknown, a keyboard-driven psychedelic rock album that was enormously unpopular among the band's core fan base. It is now out of print, and generally disowned by the band. However, in past years it has become a collectors item, and has gained some acceptance from fans. It now can be seen going for more than $100 on eBay, and is often pirated.
In 1984, Greg Hetson (Circle Jerks) replaced Gurewitz. Bad Religion returned to a somewhat mellower, rock and roll version of their original sound with the back to the known, but they disbanded soon after.
The band reformed in 1987 and released suffer in 1988, cementing their comeback in the punk community. Not only is this album considered one of their best by most fans, but it is often credited with "saving" the Southern Californian punk rock scene by fans and Bad Religion's contemporaries alike.
no control (1989) and against the grain (1990) further increased the band's popularity, followed by generator (1992). Before the recording sessions for the latter album commenced, drummer Pete Finestone left the band in to focus on his other band, The Fishermen. Bobby Schayer joined the band as his replacement. recipe for hate (1993) followed shortly thereafter.
With alternative rock breaking into the mainstream, Bad Religion left Epitaph for major label Atlantic and quickly re-released Recipe for Hate on the major label. 1994's stranger than fiction followed, but shortly after its release Brett Gurewitz left the band again. Officially, he cited the increasing amount of time he was spending at Epitaph's offices as the Offspring (then a part of the Epitaph roster) became one of the biggest bands of the mid-1990s. But it was well-known that the departure was not on good terms, as he later accused the band of selling out for leaving Epitaph in favor of a major label. Gurewitz recorded a song with his new band The Daredevils entitled "Hate You," reportedly directed towards Jay Bentley. Gurewitz, moreover, was struggling more seriously with heroin and other addictions that had plagued him for years.
Gurewitz was replaced by Brian Baker, former member of bands such as Minor Threat and Dag Nasty. Previously, Graffin and Gurewitz had split songwriting duties, but Gurewitz's departure left Graffin as the band's lone songwriter.
What followed were a series of moderately successful albums, the gray race (1996), no substance (1998), and the new america (2000). As their popularity waned, Bad Religion left Atlantic in 2001 and returned to Epitaph. Bobby Schayer left the band following a serious shoulder injury and was replaced by Brooks Wackerman (Suicidal Tendencies) and Brett Gurewitz rejoined the band in time to record the process of belief (2002). the empire strikes first was in June 2004. Both albums are widely regarded as a return to form for the band.
In 2004, the band released digitally-remastered versions of five of their early albums (How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, Suffer, No Control, Against the Grain, and Generator). The How Could Hell Be Any Worse? re-issue also contained all of their first EP, the Public Service EP (alternative versions of Bad Religion, Slaves and Drastic Actions from the self titled EP) and Back To The Known.
Bad Religion's fourtheenth full-length studio album, titled new maps of hell, was released on July 10, 2007. It debuted at #35 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 21,000 copies in its first week. It was originally intended to be released in 2006, but was pushed back largely due to the release of Graffin's second solo album, cold as the clay and his work at UCLA.
In 2010, Bad Religion released 30 Years Live for the band's 30th anniversary. The album was available for free to subscribers of the Bad Religion mailing list. Later the same year, Bad Religion released their fifteenth studio album, The Dissent of Man. The album took nearly two years to write and record, mainly due to the band's heavy touring schedule.
Brett Gurewitz, who still heads Epitaph Records, still records with the band and plays local shows, but doesn't tour with them. Greg Hetson can still be found at the occasional Circle Jerks show and helped open a bar in LA. Wackerman is working on a side project called The Kidneys. Graffin spends 10 weeks a year teaching two classes (Life Sciences 1 and Earth and Space Sciences 116) at UCLA. Jay Bentley keeps the Bad Religion MySpace page updated.
Avalon
Bad Religion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the wind blows over from the sea
Hey, we're brought into this land like tiny particles of sand,
Unsure of who we're smarter than, or what we're meant to be
Oh the grains sift coarsely through the hour glass
And collect like their victims in the bowl
The ungodly force of change erodes all sense of earthly gains
While tending to the mundane will terrorize your soul
The past is old and gone
It's best to move along and find your Avalon
Well, I wish that I could tell you it was easy,
Just take the paved road right to paradise
But the truth is my friend, the pain and suffering never ends
Make amends with medicine, amnesia, and lies
The grains sift coarsely through the hour glass
And they pound like boulders on the brain
All those things you did for fun,
Never hurting anyone,
Careless shadows in the sun, just empty and lame
And it's no, it's no use thinking that you're wrong
The past is old and gone
It's best to move along and find your Avalon
It's no use thinking that you're wrong
The past is dead and gone
It's best to move along and find your Avalon
So now the day races from the twilight
How the fields are enveloped by the shade
And the story that you'll tell,
Inventory of your well,
Crack the shell and find the mortar silted and decayed
And it's no! It's no use thinking that you're wrong
The past is dead and gone
It's best to move along and find your Avalon
It's best to hurry on and find your Avalon
The lyrics of Bad Religion's song Avalon focus on the idea of finding one's place in life, and the challenges and struggles that come with that journey. The song opens with the image of the sun creeping up the mountain, and the wind blowing over from the sea. The singer describes how they, and everyone else, were brought into this land like tiny particles of sand. They are unsure of their place and uncertain of who they are smarter than, or what they are meant to be. The grains of sand that represent time sift coarsely through the hourglass, collecting like their victims in the bowl. The ungodly force of change erodes all sense of earthly gains, while tending to the mundane terrorizes the soul. The singer encourages the audience to move on, to find their Avalon.
As the song progresses, the singer acknowledges that the journey to finding one's place in life is not an easy one. They wish they could tell the audience it was easy, to take the paved road right to paradise. However, the truth is that pain and suffering never truly ends. To cope with this, people make amends with medicine, amnesia, and lies. The grains of sand pound like boulders on the brain. The singer reflects on all those things they did for fun that never hurt anyone, but were ultimately empty and lame. They reiterate the message to move on and find your Avalon.
The song ends with the day racing from the twilight and the fields enveloped by the shade. The story that the singer will tell is an inventory of their well, cracking the shell and finding the mortar silted and decayed. The past is dead and gone, and it's best to move along and find your Avalon- to hurry on and find your Avalon.
Overall, the song Avalon is an introspective and reflective piece. It encourages the listener to not dwell on the past and its mistakes but to move forward and find their "Avalon"- their own sense of place and purpose in life.
Line by Line Meaning
As the sun comes creeping up the mountain
The beginning of a new day, and with it comes new possibilities
And the wind blows over from the sea
A reminder of how vast and powerful the natural world can be
Hey, we're brought into this land like tiny particles of sand,
We enter the world with no preconceived notions of who we are or what we're supposed to do
Unsure of who we're smarter than, or what we're meant to be
It can take a lifetime to figure out our place in the world and what we're truly capable of
Oh the grains sift coarsely through the hour glass
Time is always running out, and we can't keep putting things off
And collect like their victims in the bowl
The accumulation of our actions over time, for better or for worse
The ungodly force of change erodes all sense of earthly gains
We can't cling to the past, because everything is in constant flux
While tending to the mundane will terrorize your soul
Staying stagnant and not pushing past our comfort zones can lead to a feeling of emptiness
And it's no! It's no use thinking that you're wrong
We can't dwell on our mistakes, but instead focus on progress
The past is old and gone
We can't change what's already happened, so it's best to move on
It's best to move along and find your Avalon
We should embrace the journey of self-discovery to find our own sense of fulfillment
Well, I wish that I could tell you it was easy,
The path to self-discovery is often difficult and fraught with obstacles
Just take the paved road right to paradise
There is no easy or straightforward way to happiness and fulfillment
But the truth is my friend, the pain and suffering never ends
We can't escape pain and struggle, but we can learn from it and grow
Make amends with medicine, amnesia, and lies
Sometimes we try to escape our problems with unhealthy coping mechanisms, but those only make things worse
All those things you did for fun,
The things we do for pleasure or immediate gratification aren't always fulfilling in the long-term
Never hurting anyone,
Our actions may not have directly hurt anyone, but they may have led to our own dissatisfaction
Careless shadows in the sun, just empty and lame
Our past mistakes may seem insignificant, but they can still have an impact on us
It's no use thinking that you're wrong
We can't dwell on our past mistakes, but instead focus on progress
The past is dead and gone
We can't change what's already happened, so it's best to move on
It's best to move along and find your Avalon
We should embrace the journey of self-discovery to find our own sense of fulfillment
So now the day races from the twilight
The passage of time can seem rapid and unstoppable
How the fields are enveloped by the shade
The transition from day to night is a reminder of the constant cycle of life and death
And the story that you'll tell,
Our lives are the stories that we make for ourselves
Inventory of your well,
Taking stock of our strengths and weaknesses and making adjustments as needed
Crack the shell and find the mortar silted and decayed
Breaking down our walls and defenses to find our true selves, even if it's not always pretty
It's best to hurry on and find your Avalon
We should embrace the journey of self-discovery to find our own sense of fulfillment, but not waste any more time in doing so
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRETT W. GUREWITZ, GREG GRAFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wow
on You
Everybody needs a slogan in their pocket or two
It never hurts to have a strategy you can go to
Sometimes I have no sense at all
As most flawed men are one to do
Just say fuck you
Pavlovian rude
A menace too
Pay homage to
Your bad attitude
You can even get cerebral if you want to
Make a radical assessment that sticks like glue
Sometimes it takes no thought at all
The easiest thing to do
Is say fuck you
Pavlovian rude
A menace too
Pay homage to
Your bad attitude
The reaction it brings, just one of those things
Your friends might not want you around
If the impulse is right you might get in a fight
Even though you can't hold your ground
But all rest assured, sometimes just a word
Is the most satisfying sound
Sometimes it makes no sense at all
The easiest thing to do
Is say fuck you
Pavlovian rude
A menace too
Pay homage to your bad attitude
Just say fuck you
What you gonna do to your attitude
Just say fuck you
Wtf is this shit, what retard wrote the wrong spng down….