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.
What Is It
Bad Religion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a virtuous, and immoral,
There's a reason for all of this,
And I don't know what it is
I am one, and plural too,
I accept them but they exclude,
I could make sense of all of this,
The seeds of inspiration never germinated in my mind,
The beacon of awakening is somewhere that I can't find, so
I don't know what it is
There's a beginning, and there's an end,
There's a climax, some would contend,
There's a way to signify this,
But I don't know what it is
The lyrics to Bad Religion's "What Is It" explore questions about the purpose, meaning, and existence of life. The opening lines introduce the idea that there must be a reason for everything, both good and bad, yet the singer is left questioning what that reason may be. The following lines suggest an internal conflict, as the singer identifies as both an individual and part of a larger group, yet feels excluded at times. Despite a desire for understanding and making sense of the world, the singer remains uncertain about the meaning behind it all, unable to find the inspiration or awakening needed to truly comprehend the world around them.
The repetition of the phrase "I don't know what it is" throughout the song highlights a feeling of confusion and uncertainty that many people experience at some point in their lives. The lyrics express a longing for answers and a desire to make sense of the world, yet ultimately accept the limitations of human understanding. The references to a beginning, end, and climax suggest a cyclical nature to life, yet the singer cannot determine how to define or signify those moments.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a purpose, there's a goal,
Life has a direction and an objective,
There's a virtuous, and immoral,
There is good and evil in the world,
There's a reason for all of this,
All events happen for a reason,
And I don't know what it is
But I do not know what that reason is.
I am one, and plural too,
I am both an individual and part of a greater whole,
I accept them but they exclude,
I believe in everyone's right to exist, but they may not reciprocate my acceptance,
I could make sense of all of this,
I have the ability to understand everything that surrounds me,
But I don't know what it is
I am still unsure about the meaning behind everything.
The seeds of inspiration never germinated in my mind,
Despite my effort to cultivate inspiration, I cannot seem to find it,
The beacon of awakening is somewhere that I can't find, so
I am searching for a moment of clarity, but it eludes me,
I don't know what it is
And it remains a mystery to me.
There's a beginning, and there's an end,
Everything has a start and a finish,
There's a climax, some would contend,
Along the way, there are moments of great significance,
There's a way to signify this,
There are means to acknowledge these landmarks,
But I don't know what it is
But I do not know what these markers represent.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GREG GRAFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
idaliciofunk
Lyrics:
[Verse 1]
There's a purpose, there's a goal
There's a virtuous and immoral
There's a reason for all of this
But I don't know what it is
[Verse 2]
I am one, and plural, too
I accept them, but they exclude
I could make sense of all of this
But I don't know what it is
[Chorus]
The seeds of inspiration never germinated in my mind
The beacon of awakening is somewhere that I can't find
So I don't know what it is
[Verse 3]
There's a beginning and there's an end
There's a climax, some would contend
There's a way to signify this
But I don't know what it is
[Outro]
So I don't know what it is
Show me something more definitive
I don't know what it is
idaliciofunk
Lyrics:
[Verse 1]
There's a purpose, there's a goal
There's a virtuous and immoral
There's a reason for all of this
But I don't know what it is
[Verse 2]
I am one, and plural, too
I accept them, but they exclude
I could make sense of all of this
But I don't know what it is
[Chorus]
The seeds of inspiration never germinated in my mind
The beacon of awakening is somewhere that I can't find
So I don't know what it is
[Verse 3]
There's a beginning and there's an end
There's a climax, some would contend
There's a way to signify this
But I don't know what it is
[Outro]
So I don't know what it is
Show me something more definitive
I don't know what it is
Willie Williams
The seeds of inspiration never germinated in my mind....
Love that line!!!
andrew simmons
Fucking sick on the guitar! Brett Gurewitz is the shit dude this album rocks!
Andres LifeStyle
great song! i l❤ve Bad Religion!
S50014+81
I don't have this album but I have a couple and each and everyone one is Just great.
Emil
This is one of my favorite tracks and it got only 6000 views? We are only gonna die
Sean Warren
Sean McCabe Always, fam.
Sean Warren
Sean McCabe Nice. Seen them 3 times, all of which were great. Have fun and if you want a shirt, hit that early as the vendor will shut down ASAP. ;)
Donald Rivers
The seeds of inspiration never germinated in my mind!
hugo rubén Ruiz
muy buen tema che.