Chiodos was formed at the Flint Local 432, a small venue in downtown Flint, Michigan and Olde Jamestowne Hall in Saginaw, Michigan. The band is known for their on-stage performances which include controlled, high-pitched vocals from former lead singer, Craig Owens. Craig Owens has cited lead singer of Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, etc. fame, Mike Patton as one of his greatest influences saying, "I only wish I could be as good as him."
Their debut album, All's Well That Ends Well (Equal Vision Records) was released on July 26, 2005. It reached #3 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and #164 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. While their sophomore album, Bone Palace Ballet reached the number 5 spot on the Billboard 200. The band's albums and live performances have garnered praise from press outlets.
Chiodos headlined some shows on their own before joining Alternative Press's 2006 "Invisible Sideshow" tour, headlined by Armor for Sleep. Following that tour, they supported Matchbook Romance on the Sub City "Take Action" tour in Spring 2006. That summer, they toured with Fear Before the March of Flames, as well as appearing on the Warped Tour.In fall 2006, Chiodos appeared on Atreyu's World Championship Tour, alongside From First to Last and Every Time I Die, as well as 3 and 36 Crazyfists.
Chiodos has had several scuffs with those in the music industry, most notably Steven Smith of Steven's Untitled Rock Show, Andy Williams of Every Time I Die, and HORSE The Band.
In 2005, Chiodos independently made a video for the song "All Nereids Beware." The video consists of the band playing the rare pre-All's Well That Ends Well version of the song in a parking lot.
In 2006, Chiodos made videos for "One Day Women Will All Become Monsters" and "Baby, You Wouldn't Last a Minute on the Creek". The "Baby, You Wouldn't Last a Minute on the Creek" video was included on the 2006 re-issue of All's Well That Ends Well, which added a DVD and three acoustic tracks to the 2005 release.
A video for "Lexington (Joey Pea-Pot With A Monkey Face)" was made which premiered world wide on April 2, 2008 on the social network MySpace. This was the first single of their sophomore album, "Bone Palace Ballet". Chiodos' drummer, Derrick Frost has stated in an interview that the band was disappointed in the final result of the music video, saying
"Well, usually there are different people who throw out ideas and we go through them and add in our own suggestions but that video definitely didn’t turn out like we wanted it to turn out, like at all. We’re pretty disappointed with it. We never get a video where we’re all like “This is amazing!” And that’s what every band wants, to have an amazing video because that can push your career and your band so far. And we haven’t gotten that yet so it’s kind of frustrating. It’s just like so much money that we spent on this for no reason. No one’s going to play it; it’s not getting played at all."
On September 16, 2008, Chiodos teamed up with acclaimed director Darren Doane and The Crofoot Ballroom to shoot a video for "The Undertaker's Thirst For Revenge Is Unquenchable (The Final Battle)" in downtown Pontiac, MI. The video was released on December 20, 2008.
On September 24, 2010, it was announced that Craig Owens was no longer the singer of Chiodos.
On February 8, 2010, Brandon Bolmer (Yesterdays Rising) was confirmed as the new lead singer for Chiodos; he performed vocals on the band's third studio album, Illuminaudio.
Craig Owens later returned for the band's fourth studio album, Devil, but Chiodos disbanded before recording any more material.
If I Cut My Hair Hawaii Will Sink
Chiodos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just to pull me closer.
One single step at a time.
Your skin against mine.
I can just feel you wondering.
Fit to be tied,
Fit to be tied.
I feel weak.
Thrown in wide open spaces.
We turn ourselves inside out,
Expose what we're afraid to see.
And I know what you're thinking.
I tell myself.
I keep pulling
I keep pulling
Now grown numb.
Petrified, I think.
No, no you don't mean it.
You simply say it, because you like the way that it sounds
I feel weak.
Thrown in wide open spaces.
We turn ourselves inside out,
Expose what we're afraid to see.
And I know what you're thinking.
I feel weak,
And I give up.
And I give up.
Sell it well.
C'mon and sell it, sell it.
Sell it well.
C'mon and sell it, sell it.
I feel weak
The lyrics of Chiodos' song "If I Cut My Hair Hawaii Will Sink" are quite enigmatic and open to interpretation. However, it is widely believed to represent a tumultuous relationship within which both partners struggle with their vulnerabilities and the fear of being exposed. The opening lines, "You keep tugging on my shirt, just to pull me closer. One single step at a time. Your skin against mine. I can just feel you wondering. Fit to be tied," convey a sense of intimacy and intense emotional connection. The phrase "fit to be tied" could imply that the singer is bound by the relationship and their partner's attachment.
The second verse, "And I know what you're thinking. I tell myself. I keep pulling. I keep pulling," suggests a lack of communication and misunderstandings between the two partners. The singer acknowledges that they do not fully understand their partner's thoughts and feelings but continues to try to pull them closer. The phrase "And I give up. And I give up" in the later half of the song seems to suggest that the relationship has become too overwhelming and the singer has reached a point of vulnerability and weakness. The phrase "sell it well" is an interesting one as it is unclear whether it is addressed to the partner or the singer themselves, signifying the need to appear strong despite being emotionally vulnerable.
Overall, the song seems to showcase the complexities of a relationship and the difficulties of navigating one's vulnerabilities.
Line by Line Meaning
You keep tugging on my shirt,
You continue to pull me closer to you, using my shirt as a handle.
Just to pull me closer.
Your intention is to be closer to me.
One single step at a time.
Your approach towards me is steady, taking it one step at a time.
Your skin against mine.
We are close enough to feel each other's skin.
I can just feel you wondering.
I can sense that you are curious.
Fit to be tied,
Feeling emotional and agitated.
Fit to be tied.
Repeating that the emotional state is present.
Fit to be, fit to be tied.
Emphasizing that the emotional state is strong, hence repeated.
I feel weak.
I feel vulnerable and powerless.
Thrown in wide open spaces.
Being exposed with no protection or privacy.
We turn ourselves inside out,
We reveal our deepest and darkest sides.
Expose what we're afraid to see.
Revealing things that scare us the most.
And I know what you're thinking.
I understand your thoughts and intentions.
I tell myself.
Trying to convince myself of something.
I keep pulling
Continuing with my actions of pulling you closer.
I keep pulling
Repeating my previous action.
Now grown numb.
Feeling emotionally detached and insensitive.
Petrified, I think.
Scared and paralyzed with fear.
No, no you don't mean it.
Doubting the sincerity of your words.
You simply say it, because you like the way that it sounds
You say things for the sake of saying them and sounding good.
And I give up.
I give in to my emotions and actions.
And I give up.
Repeating my surrendering to my emotions.
Sell it well.
Present it convincingly.
C'mon and sell it, sell it.
Encouraging to convince me even more.
Sell it well.
Repeating the previous request to present it convincingly.
C'mon and sell it, sell it.
Repeating the previous request to convince me even more.
I feel weak
Reiterating my feeling of vulnerability and powerlessness.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BRADLEY BELL, CRAIGERY OWENS, DERRICK FROST, JASON HALE, MATTHEW GODDARD, PATRICK MCMANAMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind