Before forming Collective Soul, Ed Roland had studied music composition and guitar playing at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Since the mid 1980's, Roland had been involved in underground music; either making unpublished demos or performing. He also worked at Real 2 Reel Studios in Stockbridge during the 1980's and early 1990's, which was owned by Will Turpin's father. Roland's main duties were producing, mixing and engineering work for local Atlanta artists. He also recorded his own demos and released his independent solo album Ed-E Roland in 1991. He had a pre-Collective Soul band in the late 1980's and early 1990's called Marching Two-Step which included Shane Evans, Michele Rhea Caplinger, and Matt Serletic.
Caplinger would go on to be a music industry publicist and she was appointed executive director of the Atlanta Chapter of the Recording Academy in 2000. Serletic would go on to produce albums for Collective Soul, Matchbox Twenty, Blessid Union of Souls, and Edwin McCain.
Prior to Marching Two-Step, in the early to mid 1980's, Ed had recruited keyboard player and backing vocalist Christopher Dykes, drummer Tony Caporale, and bassist Skip Godwin to play live in clubs and showcase for A/R personnel from various record companies. At this time the group was simply known as "Ed-E". During this time the band played several shows, played a part in a CBS "Movie Of The Week", and were guests on the local Atlanta television program "Music Peachtree Style", where local Atlanta based artists were interviewed and profiled. That initial version of the "Ed-E" band dissolved in the mid to late 1980's due to musical tastes among other differences.
Marching Two-Step were a band for several years, but never managed to grow beyond the local club scene. Roland's early attempts to be signed to a recording contract by a label ended in rejection. In 1992, he enlisted musicians to record a demo in a basement. Roland intended only to sell the songs to a publishing company and had no plans of forming a band out of it. The demo was passed along to an Atlanta college radio station which began playing "Shine", which became its most requested song. Amidst the surprise popularity, Roland agreed to perform live shows; enlisting his brother Dean as well as Shane Evans, Will Turpin, and Ross Childress in what would be the first line-up of Collective Soul. Atlantic Records took note of the popularity of the song and subsequently signed them.
Upon Collective Soul's signing, Atlantic wished to capitalize on the band's success and quickly re-released the 1993 demo Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid as their first studio album. Although reluctant to have the unpolished demo represent their new line-up, Collective Soul gained international recognition and double-platinum status with their debut. The band quickly began work on what they would consider their true debut record and were invited to perform at Woodstock 1994. They also toured extensively across North America.
The group's self-titled second album issued following year, was certified RIAA triple platinum, and logged a 76 week run on the Billboard 200. Notable singles from Collective Soul included US Rock Chart #1 hits "December", "Where The River Flows", and "The World I Know", #2 hit "Gel", and the Top 10 hit "Smashing Young Man".
Following a split with their manager, Collective Soul found their tour dates canceled and were called into the courtroom to face a legal battle that lasted into 1996. While the legal battles continued, the band went to a cabin, in the middle of 40 acres (160,000 m2) of cow pasture in Stockbridge, and began recording. They recorded into a computer their impromptu efforts of songs Roland penned, and these became Disciplined Breakdown. The legal case was eventually settled, and both parties were instructed not to discuss the outcome.
Disciplined Breakdown, released in 1997, did not sell as well as the band's previous records despite debuting higher on the charts. This album eventually became a platinum album, and produced two more #1 singles: "Disciplined Breakdown" and "Listen". The album peaked at #16 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
The band's fourth album was 1999’s platinum certified Dosage. The first single "Heavy" set a new high mark for 15 weeks at #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart. Singles such as "Run", "Needs", and "Tremble For My Beloved" also gained notable positions on the rock charts. The album was produced by Anthony J. Resta, who is known for his work with Duran Duran among others. The band also performed at Woodstock 1999, where they performed "Heavy", a cover of Ozzy Osbourne's song "Crazy Train", and a cover of U2's song "I Will Flow".
The group released their fifth studio album, Blender, in 2000. It did not fare as well as their other albums, although the first single "Why, Pt. 2" reached #2 on the mainstream rock chart. They also had additional radio hits with "Vent"and "Perfect Day"; the latter being a duet between Roland and Elton John. Eventually, the album was RIAA certified gold. Rolling Stone gave Blender a positive review. This was their second effort with Anthony J. Resta. The song "You Speak My Language" was a cover of a song written by the late Mark Sandman of the band Morphine. The song was originally on Morphine's 1992 album Good.
In 2001, Collective Soul released their greatest hits compilation, 7even Year Itch: Greatest Hits 1994–2001, which featured the new tracks "Next Homecoming" and "Energy". The record also marked the end of the group's contract with Atlantic Records.
Following the band's departure from Atlantic Records, Childress left the band. The band promoted their longtime guitar technician, Joel Kosche, to be the new lead guitarist. The band later created their independent label, El Music Group.
In November 2004, they released their sixth studio album, Youth, which debuted at #66 on the Billboard 200. "Counting the Days" became a Top 10 rock hit. The second single, "Better Now", received airplay on Adult Top 40 radio and was used in commercials for the cereal Special K. "How Do You Love" became a Top 20 hit on Adult Top 40 radio. During the recording of this album, Shane Evans left the band, with session musician Ryan Hoyle named as his replacement. Hoyle recorded 8 of the 11 drum/percussion tracks on this album. The resultant US tour lasted nearly two years, including shows in Canada.
Collective Soul performed two shows with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra in April 2005. A CD and DVD of the performances, entitled Home: A Live Concert Recording With The Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra was released in February 2006.
In May 2005, they released an eight song acoustic EP compilation titled From the Ground Up, which had acoustic versions of past favorites and a new track titled "Youth". They also appeared on the WB show Charmed; playing "Better Now" at the beginning of the episode "Scry Hard".
Collective Soul's seventh studio album, Afterwords was released on August 28, 2007. The album is co-produced by Anthony J. Resta, who also contributed synthesizers, percussion and lead guitar on the song "Bearing Witness". The band made a deal with Target stores; making it the "exclusive physical retailer" of Afterwords for one year. The album was immediately available in digital form on iTunes. The song "Hollywood" was released as the first single in May. "Hollywood" also became the theme for the hit TV show American Idol. The second single from the album, "All That I Know", was released in November.
Afterwords debuted at #25 on the Billboard Comprehensive Albums chart (as albums available only from a single retailer were ineligible for the Billboard 200 at the time) and #5 on the Billboard Top Internet Albums chart. The band made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on August 31 where they performed "Hollywood". They were also the musical guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on March 4, 2008.
Collective Soul released their eighth studio album, another self-titled, but designated by the band as Rabbit. It was released on August 25, 2009 by Roadrunner Records; a subsidiary of their previous label Atlantic Records. The first single was "Staring Down" and the second single was "Welcome All Again". "Staring Down" peaked at #17 on the Mediabase Hot AC chart and also charted on Billboard's Adult Top 40. The album debuted at #24 on the Billboard 200.
In September 2009, Collective Soul were inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In their induction speech, Roland thanked a long list of former members and collaborators who were involved in the band over the past two decades, including Childress, Hoyle, and Brannon. He also invited Shane Evans to the stage to celebrate with the band.
On December 7, 2010, the band released a re-recorded version of "Tremble For My Beloved" as both a single and a video on iTunes. The video was also included on the DVD Music Videos and Performances from The Twilight Saga Soundtracks, Vol. 1.
On October 2, 2015, they released the album See What You Started by Continuing which peaked at 25 in the United States.
On June 21, 2019, they released the album Blood.
On August 12, 2022, they released the album Vibrating.
Everything
Collective Soul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's only proof of my thoughts
Have become impaired
And courage I shall build
Stands at distance still
Everything is physical
Everything takes precedence
Everything's admissible
And this comfort I've designed
Will only stay intact until
The truth I find
As some answers fly around
No cure I have found
Guide me save me teach me
I need to learn from this
Hold me, soothe me my love
The reflection I now see
Is always trying to blind
And discourage me
But my patience still prevail
And myself as well
Everything is comfortable
Everything's a brighter shade
Everything is suitable
Everything is?
The lyrics of Collective Soul's song Everything reflect an inner struggle of the singer. The singer acknowledges that the faces they wear do not reflect their true thoughts which have become impaired. They are searching for courage but it stands at a distance from them. The singer has designed a comfortable space for themselves, but they acknowledge that it will only last until they find the truth. Even though the singer is searching for answers, they have not found a cure, and they need guidance, salvation, and teachings.
The singer desires to learn from their situation, and they seek comfort from their love. But the reflection they see is trying to blind and discourage them. Despite this, their patience still prevails, and they remain confident in themselves. The singer acknowledges that everything is tangible, takes precedence, admissible, and evident. Even though everything is a brighter shade and suitable for them, the song ends abruptly, leaving the last word unfinished.
Line by Line Meaning
With the faces I now wear
The way I appear to others is a reflection of my thoughts and emotions.
It's only proof of my thoughts
The way I present myself is evidence of what's going on inside my head.
Have become impaired
My thoughts and emotions are not functioning properly, possibly due to stress or other factors.
And courage I shall build
I will work on building up my bravery and strength.
Stands at distance still
However, I still feel far away from my goal.
Everything is physical
All of my experiences and sensations are happening in the physical world.
Everything takes precedence
My physical experiences and needs are currently my top priority.
Everything's admissible
All of my thoughts and feelings, no matter how unpleasant or uncomfortable, are valid and worth considering.
Everything is evident
My experiences and feelings are clear and cannot be ignored or denied.
And this comfort I've designed
I have created a sense of security and stability for myself, possibly through familiar routines or coping mechanisms.
Will only stay intact until
However, this sense of security is temporary and will eventually break down.
The truth I find
I am searching for the truth about myself and my experiences.
As some answers fly around
Despite many different perspectives and opinions, I am still unsure of what is best for me.
No cure I have found
I have not yet found a solution for my problems or struggles.
Guide me, save me, teach me
I am asking for help and guidance from those around me.
I need to learn from this
I recognize that there are lessons to be learned from my current experiences.
Hold me, soothe me, my love
I am seeking comfort and reassurance from someone I care about.
The reflection I now see
I am becoming more aware of my own flaws and shortcomings.
Is always trying to blind
However, it can be difficult to confront these flaws and I may try to avoid them.
And discourage me
These flaws can be disheartening and make me feel like giving up.
But my patience still prevail
Despite these challenges, I am able to maintain my patience and resilience.
And myself as well
I am also able to maintain a sense of self and identity through these struggles.
Everything is comfortable
Despite the difficulties, I am still able to find some sense of comfort and familiarity in my life.
Everything's a brighter shade
I am able to find some positivity and optimism, even in difficult situations.
Everything is suitable
I am able to find a sense of balance and harmony in my life, even with all of its challenges.
Everything is?
The song ends on this open-ended question, perhaps suggesting that there is still much more to be discovered and learned about the world and oneself.
Lyrics © KAREN SCHAUBEN PUBLISHING ADMINISTRATION
Written by: ED ROLAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind