Chris recorded his first album, The Swiss Army Romance, in 2000. The following year, he recorded Further Seems Forever's debut album The Moon Is Down. However, he left the band soon after the album's release, instead recording and releasing his sophomore album The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, as well as a follow-up EP titled So Impossible.
By 2002, three other musicians had joined the band, including former Further Seems Forever band mate Jerry Castellanos and started the process of recording the band's next album. After the success of his second album, Carrabba was asked to perform on MTV Unplugged, and the subsequent release marked the first time many of the songs were recorded with a full band.
Also in 2002, the music video for "Screaming Infidelities" won the coveted MTV2 award at the MTV Video Music Awards, beating out Norah Jones, The Strokes, The Hives, Nappy Roots and Musiq. This video starred Chris in both the performance and the storyline. The video was directed by Maureen Egan and Matthew Barry.
In 2003, the band released its third album A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar. Peaking at #2 on the United States Billboard charts, the album proved to be the band's most commercially-viable album yet. In the summer of 2004, Dashboard Confessional recorded the song "Vindicated" for the film Spider-Man 2. The song was featured on the soundtrack and played over the film's end credits. Because of this, the band gained a sizable audience for their next release the following summer.
In May of 2005, Dashboard Confessional entered the studio to record their fourth album with acclaimed producer, Daniel Lanois. The album was released on June 27, 2006; its first single was "Don't Wait". Following the release of Dusk and Summer, Dashboard Confessional went on a summer tour of the U.S. with special guests Say Anything and Ben Lee, followed by a co-headlining arena tour with alternative rock band Brand New.
In 2007, the band released its follow-up to Dusk and Summer, The Shade of Poison Trees.
During an interview with Billboard posted on September 11, 2007, Carrabba stated that he is 14 tracks into what would be the band's sixth studio album. He is also unsure about when it would be recorded, but plans to have 30 tracks to draw from. It may be a concept album: "only with the last three has it become, like, 'All right, these have a continuity and there's something going on,' so I'm excited to see where that leads".
The album, titled 'Alter The Ending', was released November 10 2009 (US). A two disc version of the album is available. In this edition, the first disc consists of full band workings of the twelve tracks while the second disc features acoustic versions akin to the first two Dashboard Confessional albums.
The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most
Dashboard Confessional Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And covered with a perfect shell,
Such a charming beautiful exterior.
Laced with brilliant smiles and shining eyes
And perfect makeup but you're barely scraping by,
But you're barely scraping by.
This is one time
And the grave that you refuse to leave
The refuge that you've built to flee
The places you have come to fear the most,
Is the places you have come to fear the most.
Buried deep as you can dig inside yourself,
And hidden in the public eye.
Such a stellar monument to loneliness.
Laced with brilliant smiles and shining eyes
And perfect makeup but you're barely scraping by, but you're barely scraping by.
This is one time
That you can't fake it hard enough to please everyone or anyone at all.
And the grave that you refuse to leave
The refuge that you've built to flee
The places you have come to fear the most,
Is the places you have come to fear the most.
The lyrics of Dashboard Confessional's song "The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most" explore the theme of inner turmoil and the facade that some people put on to hide their struggles. The singer describes this internal turmoil as buried deep inside oneself and covered with a perfect shell. This "charming beautiful exterior" is merely a facade, behind which the singer is barely scraping by. The use of "laced with brilliant smiles and shining eyes and perfect makeup" emphasizes the extent to which the singer has to pretend in order to hide their pain.
The song's chorus highlights the singer's struggle to keep up their facade. It is one of the few moments in which they concede that they cannot fake it hard enough to please anyone or everyone. The places the singer has come to fear the most are the ones they created as a refuge from the difficulties they experience in their life. The singer refers to these places as a "grave" and a "monument to loneliness." This speaks to the extent to which the singer's struggles have taken over their life.
Overall, "The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most" explores the dichotomy between the inner and the outer self. The singer hides their struggles behind a facade of perfection, but this facade is ultimately unsustainable. The places they built to escape their struggles end up being the places they come to fear the most.
Line by Line Meaning
Buried deep as you can dig inside yourself,
You have hidden your true emotions and thoughts away from others, burying them deep inside yourself.
And covered with a perfect shell,
You have built a flawless exterior, masking your true feelings and insecurities.
Such a charming beautiful exterior.
This facade you have created is so strikingly attractive and captivating.
Laced with brilliant smiles and shining eyes
You cover up your pain and sadness with fake but convincing smiles and bright eyes.
And perfect makeup but you're barely scraping by,
Despite your impeccable appearance, you're struggling internally and just getting by.
But you're barely scraping by.
You're barely holding on, despite your attempts to hide it from others.
This is one time
There comes a point when
That you can't fake it hard enough to please everyone or anyone at all.
You can no longer pretend to be okay and make others happy, as it's draining and impossible to keep up.
And the grave that you refuse to leave
The comfort zone that you refuse to depart from
The refuge that you've built to flee
The safe haven you've constructed as a way to escape from your fears and troubles
The places you have come to fear the most,
These locations or situations are the ones that hold the most fear and anxiety for you.
Is the places you have come to fear the most.
These places, despite being the ones you fear, are also the ones that feel the most secure and familiar to you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER ANDREW CARRABBA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alex Rush
Dashboard helped me get through my young adulthood.
But then, I listen to this song years later, and it means more to me than ever. I love it
Free Range
Same here...
Purple Pepper
I want to give this song a hug and tell it that it's gonna be okay
Colton Casey
This song is an all time classic
jacobtb1
damn... I havent heard this song in like over a decade. I miss those days...
Noelle Rodriguez
holy shit this was my teen years. i still love u guys
Purple Pepper
With Bojack Horseman just finished, this song feels a lot like it's talking about him
Kal Vin
Oh the memories 💔🎶
Joe Caponi
2004 my senior year of high school memories right here!! Kids in this era don’t know what real music is!
Blake Stormcrow
@beanwife this song was during one of my strongest emo/life challenging times. Anyone who listens to it, surely understands "real music" (as it applies to their temporary life experiences) 😋