After recording private albums, the band signed to Wind-up Records and released their first full-length album, Fallen, in 2003, which sold more than 15 million copies worldwide and helped the band win two Grammy Awards. A year later, they released their first live album, Anywhere But Home, which sold more than one million copies worldwide. In 2006, they then released their second studio album, The Open Door, which sold more than five million copies. They released their third and latest studio album, Evanescence in 2011.
The band currently consists of Amy Lee (lead vocals, piano, keyboards), Terry Balsamo (guitars), and Tim McCord (bass). Former members include David Hodges (piano, keyboards, backing vocals; left in 2002), Ben Moody (guitars; left in 2003), William Boyd (bass; left in 2006), John LeCompt (guitars, backing vocals; fired in 2007), and Rocky Gray (drums; left in 2007). Session members include Troy McLawhorn (guitars) and Will Hunt (drums), both are from Dark New Day, they were "borrowed" to replace LeCompt and Gray during 2007 tours.
Amy Lee and Ben Moody met in 1994 at a youth camp in Little Rock, where Moody heard Lee playing I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) by Meat Loaf on the piano. Their first songs were Solitude and Give Unto Me, written by Lee, and Understanding and My Immortal, written by Moody.
Two of Lee and Moody's songs found playtime on local radio stations, raising local awareness of the group and demand for a show. The band eventually appeared live, and became one of the most popular acts in the area. After experimenting with band names, such as Childish Intentions and Stricken, they decided on Evanescence, which means "disappearance" or "fading away" (from the word evanesce, which means "to disappear"). Lee has stated she loves the name because "it is mysterious and dark, and places a picture in the listeners' mind.".
Their first full-length demo CD, Origin (released in 2000), is relatively unknown. The band also released two EPs. First, the self-titled Evanescence EP (1998) of which about 100 copies were made, and second the Sound Asleep EP, also known as the Whisper EP (1999), limited to 50 copies. Origin and the EPs contain demo versions of some of the songs on their debut album, Fallen. For example, the recording of My Immortal found on Fallen can also be found on Origin, minus a handful of additional string accompaniments. Only 2,500 copies of this record were produced; in response, Lee and Moody encouraged fans to download the band's older songs from the Internet.
In several interviews Amy has said that 'Origin' was not an album, it was merely meant to be a demo. While appearing to be an official CD, it was never meant to be officially released. According to Amy Lee "Origin is not an album. Should I say that clearer? 'Origin' is not an album. We recorded its demos, we recorded it a long time ago, in Ben's apartment or in my parent's attic with an 8-track recorder that cost $300. It sounds like crap. Don't feel bad that you don't have it, just download it. It looks kind of like an album because we had an artist make us this cool album cover because we were shopping it to record labels. We put everything we had on there, and some songs that are on there are on 'Fallen', just done right". The video of this interview can be seen here.
The band sent 'Origin' to several record labels, and eventually Wind-Up Records signed them. The band then recorded a large collection of demos throughout 2001 and 2002. Afterwards, the band began work on their second full-length album. However, after the album had been finished, Hodges left the band in December of 2002.
The album, entitled 'Fallen', was then released in March 2003. It brought the band international fame, selling 14 millions of copies worldwide. 'Fallen' has since gone 6 times platinum in the United States and has sold more than 15 million copies altogether worldwide.
However, shortly after, Moody left the band on October 22 of 2003 due to internal struggles with the band members. He was then replaced by guitarist Terry Balsamo from the band Cold. Before Moody's departure, Gray, LeCompt, and Boyd had been session members, but afterwards they became full-time members.
At the 2004 Grammy Awards, Evanescence won Best New Artist and Best Hard Rock Performance for their single Bring Me to Life, known worldwide from the Daredevil soundtrack. That same year, the band released a live CD/DVD entitled 'Anywhere But Home', which also sold 1 million of copies worldwide and has since gone platinum in the United States.
Afterwards, the band began work on their next release. Many things set the release back, including the health problems of Terry. He was unfortunately affected by a stroke, but is recovering successfully. Amy also fired their old manager which they had relations with during 'Fallen', and brought him to court. In 2006, they finished recording their second album, titled 'The Open Door', as well as shooting a video for the single Call Me When You're Sober. On July 13th, 2006, Lee announced through Evanescence's online message board that bassist Boyd has decided to leave the band in order to make time for his personal life and family. Tim McCord was announced as Will Boyd's replacement in August 2006.
'The Open Door' debuted at number 1 in Australia, United States, Greece, Germany, and Switzerland. It sold over 1 million copies worldwide within the first week of its release.
The second single of 'The Open Door' was Lithium. A video was shot for the single - directed by Paul Fedor (who has worked with Marilyn Manson, Seether, and Deftones). It took 2 days to film, October 31 and November 1, 2006.
The third single off 'The Open Door' was Sweet Sacrifice. The label, Wind-Up, had originally chosen All That I'm Living For to be the third single, but was met with opposition from the fans. The video was shot on March 9th and 10th, 2007. Directed by Paul Brown.
On May 4, 2007, John LeCompt announced that he had been fired from Evanescence, and also stated that drummer Rocky Gray had decided to quit as well. Both musicians posted on their personal MySpace pages to confirm the news report, however, neither elaborated about the circumstances surrounding their departures, and no official statement has yet been released by the band or label.
On his MySpace blog, LeCompt stated that Lee called his cellphone to fire him, and that no warning had previously been given nor were any negotiations made available. No replacements have been named as of yet, but Evanescence says they will continue touring and producing music.
Lee revealed during the taping of MuchMusic's January 9, 2007 episode of Live @ Much that she had become engaged the previous evening. She later confirmed on EvThreads.com that she was proposed to by Josh Hartzler, a 29-year-old therapist and long time friend. She noted in an interview that the songs Good Enough and Bring Me To Life were inspired by him. The couple were married on May 6, 2007, and honeymooned near The Bahamas. She has posted on EvThreads that she is "now officially Mrs. Amy Hartzler."
Recently Lee and Evanescence (with temporary members) headlined a one off show in Sao Paulo, Brazil for a music festival. A couple of weeks before, Lee posted on her Twitter that the band need to practice and was going to play a secret show in NYC's The Palace.
Lee confirmed that a third album was on the way and was set to release late 2010. A short video surfaced on one members Twitter account showing the band practicing and recording.
On 22 January, 2010, Amy posted on her Twitter that the b-side Together Again would be a gift to all who donate just the minimum amount to the Relief Effort over in Haiti.
In a MTV interview Amy Lee announced that the new album would be named 'Evanescence'. This was released October 11th, 2011. It is the first of their albums to have a deluxe version with 4 extra songs and an accompanying DVD.
Lost Whispers is a compilation album and was released on December 9, 2016, by The Bicycle Music Company. The album is a career-spanning collection of B-sides and two new recordings: "Lost Whispers", the intro from the band's 2009 tour and a new version of "Even in Death", originally on their 2000 demo album, Origin.
Their fourth Studio album, Synthesis, was released in November 2017. The album debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200, and has reached number 23 in the UK, 5 in Germany, and 6 in Australia.
Discography
1998: Evanescence EP
1999: Sound Asleep EP
2000: Origin
2003: Mystary EP and Fallen (first official studio album)
2004: Anywhere But Home
2006: The Open Door
2011: Evanescence
2016: Lost Whispers
2017: Synthesis
2021: The Bitter Truth
Official site: www.evanescence.com
Erase This
Evanescence Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even though this fragile world
Is tearing apart at the seams
We can't wash these sins away
This sinking feeling everyday
I'm waking up in someone else's life
Is it so hard for you?
To believe that what we dreamed
Could ever come to life again
'Cause I cannot erase this lie
Not gonna let this day go by
I'm gonna save this wasted life
And nothing can stand in my way
Not enough to say goodbye
Burn it til there's nothing left
I'm drowning in the mess that I have made
Is it so hard for you?
'Cause it's so hard for me
To believe that what we dreamed
Could ever come to life again
'Cause I cannot erase this lie
The water's rising around us
There is no other way down
I only have myself to blame for it all
Is it so hard for you?
'Cause it's so hard for me
To believe that what we dreamed
Could ever come to life again
If I could just erase my mind
But I cannot erase this lie
The lyrics in Evanescence's song Erase This showcase a sense of desperation and frustration at the realization that the world is falling apart, and yet it is too late to reverse the situation. The desperation is accentuated by the realization that the sins committed cannot be washed away. The singer is struggling to accept the present reality and is finding it hard to believe that their dreams will ever be realized, especially after the lies that have been told. The singer is experiencing a sense of longing for a different life and is aware that they are struggling to connect with their current reality.
The chorus asserts the determination to take control of the situation and make things right, regardless of the circumstances. The singer is willing to sacrifice everything to ensure that a wasted life is saved. The determination to succeed is further emphasized by the statement that nothing can stand in their way. The lyrics also paint a vivid picture of the chaos and confusion that surrounds the singer while acknowledging that the singer is the cause of the predicament. In the final verse, the singer acknowledges that they cannot erase the lies and the reality that they are struggling to reconcile, despite their desire to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
It's too late to change your mind
There's no going back on what's been decided.
Even though this fragile world
Despite how delicate the state of the world is...
Is tearing apart at the seams
...it's falling apart at the seams.
We can't wash these sins away
These faults can't be absolved.
This sinking feeling everyday
The burden of this weight on our shoulders grows heavier each day.
I'm waking up in someone else's life
I feel like I'm living a life that isn't my own.
Is it so hard for you?
Do you find this as difficult as I do?
'Cause it's so hard for me
It's an extreme challenge for me personally.
To believe that what we dreamed
It's almost impossible to imagine that what we hoped for...
Could ever come to life again
...could actually be achieved.
'Cause I cannot erase this lie
The untruth cannot be undone or forgotten.
Not gonna let this day go by
I'm not going to waste any more time.
I'm gonna save this wasted life
I'm going to redeem my life that's become lost.
And nothing can stand in my way
There's nothing stopping me now.
Not enough to say goodbye
It's not sufficient to just say farewell.
Burn it til there's nothing left
I'm going to destroy it completely.
I'm drowning in the mess that I have made
I'm drowning in the chaos that I'm responsible for causing.
The water's rising around us
Our situation is becoming more dire.
There is no other way down
We don't have any other options.
I only have myself to blame for it all
I'm responsible for all of it.
If I could just erase my mind
I wish I could forget everything.
But I cannot erase this lie
But I can't forget the untruth.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: AMY LEE, TERRY BALSAMO, TROY WILLIAM MCLAWHORN, WILLIAM AMOS HUNT, TIMOTHY TODD MCCORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marie McLellan-Hasty
on My Immortal
These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real. There's too much that time cannot erase...But you still have all of me
Marie McLellan-Hasty
on Bring Me to Life
Frozen inside without your touch, Without your love...All this time, I can't believe I couldn't see..you were there in front of me. Bring me to life, I've been living a lie, there's nothing left inside...Save me from the nothing I've become.