The band are currently taking an extended hiatus and are expected to regroup in the near future to write new material.
Fightstar’s debut EP, “They Liked You Better When You Were Dead”, was released on February 28, 2005, following a rapid promotional tour of the United Kingdom. Being an EP and containing in excess of 3 tracks (it in fact contained 6 tracks, one more than shown on the track listing, the 6th being a hidden track) it was ineligible for the singles chart in the UK - whether or not this was a conscious choice on the part of the band, since it effectively negated the possibility of their first release being judged by its placing in the singles chart (and so, almost inevitably, poorly by comparison with Simpson’s former band), is a matter for debate; regardless, the release proved popular enough to warrant a reprinting on March 23, 2005. First track, Palahniuk’s Laughter, enjoyed heavy rotation on music video channels and spent many weeks in charts based on video and radio requests.
The release of Fightstar's first full length album "Grand Unification" showed a band that could not be further from Simpsons previous band Busted. With raw power, melodic guitars and hard rock hooks they showed the world that Simpson knew what he was doing when he left Busted and that they know exactly where they are going.
In September 2006, the band ended their contract with Island Records. Charlie Simpson said that "they wanted a pop album and we didn't. I've put so much into this band I don't want to start compromising now. We're thinking about going to America. The market for our stuff is much bigger over there."
In September 2007, the band released their second LP entitled 'One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours' under Institute Records. '99' was released as a free-to-download single, along with it's video on the 11th May 2007. Their next single to be released was 'We Apologise For Nothing' which had minor chart success peaking at #63 on the UK singles chart and at #1 on the UK Independant Chart.
'Deathcar' was the third song to be released as a single from the album. It was released on the new VinylDisc format and was also available for download. 'Floods' has also been released from this album.
In Autumn 2008, Alternate Endings was released, providing it's audience with b-sides, acoustic performances and covers.
The band's third studio album, Be Human, was released on April 19th 2009 and reached number 20 in the UK Album Chart. Four singles were released from the album; The English Way (3 Nov 2008), Mercury Summer (6 April 2009), Never Change (20 July 2009) and A City on Fire (21 Dec 2009). They experimented with orchestral elements and received critical acclaim for their work.
The band announced they were "taking some time off" for the remainder of 2010/11 to work on separate projects before regrouping in 2012 to begin writing a new record. A new record, however, did not eventuate. In the time away from the band, Westaway and Haigh worked on a music project titled 'Gunship,' an entity focused on making music for film. The duo completed production on a film project with Philip Koch of Lucas Film. Westaway and Haigh also completed the score for Grzegorz Jonkajtys short film The 3rd Letter along with Audrey Riley. The film picked up several awards from various film festivals across the world.
Simpson began work on a solo album in 2010. He released his EP, When We Were Lions, through Pledge Music, an organisation that helps artists raise money to record music from their fans. His debut album, Young Pilgrim, was released in August 2011. Simpson stated Fightstar would record an album again, but he planned to record a second solo album first, while Westaway and Haigh worked on their Gunship project.
In an interview with Digital spy in December 2012, Charlie Simpson confirmed his current plans to finish writing and record a second solo album in February 2013. Following an intended US release and tour in the summer of 2013 in support of this new solo record, he had then planned for Fightstar to reunite and begin writing for the band's fourth album.
September 2014 saw the band's Facebook profile updated with a new default picture and cover photo; both of which featured Fightstar artwork within an 'X' shape. On September 25, the band's official website was updated to include a countdown timer accompanied by text that simply read "News..." The timer ended on October 13, 2014; with the announcement of a ten-year anniversary show at London's Forum. A statement from the band followed: "It has been 10 years since the inception of this band and we wanted to celebrate it with a bang. We want to thank you all for your love and support over the past ten years and we can't wait to commemorate this milestone with you guys."
99
Fightstar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You told me to wake you up
When the hand reaches the six
I crash over, laying (laying)
My eyes on the road
Help me to hold on to all your foes,
You and I are lost can't save this,
World if we could see the truth through the lies
But you and I will never be the same
Again
On and Off
The ropes in which I upheld
Two lines across your face
For every smile you gave
To me with love
Help me to hold on to all your foes,
They will be the last ones always
You and I are lost can't save this,
World if we could see the truth through the lies
But you and I will never be the same
Again
I beg myself to watch your face
And clear the sin of you away
For love the key will always be disguised
You and I are lost can't save this,
World if we could see the truth through the lies
But you and I will never be the same
Again
In the song "99" by British rock band Fightstar, the lyrics describe a relationship between two people that is not quite stable. The first verse begins with the line "on and off," which suggests that the couple's interactions are sporadic and inconsistent. The next line, "you told me to wake you up when the hand reaches the six," could refer to a specific time of day or an impending deadline by which something should be accomplished. The singer then describes himself driving ("my eyes on the road") and seeing his partner's face when he crashes.
The chorus talks about the couple's inability to save the world by seeing through lies, but also acknowledges that they will never be the same again. The second verse mentions "the ropes in which I upheld" and "two lines across your face for every smile you gave to me with love." These lines could refer to the concept of tug-of-war, with each partner holding onto a rope and pulling in different directions, or the metaphorical weight of a relationship. The final verse has the singer pleading with himself to see his partner in a clear, honest light, acknowledging that "for love, the key will always be disguised."
Line by Line Meaning
On and off
Our relationship has been inconsistent and unpredictable.
You told me to wake you up
You trust me enough to be your alarm clock.
When the hand reaches the six
At a specific time.
I crash over, laying (laying)
I lose control of myself and my emotions.
My eyes on the road
Despite my struggles, I keep moving forward and remain focused on my path.
The ropes in which I upheld
I adhered to certain boundaries and expectations in our relationship.
Two lines across your face
Your facial expression is indicative of your mood and emotions.
For every smile you gave
Your positive emotions and actions towards me.
To me with love
Your emotions towards me are driven by love.
Help me to hold on to all your foes,
Assist me in retaining memories and emotions related to past conflicts in our relationship.
They will be the last ones always
Negative emotions stemming from past conflicts will always be present in our relationship.
You and I are lost can't save this,
Our relationship is in a state of confusion and disarray that cannot be easily resolved.
World if we could see the truth through the lies
If we could see things for what they truly are instead of being blinded by deception and falsehoods.
But you and I will never be the same
Our relationship has undergone significant changes and cannot be restored to its former state.
Again
We cannot revert back to a previous state of our relationship.
I beg myself to watch your face
I struggle to maintain my composure when I look at you and your emotions.
And clear the sin of you away
Forgive you for any wrongs you may have committed.
For love the key will always be disguised
It may be difficult to identify what truly drives and sustains our relationship.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ALEXANDER WESTAWAY, CHARLES ROBERT SIMPSON, DANIEL HAIGH, OMAR ABIDI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gleison Ferreira
On and off
You told me to wake you up
When the hand reaches the six
I crash over, laying (laying)
My eyes on the road
Help me to hold on to all your foes,
they will be the last ones always
You and I are lost can't save this,
world if we could see the truth through the lies
But you and I will never be the same
Again
On and Off
The ropes in which I upheld
Two lines across your face
for every smile you gave
to me with love
Help me to hold on to all your foes,
they will be the last ones always
You and I are lost can't save this,
world if we could see the truth through the lies
But you and I will never be the same
Again
I beg myself to watch your face
and clear the sin of you away
for love the key will always be disguised
You and I are lost can't save this,
world if we could see the truth through the lies
But you and I will never be the same
Again
🇧🇷
Cindy
I'm on a Fightstar marathon, this is still one of my all time faves.
The Dream Pianist
Cindy yeah it’s a mint track
CRAB JAB
Should of been a global number one. This is such an incredible and outstanding piece of work
Gleison Ferreira
On and off
You told me to wake you up
When the hand reaches the six
I crash over, laying (laying)
My eyes on the road
Help me to hold on to all your foes,
they will be the last ones always
You and I are lost can't save this,
world if we could see the truth through the lies
But you and I will never be the same
Again
On and Off
The ropes in which I upheld
Two lines across your face
for every smile you gave
to me with love
Help me to hold on to all your foes,
they will be the last ones always
You and I are lost can't save this,
world if we could see the truth through the lies
But you and I will never be the same
Again
I beg myself to watch your face
and clear the sin of you away
for love the key will always be disguised
You and I are lost can't save this,
world if we could see the truth through the lies
But you and I will never be the same
Again
🇧🇷
Adam Knight
It's like Silverchair, Deftones and Muse all jamming together simultaneously. I can't believe this song is now over 10 years old, still love it as much now as the day it was released. This and Sleep Well Tonight off Grand Unification are prime examples of Fightstar's widescreen panoramic rock, weighty yet melodic it really sweeps you off your feet.
Gleison Ferreira
This song brings me so many memories...
Giovanni's Lasagna
2014 and still this is my FAVORITE song and my favorite band I have ever known!! :)
L Gore SFX
One of my favourites by Fightstar :)
Luke Jordan
AMAZING BAND! They're an amazing band live too NOMNOM!!!!!!!!!
DontForgotMeh
Love the song and the video the guitar solo is freaking awesome