Their first album, Short Bus, was released in 1995. The album was commercially successful, and included the hit single "Hey Man, Nice Shot". The song was somewhat controversial, as it was seen as capitalizing on the public suicide of Budd Dwyer. Kurt Cobain's suicide was widely rumored to have inspired the song, but the band refuted this. In need of a live band to tour the album, Patrick and Liesegang recruited Geno Lenardo on guitar, Frank Cavanagh on bass, and Matt Walker on drums. They would all later be featured in the video for the album's second single, "Dose".
Between Filter's first and second albums, the band became known for their soundtrack contributions, The first of these tracks, "Thanks Bro", landed on the Songs In The Key Of X: Music From And Inspired By The X-Files album. In 1996, Filter recorded and filmed the video for the song "Jurassitol", for The Crow: City of Angels soundtrack. They also released the home video Phenomenology in 1996, which showcased some of the band's live performances and music videos, as well as an interview with Patrick and Liesegang filmed in New Mexico.
Liesegang left in 1997 shortly after recording the Filter/The Crystal Method collaboration "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do" for the Spawn movie soundtrack, due to creative differences with Patrick. In 1998, for the X-Files film soundtrack, Patrick decided to keep the Filter name and recorded a cover of Harry Nilsson's "One".
Patrick continued with 1999's Title of Record with returning members Lenardo and Cavanagh, as well as Steve Gillis on drums, filling in the gap left by Walker after he left to work with The Smashing Pumpkins. Title of Record moved away from industrial rock somewhat, and resulted in the band's biggest hit, the mellow ballad "Take a Picture", along with other lesser-heard singles "Welcome to the Fold" and "The Best Things". The song "Take a Picture" is about a dispute on an aircraft, when Richard Patrick drunkenly stripped down to his boxers, alarming the other passengers.
The song "Captain Bligh" (after Vice-Admiral William Bligh of the HMS Bounty) was written by Patrick after leaving Nine Inch Nails and was about Trent Reznor's notoriously anti-social habits. "Miss Blue" is said to have been about Smashing Pumpkins bassist D'arcy Wretzky. She can be heard on the songs "Cancer", and "Take A Picture".
2002 saw the release of The Amalgamut, featuring the singles "Where Do We Go from Here?" and "American Cliché". "The Only Way (Is the Wrong Way)" was also featured in the first wave of Hummer2 commercials that year and in the 2003 movie Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Alan Bailey was recruited for live guitar when they set off to tour the album; however, the tour ended abruptly in a matter of weeks when Richard Patrick voluntarily checked himself into rehab. He has since tattooed his date of sobriety, September 28, 2002, on his forearm.
Richard Patrick was part of the supergroup The Damning Well, which has only released one track on the Underworld movie soundtrack in 2003, despite an entire album's worth of recording. While nothing has directly surfaced, it is rumored that some of the material from these sessions have been an influence or has been reworked in Filter's 2008 release Anthems for the Damned and Black Light Burn's first album Cruel Melody, due to the fact that Wes Borland was the guitarist of both The Damning Well and Black Light Burns.
Army of Anyone, a second supergroup side-project with drummer Ray Luzier and Stone Temple Pilots members Robert and Dean DeLeo, released its debut album on November 14, 2006. Low album sales, coupled with Richard Patrick's desire to do more work with Filter, led the band's break-up around mid-2007.
As Army of Anyone wound down, Patrick began working on material for a new Filter album, to eventually be titled Anthems for the Damned. Released to the public in May 2008, it was more serious in tone than some expected and expressed more of his mixed emotions regarding the state of the world and the state of his life.
On March 7, 2008, it was announced that Frank Cavanagh had reunited with Filter and would play as a live member at the Operation MySpace concert in Kuwait. It was confirmed at Operation MySpace that he would not be joining Filter on the full tour as he would be shipping off to Iraq in April. The only song played live during the March 10 performance by Cavanagh, now a Sergeant and Paralegal in the U.S. Army Reserve, was the band's first mainstream hit, "Hey, Man, Nice Shot".
Patrick also announced a remix album to Anthems For the Damned on November 4, titled Remixes For the Damned. Remixes For the Damned was released on November 21, 2008 in the U.S. and Canada, and internationally on December 1, 2008. The lead-off single was "I Keep Flowers Around".
A greatest hits album entitled The Very Best Things (1995-2008) was released March 31, 2009. It featured tracks from all four previous studio albums and various movie soundtrack contributions, but no new content. There are 14 tracks total, with some tracks being radio edits.
Filter started work working on a fifth album shortly after the release of the remix and greatest hits albums, with Bob Marlette as a producer. The album, said Richard Patrick, would be a lot heavier than Anthems for the Damned and was to have a song written for The Amalgamut on it. He also stated he would be moving away from the political lyrical content present in Anthems for the Damned.
When asked about the direction of his upcoming music style in an interview with Suicide Girls on September 13, 2008, Patrick said, "Actually the stuff I’m writing right now for a record that I’m going to release sometime next year is actually way more heavy industrial, more electronic. There’s probably not going to be that many live drums on it." It's important to note that he originally saw this album releasing in 2009, while it has now obviously slipped into 2010.
Richard Patrick has stated on the Filter website that he has been recording songs for movies recently. Filter covered the song "Happy Together" by The Turtles for the soundtrack to the movie The Stepfather (2009). The song features ambient sound with alternative metal.
Filter also contributed a new song "Fades Like a Photograph" for the soundtrack of the movie 2012 (2009). The song has a similar lyrical mood to "Take a Picture" and saw Patrick reuniting with former Filter co-conspirator, Brian Liesegang, who co-produced the track.
Through the end of 2009 and into 2010, Filter released a series of fourteen studio updates chronicling the progress made on the album. Each update touched on a certain part of the album process, such as "recording guitar parts" or "mixing the album". The last studio updates confirmed that the album recording had been completed. In their last studio video update, Richard Patrick showcased two clips from final mixed songs on iTunes that listed track listing and track lengths. While the video was legitimate, it was not the actual final track list, it was only a collection of new Filter songs on a playlist.
The album has been recorded, mixed and mastered, and band is currently signed with the label Rocket Science Ventures. Filter released a new single, "The Inevitable Relapse", as their first single on May 26th. The song is available on the band's official website as a free digital download. The Trouble with Angels will be released in August 17, 2010, with touring starting in the summer. The second track on the album, titled "Drug Boy," was released on the band's website on August 3rd.
Skinny
Filter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kept up like a little precious virgin girl
To hear 'bout your grace and your silly face
Wrapped up like a knot in a ball of shoelace
And everytime I talk to you
It sounds like you're caught in a psychological flu
Don't ever let them see you cheat
Don't ever let them shake your hand
Don't ever let them believe that scam
Skinny
And it will make you cry
Skinny
And it will make you lie
Skinny
And if it makes you soft inside
Skinny
At least you will not die
And if you take a good look at them
All caught up in their graciousless win
Every sin is their seamless smile
Will go on for a countless while
And just because they think they won
It just means that the shit has just begun
Don't ever let them see you cheat
Don't ever let them see you beat
Don't ever let them shake your hand
Don't ever let them believe that scam
Skinny
And it will make you cry
Skinny
And it will make you lie
Skinny
And if it makes you soft inside
Skinny
At least you will not die
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
The song "Skinny" by Filter is a commentary on the pressure to conform to societal beauty standards and the toxic culture it creates. The song addresses a woman who is living in her own "small little world" of perfectionism and the detrimental effect it has on her mental health. The lyrics describe her as being "kept up like a little precious virgin girl," which suggests that her obsession with being "perfect" is rooted in societal expectations of purity and innocence.
The chorus of the song repeats the word "skinny" several times, implying that the ideal body type perpetuated by mainstream culture is one that is thin and emaciated. The lyrics suggest that striving for this unrealistic beauty standard is not only emotionally damaging but can also be physically harmful, even deadly. However, the song paradoxically suggests that being "skinny" may still be preferable to death.
The final verse of the song addresses those who have already bought into this culture of perfectionism and compare themselves to others. The lyrics describe these people as being "caught up in their graciousless win," suggesting that their success in achieving an idealized appearance has left them emptier than before. The song ends with a repetition of the word "skinny," driving home the message that this unattainable ideal is a destructive force that leaves people feeling alone and incomplete.
Line by Line Meaning
So here you are in your small little world
You're stuck in your own tiny bubble.
Kept up like a little precious virgin girl
You're sheltered and innocent, naive to the world's vices.
To hear 'bout your grace and your silly face
You crave praise for your superficial qualities.
Wrapped up like a knot in a ball of shoelace
You're tangled up and can't seem to free yourself.
And everytime I talk to you
Whenever I converse with you,
It sounds like you're caught in a psychological flu
It's like you're mentally sick and can't think for yourself.
Don't ever let them see you cheat
Don't show any weakness or vulnerability to others.
Don't ever let them see you bleed
Don't show any emotion or vulnerability to others.
Don't ever let them shake your hand
Don't trust anyone or let them get close to you.
Don't ever let them believe that scam
Don't let anyone deceive or manipulate you.
Skinny
Being thin, or having a small, weak presence.
And it will make you cry
It will cause pain and suffering.
And it will make you lie
It will force you to be deceitful or manipulative.
And if it makes you soft inside
If it makes you vulnerable or weak internally.
At least you will not die
At least you won't physically succumb to it.
All caught up in their graciousless win
They're consumed by their desire to win, without any regard for decency or kindness.
Every sin is their seamless smile
They commit immoral acts with ease and hide it behind a facade of kindness and cordiality.
Will go on for a countless while
Their deception will continue indefinitely.
And just because they think they won
Just because they believe they've emerged victorious,
It just means that the shit has just begun
It only means that the consequences of their actions are about to fall upon them.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GENO LENARDO, RICHARD MICHAEL PATRICK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Shadow
Lyrics:
So here you are in your small little world
Kept up like a little precious virgin girl
To hear 'bout your grace and your silly face
Wrapped up like a knot in a ball of shoelace
And everytime I talk to you
It sounds like you're caught in a psychological flu
Don't ever let them see you cheat
Don't ever let them see you bleed
Don't ever let them shake your hand
Don't ever let them believe that scam
Skinny
And it will make you cry
Skinny
And it will make you lie
Skinny
And if it makes you soft inside
Skinny
At least you will not die
And if you take a good look at them
All caught up in their graciousless win
Every sin is their seamless smile
Will go on for a countless while
And just because they think they won
It just means that the shit has just begun
Don't ever let them see you cheat
Don't ever let them see you beat
Don't ever let them shake your hand
Don't ever let them believe that scam
Skinny
And it will make you cry
Skinny
And it will make you lie
Skinny
And if it makes you soft inside
Skinny
At least you will not die
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh
Dominon92
So here you are in your small little world
Kept up like a little precious virgin girl
To hear 'bout your grace and your silly face
Wrapped up like a knot in a ball of shoelace
And everytime I talk to you
It sounds like you're caught in a psychological flu
Don't ever let them see you cheat
Don't' Ever let them see you bleed
Don't Ever let them shake your hand
Don't ever let them believe that scam
[Chorus:]
Skinny And it will make you cry
Skinny
And it will make you lie
Skinny
And if it makes you soft inside
Skinny At least you will not die
And if you take a good look at them
All caught up in their graciousless win
Every sin is their seamless smile
Will go on for a countless while
And just because they think they've won
It just means that the shit has just begun
Don't ever let them see you cheat
Don't ever let them see you beat
Don't ever let them shake your hand
Don't ever let them believe that scam
[Chorus]
Yeah, skinny, skinny, huh [8 times]
googleiscomplicated
This album is the shit, wish there were still people with these qualities in their music.
Doc Airline
Got this album from one of those penny cd ads back in the 2000s
22 and Xi
Captain Bligh
The Doc
The opening of this song is like a drug to me, it takes me to places i've never been to, that feel reminiscent at the same time.
Crotalus atrox
So agree, Richard Patrick and Filter have been my companions through all the shit I've endured so many years. Telling me as a Man to hold my head up and never let them see you bleed.
Tennessee Truck Girl
Exactly...it’s like you can’t get enough.
Edenscribable 9029
Slap on noise cancelling head phones, get comfy and close your eyes. 3 deep breaths and blast off to serenity.
Erica Mcfly
Its cosmic star shock blue dust awesomeness 😋
michael bryan
A great song, truly this band in 1999 with title of record had more emotion than anything I have ever heard and still to this day ever heard.
Bruce Gitow
Brilliant, haunting song from a great album.