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.
White Like That
Filter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Makes my life a war
What a bore
Don't you understand
It wasn't ever my plan
I guess you just can't see
What you do when you blame it all on me
White like that
It's all the same
Said one thing and mean another
Who are you gonna lose?
Who are you gonna choose?
What do you think I'm gonna do?
What are you thinking?
White like that
I'm white like that
It's all the same
They call me white trash
White like that
I'm white like that
It's all the same
White like that
I'm white like that
It's all the same game
So who's gonna lose?
Who's gonna lose?
The lyrics of Filter's song White Like That delve into personal frustrations, insecurities, and the feeling of being wrongly accused. The lines, "One thing is for sure I don't need it, makes my life a war, what a bore," reveal the singer's frustration towards being subjected to negative judgment by others. He/she expresses disappointment at being misunderstood despite having never intended to cause any harm.
Towards the end of the first stanza, the singer seems to direct the lyrics at a particular individual, "I guess you just can't see what you do when you blame it all on me." This highlights the importance of communication and how misunderstandings can snowball into bigger problems. The term "White like that" used in the lyrics is an apparent allusion to the racial connotations of the term "white trash." He/she grapples with the weight of this label and the stereotypes that come with it.
The song seems to celebrate individuality and self-acceptance. The lyrics, "It's all the same, white like that. I'm white like that. It's all the same game. So who's gonna lose? Who's gonna lose?" suggest that the singer has lost patience with societal expectations and believes that it's foolish to try to fit in with a society that is not accepting. The song reminds us of the importance of self-love and embracing our differences, rather than trying to fit into a mold that is not meant for us.
Line by Line Meaning
One thing is for sure I don't need it
I am certain that I do not require this in my life
Makes my life a war
Having this in my life creates conflict and turmoil
What a bore
This situation is tedious and uninteresting
Don't you understand
Do you not comprehend what I am trying to say?
It wasn't ever my plan
I did not intend for this to happen
I guess you just can't see
It seems that you are unable to recognize
What you do when you blame it all on me
You are unfairly attributing all responsibility to me
White like that
I am being judged solely based on my skin color
I'm white like that
I am being defined by my race, which is unfair
It's all the same
All situations of this nature are identical
Said one thing and mean another
You are being deceitful by saying one thing but meaning something else
Who are you gonna lose?
Who will suffer the consequence of your actions?
Who are you gonna choose?
Who will you prioritize in this situation?
What do you think I'm gonna do?
What do you believe my response will be?
What are you thinking?
What is going through your mind?
They call me white trash
I am being unjustly labeled and categorized based on my race and socioeconomic status
White like that
I am being judged solely based on my skin color
I'm white like that
I am being defined by my race, which is unfair
It's all the same
All situations of this nature are identical
White like that
I am being judged solely based on my skin color
I'm white like that
I am being defined by my race, which is unfair
It's all the same game
All situations of this nature are identical
So who's gonna lose?
Who will suffer the consequence of your actions?
Who's gonna lose?
Who will suffer the consequence of your actions?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RICHARD MICHAEL PATRICK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@drd7313
O. M. G. Has it really been that long. And still hit me with chill bumps like I’m back in the abandoned quadplex in highland with extension cords running the two most important items for the night. Strobe/black light combo plug and play and Our new and I mean new to the world JVC f5dr cd player or Somthing like that but it didn’t matter bc it had a blue light made on it.
So a quad full of folks that knew how to map out the underground parties.
A drawer full of mushroom fantasy.
And another great time brought to you by brick house nobodies.
The above statements should be read with “allegedly” inserted where needed and for entertainment purposes only.
Plz note there was no fights, nothing stolen, nothin destroyed, no police showed up until after they was off duty. No dumb decisions to leave or drive off. Just some crazy az z fun. Oh and let me add healthy and now I can say very smart babies were conceived.
Damn all that from one unexpected song thanks to Siri thinking I said methwhen I clearly said depthpipe gauge for my fracking team.
….and for that, we thank you
Now can I get a fkn rt or a hell yea from all the people in the back of the day.
And remember it’s only when the poison turns ur peas brown that you’ll know and only then.
@gadbammit4736
The whole reason he wrote this song was because Trent Reznor told Richard Patrick "Hey I heard a pizza shop down the road is hiring" this is what I think everytime when my grandparents tell me someone is hiring
That's why this music exists cause someone wasn't kind? Could recognize his talent is greater, or as great as mine and I feel threatened, Wow, I love it
It's like "having the rational of a New York Cop"
OMG I want everyone to see like me, but then I'd be a dictator
I'd assissinate myself but then who would the world hate?
Serve it up on a silver plate and let you pass it around?
No thinking, dancing is forbidden, can't you see it's hidden?
@ShyGuy83
It’s been 25 years since this album’s release and it still sounds way more futuristic than 99% of what’s being released today.
@vodomer359
couldn't have said that any better. By far, you see them live and thought, "well, they're ahead of the game!"
@JamesDavis-gt1jc
Yvygv vvtvy
@ShyGuy83
@@Vodkanir What are you talking about?
@Vodkanir
@@ShyGuy83 i'm asking you who you're lying to here buster
@ShyGuy83
@@Vodkanir Lying about what!?
@HoundedSoul
Over 20 years old and this song's still a banger! 🤘🤘🤘
@marcusa.m.albrecht
My favourite Song since almost
30 Years !!! ...
@TheFourthSurvivor
Cheers to Filter for having comments turned on for this, I hate how most songs have comments turned off by default
The bit at 1:47 is one of my favorite parts of any song ever, guitar riffage hits so hard
@ClockworkAlex
One of my all time favorite songs.