History
Formation and It's Our Time (2001–2006)
Rise or Die Trying, Explains It All (2006–2009)
The band's 2007 release Rise or Die Trying with I Surrender Records peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart in its debut week. On the back of their increasing popularity, the band was signed to Decaydance Records in February 2008.
On July 21, 2009, Four Year Strong released an album of covers from the 1990s, titled Explains It All. The album features guest appearances from Keith Buckley of Every Time I Die, Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes, and JR and Buddy of Less Than Jake. The band explained their reasoning behind the album in a MySpace blog, saying "It’s what we grew up listening to. Everyone has those songs that instantly transport you back to when you were younger. Whether we were in our bedrooms playing air guitar, or riding in the car to little league practice, or it was just that song that was all over the radio during that awesome summer at the Cape. These songs have impacted us in some way and we want to share that feeling with you."
Enemy of the World (2010)
The band's 3rd full-length album, Enemy of the World, was released on March 9, 2010 on Universal Motown Records. The band released the album's first single, "It Must Really Suck to Be Four Year Strong Right Now", on December 21, 2009. The name of the song is a reference to the final sentence of a review in Alternative Press in which the magazine praised Set Your Goals' new album while remarking on the future of Four Year Strong and how their record would compare. The vinyl record was made available to pre-order on March 2, 2010. The album sold 12,400 copies in its first week, debuting at number 40 on the Billboard 200.
On April 3, 2011, it was announced that Josh Lyford would be leaving the band. Initially, it was implied that Lyford had chosen to leave in order to focus on his side project, Foxfires. However, it was later confirmed by both Lyford and Alan Day, that the band had elected to remove synthesizers from their sound leaving no room for Lyford to continue. The band has said they will continue as a four piece.
In Some Way, Shape or Form (2011–present)
On April 13, 2011, in an interview with Alternative Press, the band revealed that they had been in the middle of recording their fourth studio album with producer David Bendeth in New Jersey's House of Loud. The band is set to return to the studio, without Josh Lyford, to finish the album in June, after they finish touring with Rise Against. Vocalist Alan Day has also revealed that the new songs the band had written were very diverse, and that the new material is different than anything the band has ever written. While touring with Rise Against, they have been playing a newly recorded, yet unreleased song called "Falling on You".
On August 18, 2011, the band released "Stuck in the Middle", a new song from the upcoming album. The band announced that the new album will be titled In Some Way, Shape, or Form, and will be released on November 8, 2011. On September 8, 2011, the band released another song from the album, entitled "Falling on You." The first official single from the album, "Just Drive", is set for release on September 27, 2011
During the Fall 2011 AP Tour, the band played another new unreleased song which will be released on the upcoming album. The band dedicates it to fans who have been there "from the very beginning, and will be there till the very end." a video of the song has been leaked on YouTube. It is called "Fairweather Fan."
Touring
The band has done multiple national tours, sharing the stage with such bands as The Starting Line, Slip On It, Hellogoodbye, From First to Last, Every Time I Die, Meg & Dia, Hidden in Plain View, Alexisonfire, All Time Low, Mayday Parade, New Found Glory, Bayside and Steel Train. The band toured in February–April 2009 as part of the Taste of Chaos tour, alongside Thursday, Bring Me the Horizon, Pierce the Veil, and Cancer Bats. They undertook the Summer co-headline tour with Set Your Goals, and also Fireworks, The Swellers, Polar Bear Club, A Loss For Words, Drive A and Grave Maker from July to August 2009. Four Year Strong also performed on the Australian Soundwave festival in February and March 2010, alongside headliners Faith No More, Janes Addiction, Placebo; also playing alongside Alexisonfire, Set Your Goals, A Day To Remember, Paramore, It Dies Today, Gallows, Emarosa, A Wilhelm Scream, Anthrax, All Time Low, Escape The Fate, This Is Hell, Enter Shikari, Anti-Flag, Baroness, Comeback Kid, The Almost, Dance Gavin Dance, Architects, You Me At Six, Rolo Tomassi, Dichi Michi, Sunny Day Real Estate and many more. The band was in the lineup for Vans Warped Tour 2010 and played on the Altec Lansing stage along side Breathe Carolina, Hey Monday, and Set Your Goals.[7] They also played the first day on the Bamboozle festival. Late 2010, Four Year Strong headlined a tour with Comeback Kid, The Wonder Years, American Fangs, and Mountain Man. The tour was entitled "Tonight We Feel Alive!", and spanned the entire United States. In February 2011, Four Year Strong co-headlined the Kerrang! Relentless Tour 2011 with Good Charlotte with support from Framing Hanley and The Wonder Years, The tour began February 3rd in Dublin, Ireland. On the 15th February 2011 it was announced that they had been added to support Blink 182 on their UK tour alongside You Me At Six They will be joining Rise Against and Bad Religion on a US summer tour in 2011. They have also announced that they will come back to Australia later in the year to play Soundwave Revolution along with already announced bands The Damned Things, Story of The Year, Every Time I Die, Hellogoodbye, We Are The In Crowd and many others. They still have yet to announce an upcoming Detroit show. It is long overdue.
Musical style
The band's sound can be described as popcore a blend of pop punk, hardcore punk, and power pop. This genre is popularly referred to as "easycore" or "happycore". The band simply developed their sound off the idea of playing 'exactly what they want to hear' or music that they would listen to, but no one else was playing at the time.[8] The band has cited their influences as being Lifetime, Saves the Day, Gorilla Biscuits, Blink-182, and New Found Glory, to name a few. Though the band would primarily start out as a post-hardcore , the release of their demo in 2004 would mark a shift from post-hardcore to more synthesizer-heavy tracks, where the band would begin to embrace the styles of power pop and general hardcore punk. Prior to the release of and at times within Rise or Die Trying, the band also incorporates more facets of modern hardcore, such as double bass drums, breakdowns and screaming vocals. For their 3rd studio album, Enemy of the World, the band decided to expand upon their hardcore influences.
Influences
The band has many references to 1990's pop culture. They have been known to quote lines from '90s films in lyrics/song titles/ and in conversation. They were influenced by all the bands on their cover album Explains It All.
Enemy of the World
Four Year Strong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then we're in this together
If you're not then I'll have to
Take on this world
Cause this world can't take on me
I won't let go
I feel so lost without it
Crawl down my throat
If it's your turn to live
Then it's my turn to give it up
And if you drop the bomb
Then I'll pick it up
I'm afraid to be
I stick it out by my heart can't hack it
Just an example of inconsistency
I feel like I'm jaded
I've given it all I have to give
Burnt out, frustrated
I feel like I'm an enemy of the world
If the timing is right
Then I'll turn back the clock
And as the minutes count down
I'll put my trust in this world
Cause this world can't trust in me
I'm holding on
I just can't believe that
All hope is gone
I'm such a wreck without it now
If it's your turn to live
Then it's my turn to give it up
And you bring the heart
Then I'll bring the beat
I'm afraid to be
I stick it out by my heart can't hack it
Just an example of inconsistency
I feel like I'm jaded
I've given it all I have to give
Burnt out, frustrated
I feel like I'm an enemy of the world
I have to take on this world
Cause this world can't take on me
I'm holding on
And as the minutes count down
I'll put my trust in this world
Cause this world can't trust in me
I won't set go
If it's your turn to live
Then it's my turn to give it up
And if you drop the bomb
Then I'll pick it up
If it's your turn to live
Then it's my turn to give it up
And you bring the heart
Then I'll bring the beat
I'm afraid to be
I stick it out by my heart can't hack it
Just an example of inconsistency
I feel like I'm jaded
I've given it all I have to give
Burnt out, frustrated
I feel like I'm an enemy of the world
I'm afraid to be
I stick it out by my heart can't hack it
Just an example of inconsistency
I feel like I'm jaded
I've given it all I have to give
Burnt out, frustrated
I feel like I'm an enemy of the world
The lyrics of Four Year Strong's "Enemy of the World" deal with the struggle of feeling like an outsider or an enemy in the world. The song begins with a declaration that if we are in this world together, then we must face it as such. However, if some are unwilling to join in, then it falls to the singer to take on the world themselves. The singer feels lost without the world, but also jaded and burnt out by it, making them feel like they are fighting against it. The lyrics use the fear of being vulnerable to connect with the listener, asking them to see the world as something worth fighting for.
The chorus repeats the lines "I'm afraid to be // Just an example of inconsistency // I feel like I'm jaded // I've given it all I have to give // Burnt out, frustrated // I feel like I'm an enemy of the world". This repetition emphasizes the feeling of isolation and frustration. The singer is both afraid to try and fail, but also tired of trying with no results. They feel like they are different from everyone else and cannot keep up with the world's demands. The song does not offer a solution, but rather a call to fight despite the fear and frustration.
Line by Line Meaning
Well if you're in from the start
If you've been with me from the beginning, then we're in this together.
Then we're in this together
We're in this fight against the world as a team.
If you're not then I'll have to
But if you're not with me, then I'll have to do this alone.
Take on this world
I have to confront and overcome the difficulties the world presents.
Cause this world can't take on me
The world is incapable of stopping me.
I won't let go
I won't give up or abandon this fight.
I feel so lost without it
I feel lost and overwhelmed when I don't have control over the situation.
Crawl down my throat
This problem is affecting me on a deep and personal level.
I just can't think about it now
It's too overwhelming to deal with at this moment.
If it's your turn to live
If it's your time to shine and take action,
Then it's my turn to give it up
Then it's my turn to step back and let you lead.
And if you drop the bomb
And if you make a big impact,
Then I'll pick it up
Then I'll take it from there and continue the momentum.
I'm afraid to be
I'm scared of confronting the world and failing.
I stick it out by my heart can't hack it
I try to persist and push through, but my emotions are overwhelming me.
Just an example of inconsistency
I'm not always able to keep up a constant front in this battle.
I feel like I'm jaded
I feel cynical or disillusioned with the world.
I've given it all I have to give
I've exhausted all my energy and resources in this fight.
Burnt out, frustrated
I'm tired and angry that my efforts haven't produced the desired result.
I have to take on this world
I don't have a choice but to face this world's challenges.
And you bring the heart
And if you bring your passion and determination,
Then I'll bring the beat
Then I'll provide the energy and drive to keep moving forward.
Contributed by Claire M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.