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.
Love Song
Four Year Strong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you tell me to breathe easy for a while
The breathing gets harder, even I know that
Made room for me, it's too soon to see
If I'm happy in your hands
I'm unusually hard to hold on to
Blank stares at blank pages
You mean well, but you make this hard on me
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's
Make or break in this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better
Reason to write you a love song today
I learned the hard way
That they all say things you want to hear
And my heavy heart sinks deep down under you and
Your twisted words,
Your help just hurts
You are not what I thought you were
Hello to high and dry
Convinced me to please you
Made me think that I need this too
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am
[Chorus]
Promise me that you'll leave the light on
To help me see with daylight, my guide, gone
'Cause I believe there's a way you can love me
Because I say
I won't write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or break in this
Is that what you wanted, a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or break in this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If your heart is nowhere in it
I don't want it for a minute babe,
I'll walk the seven seas when I believe that
There's a reason to
Write you a love song today
Hey, hey, hey
Today
Today
Hey, hey, hey
Today
The lyrics to Four Year Strong's "Love Song" are about a person who is struggling in a relationship that they are not happy in. They feel suffocated, underwater, and unable to breathe. The other person keeps telling them to "breathe easy," but the singer knows that things are not going as they should. They feel like they cannot be held onto, and despite the other person's good intentions, they are making things even harder. The singer is hesitant to write a love song because they feel pressured into it. They do not want to give the other person what they want, especially if they are just using it as a way to make or break the relationship. The singer has seen through the other person's twisted words and false promises and is trying to assert themselves while still hoping for genuine connection.
The singer also references learning the hard way that people will say whatever they think the other person wants to hear. They are tired of the other person's manipulations and just wants to be heard for who they are. They ask the other person to leave the light on in hopes that they can find their way back to a love that is true and genuine. However, they will not write the love song that the other person is asking for just because they feel like they have to. They need a reason to write it, and they won't do it if it's not based on real emotion.
In many ways, "Love Song" is a song about self-respect and assertiveness. The singer is unwilling to give in to the other person's demands and is trying to find their way back to a relationship that is built on trust, honesty, and mutual respect. However, they are not going to compromise who they are or what they believe in just to please the other person. It's a powerful message about standing up for oneself even in the midst of turmoil.
Line by Line Meaning
Head under water
Feeling overwhelmed and stuck in a difficult situation
And you tell me to breathe easy for a while
You try to console me, but it's not that simple
The breathing gets harder, even I know that
I'm aware that things are only getting worse
Made room for me, it's too soon to see
We're moving too fast and I'm not sure if it's the right move
If I'm happy in your hands
I'm unsure if I can trust you with my happiness
I'm unusually hard to hold on to
I have a lot of personal issues that make it difficult to maintain a stable relationship
Blank stares at blank pages
I'm struggling to find the right words to express myself
No easy way to say this
It's hard to be honest with you, but I need to be
You mean well, but you make this hard on me
You're trying to help, but it's not making things easier
I'm not gonna write you a love song
I won't create a fake display of emotion just because you want me to
'Cause you asked for it
Your insistence on wanting a love song is making this situation tense
'Cause you need one, you see
You believe that a love song is necessary to prove our relationship
If you're on your way
If you're planning to leave
I'm not gonna write you to stay
I won't try to convince you to stay with a fake love song
If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better Reason to write you a love song today
If you're just going to leave, I need a real reason to write a genuine love song
I learned the hard way
I've had negative experiences in the past with insincere displays of emotion
That they all say things you want to hear
People will say anything to keep you around, even if they don't mean it
And my heavy heart sinks deep down under you and Your twisted words
Your words have a negative effect on my mental health
Your help just hurts
Your attempts at helping are actually causing harm
You are not what I thought you were
You turned out to be different than I imagined
Hello to high and dry
I feel abandoned and alone
Convinced me to please you
You tried to guilt me into doing things for you
Made me think that I need this too
You made me believe that I needed you, even though it's not true
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am
I want you to accept me for who I really am
Promise me that you'll leave the light on
Assurance that they will be there for support and guidance
To help me see with daylight, my guide, gone
They will be a guiding light when things are difficult to see clearly
'Cause I believe there's a way you can love me, Because I say
I need my partner to love and accept me the way I am, not through superficial displays of affection
If your heart is nowhere in it
If you're not fully committed emotionally
I don't want it for a minute babe
I don't want a shallow relationship that doesn't fulfill me
I'll walk the seven seas when I believe that There's a reason to
I will do anything for a real, genuine connection and love
Write you a love song today
Express my love for you in a real and authentic way
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sara Bareilles
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind