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.
Men Are from Mars Women Are from Hell
Four Year Strong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And call me up if you think that you'’ve had enough
I’'ll show you two ways to bleed if you just show me the teeth
Under those famous lips of yours
Now show me what you’'re working on
Not that it’'s a secret
You dance your way from bed to bed
You always make it so obvious
I’'m finding that all of the things that you’'ve thrown away
Have found their way to my door
You'’re like a fever, I can'’t get over, I can't get over it
I’'m finding that all of the things that you’'ve thrown away
Have found their way to my door
You'’re like a fever, I can'’t get over, I can't get over it
I’'m beating myself up over this
Well, are you ready for some good news?
I had you two made from the start
You thought you wouldn'’t get caught
It’'ll be my time to shine
The next time the clock strikes 1 2 3 4
On the bell, until then I'’ll see you in hell
See you in hell
Now show me what you’'re working with
Not that it’'s a secret
You dance your way from bed to bed
And try not to make it so obvious
You always make it so obvious
I’'m finding that all of the things that you'’ve thrown away
Have found their way to my door
You'’re like a fever, I can'’t get over, I can't get over it
I’'m finding that all of the things that you'’ve thrown away
Have found their way to my door
You'’re like a fever, I can'’t get over, I can't get over it
I’'m beating myself up over this
You'’re like a fever, I can’'t get over, I can't get over it
I’'m beating myself up over this
The lyrics to Four Year Strong's Men Are from Mars Women Are from Hell touch on themes of betrayal and revenge in a tumultuous romantic relationship. The singer is addressing their partner and telling them to keep up their behavior, even though they don't know how to stop. The singer calls out their partner for their infidelity, saying that they will show them how to bleed if they reveal the truth about their actions. The partner is described as dancing their way from bed to bed, trying not to make their behavior too obvious. The singer acknowledges their own self-blame for the situation, but also expresses a desire for revenge, stating that they will shine when the clock strikes.
The lyrics highlight the power dynamics in a relationship and the destructive behavior that can arise when trust is broken. The singer seems to be grappling with feelings of anger and hurt, but also a desire for control and dominance. The metaphor of Mars and Hell reinforces the idea of the gender binary and the idea that men and women are inherently different. The reference to the clock striking 1 2 3 4 could suggest a countdown or a moment of reckoning, where the singer plans to confront their partner and take revenge for their betrayal.
Overall, the lyrics to Men Are from Mars Women Are from Hell explore the complexities of romantic relationships and the emotional turmoil that can arise when trust is broken. The song is a powerful exploration of the dynamics of control and betrayal, and highlights the struggle to maintain a sense of agency and self-worth in a difficult relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Keep it up like you even know how to stop
You're trying to act like you're in control, even though you have no idea what you're doing.
And call me up if you think that you've had enough
If you're feeling overwhelmed and can't handle it anymore, don't hesitate to reach out to me for help.
I'll show you two ways to bleed if you just show me the teeth
If you're willing to confront me and show me your vulnerability, I'll be there to support you through whatever challenges come your way.
Under those famous lips of yours
There's more to you than your outward appearance or reputation; I want to get to know the real you beneath the surface.
Now show me what you're working on
I'm interested in seeing what you're putting effort into and what motivates you.
Not that it's a secret
You don't have to keep anything from me, I'm here to support you unconditionally.
You dance your way from bed to bed
You have a tendency to engage in casual relationships without a deeper emotional connection.
And try not to make it so obvious
You don't want others to judge you for your choices or think less of you, so you try to hide your behavior.
You always make it so obvious
Despite your efforts to conceal your actions, your true intentions are clear to those around you.
I'm finding that all of the things that you've thrown away
The things you've disregarded or deemed unimportant have somehow ended up being significant to me.
Have found their way to my door
I'm the one who's been affected by your actions or decisions, even if you didn't intend for it to happen.
You're like a fever, I can't get over, I can't get over it
You have a strong hold on me and I can't shake my feelings for you, despite how I may try.
I'm beating myself up over this
I'm struggling with my emotions and feeling frustrated or defeated due to my inability to move on from you.
Well, are you ready for some good news?
I have something positive to share that I think you'll appreciate.
I had you two made from the start
I knew from the beginning that you were capable of causing trouble or harm, and now my suspicions have been confirmed.
You thought you wouldn't get caught
You believed that you could continue with your questionable behavior without any repercussions or consequences.
It'll be my time to shine
I'm going to take advantage of this situation and show that I'm capable of handling whatever challenges come my way.
The next time the clock strikes 1 2 3 4 on the bell, until then I'll see you in hell
Until the next time we cross paths or have to confront each other, I'll be doing my best to distance myself from you and the negative impact you've had on my life.
Now show me what you're working with
I want to see what you're capable of and what makes you unique so that I can better understand you.
You're like a fever, I can't get over, I can't get over it
My feelings for you run deep and I can't seem to move on, no matter how much I try or how much it hurts me.
I'm beating myself up over this
I'm struggling internally with my emotions and can't seem to find a way to overcome my attachment to you.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Alan Clifford Day, Daniel Patrick O'Connor, Jackson Russell Massucco, Joseph Flanders Weiss, Joshua Bo Lyford
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brilyan Maryli Akbar
Keep it up like you even know how to stop
Call me up if you think that you've had enough
I'll show you two ways to bleed
If you just show me those teeth
Under those famous lips of yours
Now show me what you're working with (not like it's a secret)
You dance your way from bed to bed
And try not to make it so obvious
You always make it so obvious
I'm finding that all of the things that you've thrown away
Have found their way to my door
You're like a fever I can't get over
I can't get over the way
All of the things that you've thrown away
Have found their way to my door
You're like a fever I can't get over
I can't get over it
And I'm beating myself up over this
Well are you ready for some good news?
I had you two made from the start
You thought you wouldn't get caught
It'll be my time to shine
The next time the clock strikes 12:34
On the bell until then I'll see you in...
Hell!
Hunter Isaac
If they don't call it the "ten year strong" tour they're missing a huge opportunity
Jono Bennett
I'm glad they finally made a video for this a decade later. I don't understand the video, but this and Beatdown In The Key Of Happy were my non-mainstream favorites on the album back in 2007.
David Dangerfield
seriously the best song I've ever heard from these guys! I've always loved them but I really like this more melodic driven sound it fits them very well
We Remotely Low
...Then check out the rest of "Rise Or Die Trying".
A-Aron 1
David Dangerfield this is from like a decade ago....
Ethan Dombrowski
I will live and die by easycore breakdowns or as I say "mosh drops" , FYS being the best.
Danny Brunner
Ethan Dombrowski Chunk No Captain Chunk is another one that does them well.
Joshin Around
ROTD was my favourite album for ages back in the day. So much nostalgia listening to this. l remember sitting in my backyard with a fire going drinking beers with the album on my speakers. Come back to Australia ASAP lads. A ROTD played in full show would make my life.
brockhampilton
Joshin Around hahahaa
they definitely need to make it to aus though, never yet had the privilege to see them live.
Joshin Around
Fuck, don't drink and comment people.