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.
Paul Revere's Midnight Ride
Four Year Strong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've got to find your reason right now
To put that eye up to the keyhole
To find the answers to the questions
What's it like or what's in fashion
This passion keeps us moving along
Could I be down to try to get up off the ground
To survive without you
While I'm busy singing to live
Give up, give in
Or get up on the roof of the big time
And try to pretend you knew better
I don't care about you
Cause you'll still be living
While I'm busy singing
Take one step
Have you got it in you
You'll have to take it if you want to
You'll have to face the consequences
That can bring you down
Don't try and play the game
Cause you could get knocked back underground
Take one step
Have you got it in you
You'll have to fake it like you always do
You'll have to face the consequences
That can bring you down
Don't try and play the game
Cause you could get knocked back underground
You're off by a long shot
You've got to find your reason right now
To keep your hands inside the game
To find your ride for the long haul
And let you shoulder all the blame
For this monster you can't tame
I try to pretend I knew better
I'm not scared
But I should be
Cause you'll still be living
While I'm busy singing
I will not let you live
Take one step
Have you got it in you
You'll have to take it if you want to
You'll have to face the consequences
That can bring you down
Don't try and play the game
Cause you could get knocked back underground
Take one step
Have you got it in you
You'll have to fake it like you always do
You'll have to face the consequences
That can bring you down
Don't try and play the game
Cause you could get knocked back under
Knocked back underground
So take your chances
Treading water in the fountain of youth
The truth will set you free
Well now you're drowning in the water
In the fountain of youth
The world will set you free
Well now you're floating in the water
In the fountain of youth
The truth will set you free
Well now you're poisoning the water
In the fountain of youth
The world will set you free
Take one step
Have you got it in you
You'll have to take it if you want to
You'll have to face the consequences
That can bring you down
Don't try and play the game
Cause you could get knocked back underground
Take one step
Have you got it in you
You'll have to fake it like you always do
You'll have to face the consequences
That can bring you down
Don't try and play the game
Cause you could get knocked back underground
The lyrics to Four Year Strong's song "Paul Revere's Midnight Ride" speak to the struggles of finding one's place in life and facing the consequences of one's actions. The opening lines, "You're off by a long sight / You've got to find your reason right now / To put that eye up to the keyhole / To find the answers to the questions," suggest a sense of confusion and the need to search for clarity. The singer acknowledges that following trends and trying to impress others ("what's in fashion") may be tempting, but it's important to stay true to oneself and keep moving forward ("this passion keeps us moving along").
The chorus emphasizes the importance of taking risks in order to succeed, even if it means facing failure ("you'll have to face the consequences that can bring you down"). The line "Don't try and play the game / Cause you could get knocked back underground" warns against trying to manipulate or cheat one's way to the top, as it is ultimately unsustainable and can lead to downfall.
The bridge brings in a metaphor of the "fountain of youth," representing the desire for eternal youth and vitality. However, the consequences of chasing after this impossible dream are dire - "the truth will set you free" from this unrealistic goal, and even attempting to achieve it can lead to "poisoning the water" and causing harm to oneself and others.
Overall, "Paul Revere's Midnight Ride" is a call to action, encouraging listeners to find their purpose, take risks, and stay true to themselves in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
You're off by a long sight
You're way off and need to find your purpose
You've got to find your reason right now
You need to discover your motivation immediately
To put that eye up to the keyhole
To look closely and find answers to questions
To find the answers to the questions
To search for solutions to your problems
What's it like or what's in fashion
Being trendy is not as important as finding oneself
This passion keeps us moving along
Passion is what motivates us to keep moving forward
Could I be down to try to get up off the ground
Although it is difficult, I am willing to try to overcome obstacles
To survive without you
To live without depending on someone else
Cause you'll still be living
Although you will continue living, I will not be dependent on you
While I'm busy singing to live
While I am pursuing my passion
Give up, give in
Surrender and accept defeat
Or get up on the roof of the big time
Make it to the top, become successful
And try to pretend you knew better
Act as though you had it all figured out when you did not
I don't care about you
I am no longer relying on you
Take one step
Make progress one action at a time
Have you got it in you
Do you have the courage to do what it takes
You'll have to take it if you want to
You must take action if you want to succeed
You'll have to face the consequences
You should take responsibility for your actions
That can bring you down
It can lead to failure
Don't try and play the game
Do not pretend to have it all under control
Cause you could get knocked back underground
It could result in failure or setback
You're off by a long shot
You are far from achieving your goal
To keep your hands inside the game
Stay committed and focused on your goal
To find your ride for the long haul
To find a way to persevere through the tough times
And let you shoulder all the blame
To take full responsibility for past mistakes
For this monster you can't tame
For this difficult challenge you cannot control
But I should be cause you'll still be living
I should be afraid of failing because you will still be alive
While I'm busy singing
While I am pursuing my passion
I will not let you live
I will not remain reliant on you
So take your chances
Take risks
Treading water in the fountain of youth
Staying afloat in life
The truth will set you free
Being honest with oneself can bring personal growth
Well now you're drowning in the water
Now you are struggling and unable to stay afloat
In the fountain of youth
In the pursuit of staying young and relevant
The world will set you free
The power of the world can liberate people
Well now you're floating in the water
Now you are surviving and successfully achieving your goal
Well now you're poisoning the water
Now you are causing harm to yourself and others
Take one step
Make progress one action at a time
Have you got it in you
Do you have the courage to do what it takes
You'll have to fake it like you always do
You might have to pretend to be confident when you are not
Don't try and play the game
Do not pretend to have it all under control
Cause you could get knocked back underground
It could result in failure or setback
Contributed by Jasmine I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.