The band has three #1 albums (Faceless, IV, The Oracle) on the Billboard 200, four Grammy nominations, and eight #1 hits on Mainstream Rock Radio. Godsmack has sold over 19 million records worldwide.
Since its inception, Godsmack has toured on Ozzfest on more than one occasion, and have toured with many other large tours and festivals, including supporting its albums with its own arena tours. In the summer of 2009, Godsmack toured as support to Mötley Crüe's Crüe Fest 2 tour.
In February 1995, Sully Erna decided to start a new band as the lead singer after playing the drums for more than 23 years, including over two years in the now-defunct band Strip Mind. His new band The Scam formed with Erna on vocals, Robbie Merrill on bass, local guitarist and friend Lee Richards on guitar, and Tommy Stewart on drums. The Scam quickly changed its name to Godsmack, after recording one demo. The newly formed band started playing small bars in their hometown of Boston, Mass.. Locally popular songs such as "Keep Away" and "Whatever" soon brought them to the top of the hit charts in the Boston/New England area.
The band's name, according to Merrill in the Smack This! DVD, was taken from the Alice in Chains' song "God Smack". However, Erna stated in a 1999 interview that "I was making fun of somebody who had a cold sore on his lip and the next day I had one myself and somebody said, 'It's a godsmack.' The name stuck. We were aware of the Alice in Chains song but didn't really think much about it. It's a cool song and the name had meaning for us".
In 1996, Tony Rombola and Joe D'Arco joined Godsmack as the guitarist and drummer, after Richards left after finding out he had a six-year-old child and Stewart left due to personal differences. In the same year the band entered the studio for the first time, recording its first CD titled "All Wound Up". The CD was recorded in just three days for $2,600.
For the next two years, the band played throughout the Boston area. Eventually Godsmack's CD landed in the hands of Rocko, the night-time DJ for Boston radio station WAAF (FM). The radio station put "Keep Away" into heavy rotation and the song rose to the number one spot at the station very quickly. Newbury Comics, a New England record store chain, agreed to sell the CD on consignment. Shortly after the success of "Keep Away", Godsmack went back into the studio and recorded a single titled "Whatever", which became the new local favorite on WAAF (FM).
In an interview Sully Erna stated, "we had been selling maybe 50 copies a month at the time WAAF picked up the album. All of a sudden we started moving over records a week. It was insane. Even crazier, I was doing all this from my bedroom. After years of grinding away, things finally started taking off."
Alice in Chains is believed to be the primary influence to Godsmack. Many believe Godsmack obtained their name from the Alice in Chains song "God Smack" off the album Dirt. In an interview with MTV upon the death of Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley, Godsmack frontman Sully Erna stated that Staley "was single-handedly the guy that got me to start singing." Erna went on to later confirm that indeed "God Smack" is the inspiration for the bands name and the reason their sound sounds similar to that of Alice in Chains Other bands cited by Godsmack members as their primary influences typically include Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Black Sabbath, ² and White Zombie. More recently, Godsmack have attempted to distance themselves from the Alice in Chains comparison with Erna stating in an interview with Matt Ashare, "I've just never really heard that in our music." In that same interview, Erna offers an alternative explanation to the origin of their band name by stating, "It happened at rehearsal when our drummer came in with a big cold sore on his lip. I was making fun of him all day because we had a photo shoot coming up. And then the next day when I came in, I had a big cold sore on my lip. So my guitar player said, See, God just smacked you for making fun of him." Nevertheless, the comparison to Alice in Chains is well documented. Sully Erna's style of singing mirrors that of Layne Staley's while the overall sound of the band's first two albums sound incredibly similar to the sound of Dirt. The logo of Godsmack is similar to the sun logo of Alice in Chains. Godsmack also released an album titled "Faceless" which is similar in name to Alice in Chain's first album Facelift. The band even transcended from their heavy sound to a more mellow acoustic sound on their album "The Other Side" in the same manner Alice in Chains did in "Jar of Flies".
In 2002, Godsmack received a Grammy nomination in "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" for the song "Vampires" from the album Awake. In 2004, they opened for Metallica, while headlining with Dropbox in the summer. They did acoustic shows for their newly released album The Other Side in the fall of 2004, while still opening for Metallica. In September 2004, Godsmack issued a live DVD titled "Changes" which the band recorded earlier that year. That same month, the group also released "Batalla de los Tambores", a live cut available only via online services such as Apple's iTunes Music Store, Real and Napster. They released their latest album 'The Oracle' on May 3rd, 2010.
Some songs from the album "Faceless" are also in the video game soundtrack for "Prince of Persia: Warrior Within".
Current members
* Sully Erna - Vocals, Lyrics, Guitar and Percussion.
* Robbie Merrill - Bass and Backing Vocals
* Tony Rombola - Guitars and Backing Vocals
* Shannon Larkin - Drums/Percussion
Safe And Sound
Godsmack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To bear the guilt of sins unspoken
Your distant eyes and pained expression
Unrecognized in your reflection
Where do you run to now
When will you ever feel safe and sound
Yeah
I understand they once controlled you
Condemned your thoughts and never told you
Erased your self-esteem and trust
Stripped down to nothing
The innocence of a child is forever lost
And no one can hurt you now
You're here and you're safe and sound
Safe and Sound, oh yeah
Where do you run to now
When will you ever feel safe and sound
Safe and Sound, You're safe and sound
No one can hurt you now
Now that you're here
You're safe and sound
Safe and sound, oh yeah
Where do you run to now
When will you ever feel safe and sound
Safe and Sound, You're safe and sound
The Godsmack song "Safe and Sound" is a powerful message of redemption and healing for those who have been victimized, broken, and betrayed. The lyrics speak to the idea that many individuals have experienced overwhelming pain and hurt at the hands of others, and as a result, they carry around a heavy burden of guilt, shame, and fear. The song addresses this pain head-on, acknowledging that the scars run deep and that the road to healing can be a long and difficult one.
The lines "I realize how you've been broken / To bear the guilt of sins unspoken" speaks directly to the idea of unspoken pain and the impact it can have on an individual's psyche. The singer acknowledges the deep trauma that the person has suffered, while also offering words of hope and comfort. He recognizes that the individual's eyes and pained expression are a reflection of the hurt they have endured, but also reminds them that they are not alone. The lyrics provide an empathetic and supportive message, encouraging the individual to take steps towards healing, rather than running away from their problems.
The chorus of the song encourages the listener to look within themselves and embrace the reality that no one can hurt them now that they are safe and sound. The message of the song is empowering and offers a glimmer of hope to those who may be struggling to overcome past traumas. By acknowledging the hurt and pain of others, the song encourages empathy and compassion, while also promoting self-acceptance and inner strength.
Line by Line Meaning
I realize how you've been broken
I understand that you've been through a lot of pain
To bear the guilt of sins unspoken
You feel guilty about things that you've never spoken about
Your distant eyes and pained expression
I can see the pain in your eyes even though you try to hide it
Unrecognized in your reflection
You don't recognize yourself anymore
Where do you run to now
Where do you go to find comfort
When will you ever feel safe and sound
When will you finally feel secure
Yeah
Acknowledging agreement
I understand they once controlled you
I know that someone used to have power over you
Condemned your thoughts and never told you
They made you feel like your thoughts and feelings were wrong without explanation
Erased your self-esteem and trust
They took away your confidence in yourself and others
Stripped down to nothing
You were left with nothing
The innocence of a child is forever lost
Your childhood innocence was taken away and can never be regained
And no one can hurt you now
You are safe now and no one can harm you
You're here and you're safe and sound
You are present in the moment and are finally safe
Safe and Sound, oh yeah
Repeating the title of the song
No one can hurt you now
You are finally secure and no one can harm you
Now that you're here
You are present in the moment
Safe and sound, oh yeah
Repeating the title of the song
Where do you run to now
Where do you go to find comfort
When will you ever feel safe and sound
When will you finally feel secure
Safe and Sound, You're safe and sound
Repeating that you are now safe and secure
Contributed by Lucas B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
myownruin187
Awesome!! I've been lucky enough to have met them twice down in Florida their awesome guys..
LunaHexa
I can't seem to get the volume loud enough... XD. great song, love the instrumental
Max Palmer
The fact that this song wasn’t on the album is a crime
Lisa Howell
GODSMACK IS THE BEST BAND EVER
Crystal Merritt
Yo! This is so badass WTF why is it not on the album? Sully What's up you got to Record this on cd's we love it!
Jared O'Connell
Its hidden on the album its on the same track as one rainy day
Jared O'Connell
Its hidden on the album it's on the same track as one rainy day
keeperoftheforest
Im sad they are never playing that song live, I freaking like the chorus!
Kelly Olsen
I wish it was on spotify.
Stephanie Rizzo
Nice, I feel safe and sound the most when I listen to godsmack. Lol😋