The band's single "It's Time", which previously appeared on the "It's Time" and "Continued Silence" EPs in addition to appearing on "Night Visions", is the group's biggest hit, reaching #33 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In a dark kitchen in the middle of a sweaty night in Las Vegas, all 6’4” of Dan Reynolds is hunched over a laptop, slapping beats on the table and crooning lyrics into a tiny microphone. Before long, he and the other three members of indie rock band Imagine Dragons would be playing “It’s Time,” that same laptop-demo-turned-supersized-anthem, from the roof of a parking garage to a wave of thousands of screaming fans. This song title to the single from their 2012 debut KidInaKorner/Interscope release “Continued Silence EP” is an all too apt descriptor of the band’s hard-earned success—but it’s also emblematic of the deep-seated anxiety Reynolds and the rest of the band experienced leaving behind any realistic expectation of a normal job to do the thing they love most.
A third-generation Las Vegas native, Reynolds is no stranger to the adage “the house always wins,” choosing to pave his musical career with a near obsessive work ethic and hundreds of unused demos rather than roll the dice with the first songs that sprung from his mouth. It’s no surprise, then, that he was drawn to guitarist Wayne Sermon, another founding member of Imagine Dragons. Having practically grown up in a recording studio and graduated Berklee College of Music, Wayne had been practicing his guitar through meals and other socially inappropriate situations as long as he could remember; he challenged Dan in a way that was both uncomfortable and exactly what they both needed. When they began writing songs together and recognized something special was happening, Wayne called up his Berklee friend Ben McKee, who promptly dropped out of school with only a few credits left, moving across the country to play bass for the band. This sort of reckless/genius behavior is typical for Ben, who has an uncanny penchant for spicy food and a suitcase full of unbelievable road stories. More recently, the band was joined by drummer Daniel Platzman, another Bostonian schoolmate who seems way too nice to be playing rock and roll until you actually see him in action.
Several tours and three self-released EPs later, Imagine Dragons had made a serious name for itself, particularly in the west coast circuit. Although their songs vary from nearly whimsical and light to brooding and powerful, listeners are drawn to the inherent honesty in the music. The only rule of thumb for the band, it seems, is to write from a true place; the result is songs that literally run the spectrum of human emotion. Attend a concert, and it becomes clear that the live performance of deeply personal songs has a real effect on people. And the band itself is not immune, as demonstrated when Dan literally passed out into the drum set during a finale song, sending cymbals and drum stands crashing while the rest of the band played on until the close.
Great songwriting is bound to be noticed eventually. As proof that the harder you work, the luckier you get, one of those people who noticed was Grammy winning producer Alex da Kid (Eminem, Rihanna). Alex and Dan began collaborating on projects, and soon the band had developed a relationship with Alex and his team. The alchemy resulting from Alex’s hip hop sensibilities and Imagine Dragons’ anthemic rock is nothing short of explosive. The byproduct of this creative collision is “Continued Silence,” a six song in-your-face sonic grenade that breaks musical boundaries and yet is strangely relatable by its improbably diverse audience.
Despite it all, on any given day when they aren’t on the road playing shows, you can still find Imagine Dragons huddled away in a rehearsal room somewhere, banging out song after song in search of the next perfect track. Like most things in Vegas, the band is angled at going big or going bust. For the sake of those who love great music, we hope it’s the former.
It's Time
Imagine Dragons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you said that you were spent
And now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit, right to the top
Don't hold back
Packing my bags and giving the Academy a rain check
I don't ever want to let you down
I don't ever want to leave this town
This city never sleeps at night
It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Now don't you understand
I'm never changing who I am
So this is where you fell
And I am left to sell
The path to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell right to the top
Don't look back
Turning to rags and giving the commodities a rain check
I don't ever want to let you down
I don't ever want to leave this town
'Cause after all
This city never sleeps at night
It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Now don't you understand
I'm never changing who I am
It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Now don't you understand
I'm never changing who I am
This road never looked so lonely
This house doesn't burn down slowly
To ashes
To ashes
It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Now don't you understand
I'm never changing who I am
It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Now don't you understand
I'm never changing who I am
The opening lines of the song "So this is what you meant, when you said that you were spent" express a sense of familiarity, almost as if the listener has been expecting something like this to happen. As the song progresses, we learn that the singer is leaving a toxic relationship, where the other party has given up on trying to work things out. The line "The path to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell right to the top" speaks of the struggle and perseverance required to come out of a tough situation.
As the singer sets out on their new journey, they express their desire to not leave anything behind and to give everything their best shot. The reference to the Academy points towards a career in the arts, which the singer is willing to put on hold to focus on their emotional healing. The chorus, "I'm never changing who I am" emphasizes that despite the challenges and changes, the singer will always remain true to themselves.
The final lines of the song, "This road never looked so lonely, This house doesn't burn down slowly, To ashes, To ashes" are a metaphor for letting go of what's toxic, and moving on to something new, even though the path ahead might be lonely and challenging. The singer is ready to start over, to build from the bottom and work their way up to the top.
Line by Line Meaning
So this is what you meant
I finally understand what you were going through
When you said that you were spent
When you said you couldn't handle it anymore
And now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit, right to the top
It's time to start from the very bottom and work our way up
Don't hold back
Don't hesitate, give it your all
Packing my bags and giving the Academy a rain check
I'm leaving and putting a hold on my academic pursuits
I don't ever want to let you down
I never want to disappoint you
I don't ever want to leave this town
I never want to leave this place behind
'Cause after all
Because in the end
This city never sleeps at night
This city is always alive and vibrant
It's time to begin, isn't it?
It's time to start over, right?
I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit
I'm growing and changing, but I recognize that
I'm just the same as I was
I'm still fundamentally the same person I always was
Now don't you understand
Don't you see?
I'm never changing who I am
I will always be true to myself
So this is where you fell
This is where you stumbled and faltered
And I am left to sell
I'm left to pick up the pieces and move forward
The path to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell right to the top
The road to success is difficult and filled with obstacles, but we have to push through
Don't look back
Don't let the past hold you down
Turning to rags and giving the commodities a rain check
I'm abandoning my materialistic pursuits and priorities
This road never looked so lonely
This path is isolating and desolate
This house doesn't burn down slowly
This situation is rapidly deteriorating
To ashes
Until everything is destroyed
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Benjamin Arthur McKee, Daniel Coulter Reynolds, Daniel Wayne Sermon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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