1) Lit, a pop punk/alternative … Read Full Bio ↴Lit is the name of more than one artist:
1) Lit, a pop punk/alternative rock band
2) LIT, alias of the DJ Alex Roan
Lit is a pop punk/alternative rock band, based in Fullerton, California, United States. They had several hits singles in the 1990s and early 2000s including My Own Worst Enemy, Miserable, Zip-Lock, Over My Head, Lipstick and Bruises, Addicted, Looks Like They Were Right and Times Like This.
The band was formed in 1990 as a metal-oriented band, under the name "Razzle", and gained a large following. A few years later, the group changed its name to "Stain", but due to another band owning the name, it changed its name to "Lit" in 1996. The group shot to stardom with the platinum album A Place in the Sun in 1999. A Place In The Sun yielded the smash single "My Own Worst Enemy," which held the number one position for three months, and received a Billboard Music Award for the biggest Modern Rock Song of 1999. It was followed by "Zip-Lock" (which featured Blink-182) and "Miserable", the latter of which was among the top ten most played songs of 2000 and famously featured Pamela Anderson in the video. The band performed over 286 shows and toured worldwide in support of A Place in the Sun. In addition to the Vans Warped Tour and a coveted slot on Woodstock 1999, the band toured with The Offspring, Garbage, and No Doubt.
Lit followed up A Place in the Sun with the 2001 release of Atomic which gave the band another Top 10 hit with "Lipstick And Bruises"; the album wasn't as successful as "A Place In The Sun". Lit toured to support Atomic with Kid Rock, and Butch Walker. The group asked to be released from their contract with RCA Records shortly after the release of Atomic due to RCA firing Lit's RCA label representative the day of Atomic's release. Lit went on a small, intimate club tour that Fall before releasing the self-titled Lit on the DRT Entertainment label on June 24, 2004. The single "Looks Like They Were Right" made it on the top 40 charts but the album was again largely unsuccessful due to lack of promotion on the label's behalf. That year the group also put out its first long-form DVD called "All Access" on November 16, 2004.
In March 2006, "The Slidebar" restaurant/bar opened in Fullerton, California, of which the band are co-owners.
It was announced on May 5, 2008, that Lit's drummer Allen Shellenberger was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.
On July 26, 2008, Lit held a benefit for Allen at House Of Blues in Anaheim, CA. A number of bands performed including Sugar Ray and Handsome Devil. No Doubt drummer Adrian Young filled in for Allen on the drums for a few songs. Allen and Adrian also played at the same time for a few songs as well. The show was a great success.
On August 14, 2008, A. Jay and Allen were featured on DJ Rossstar's online show, there the band revealed they were working on "a few new ones." Although the band had not announced anything in regards to a new album release any time soon.
In April 2010 during an interview with OC Talk Radio, Lit hinted they were currently talking with and would return to a major label for their next release. They also revealed they were working on a new management deal as well as performing new material live.
On September 24, Lit had formally revealed on their Facebook page that they were in fact working on a new album. More so, they had already hit the studios and recorded new material. Click the link above for a statement of Bass player Kevin Baldes.
Sadly, in August 2009, drummer Allen Shellenberg passed away due to brain cancer. Shellenberger was only 39 years old.
The band issues this statement:
"To know Al was to know laughter. He had a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone. Words cannot begin to express how much he will be missed. This was our brother and not a day will go by that we won't think about him. Right now we're trying to find the balance of mourning his loss and celebrating his life. Allen has experienced more in his 39 years than most people dream of in ten lifetimes. This is a tremendous loss for us, our fans, and also for Allen's family who took such good care of him during his battle with cancer."
Spirits left in ruins, still A. Jay, Jeremy and Kevin found the wherewithal to make the music. With the help of a new drummer, Nathan Walker and guitarist/keyboardist Ryan Gillmor, the band stepped into the studio less than a year later and would bro down for the tracking with artist/producer Butch Walker in 2011, who had recently helmed records by Panic! At The Disco, Avril Lavigne and Weezer, along writing credits on countless hits. Lit emerged victorious and not worse for the ware with a handful of brilliant new songs.
The body of work, a sixth album appropriately titled, The View From The Bottom, mixed by Joe Zook (Katy Perry, The Hives, One Republic, Pink) tangibly tells the story of Lit's in between days with tracks like, "The Broken" and most poignantly, "Here's To Us," but the new record is not without its lighter, Big Rock Moments- reference the absolutely monolithic kick-starter, "C'mon" and the equally tremendous "You Tonight," co-written by Marti Frederiksen whose collabs include Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Mick Jagger, and Carrie Underwood among others, not to mention the glam stomper, "Same Shit, Different Drink," (co-written with Walker).
These Are the Days (2015–2021)
On October 1, 2015, the band announced that they had been working on new music at SoundStage in Nashville, Tennessee. The band released their sixth album, These Are the Days, on December 15, 2017. Lit's song "My Own Worst Enemy" went double platinum on May 8, 2020.
On June 12, 2020, the band released their first live album Live in NY, 99, which was taken from their performance at Woodstock '99. On July 3, 2020, they released a video for a rare song called "Get Back", which was originally recorded in 2004.
The band released a new single titled "Yeah Yeah Yeah" on October 25, 2021.
Tastes Like Gold (2022-current)
Lit announced their seventh studio album Tastes Like Gold on April 8, 2022 and released the song "Kicked Off The Plane" that same day. The album was released through Round Hill Records on June 17 and featured a pure alternative rock sound. Lit joined Bowling for Soup in April for Europe's two week Crowd Surf the UK Tour which was originally to take place in 2021. and the following month the Spring Loaded tour took the band across most of the eastern United States.
Pictures of You
Lit Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That i almost believed that they're real
I've been living so long with my pictures of you
That i almost believed that the pictures are all i can feel
Remembering you
Standing quiet in the rain
As i ran to your heart to be near
Holding you close
How i always held close in your fear
Remembering you
But in a soft through the night
You were bigger
And brighter
And whiter than snow
Spring at the make believe
Spring at the sky
And you finally found all your courage to let it all go
Remember you
Falling into my arms
Crying for the death of your heart
You were stone white
So delicate
Lost in the cold
You were always so lost in the dark
Remembering you
How you used to be
So drown
You were angels
So much more than everything
Hold for the last time
Then slip away
Quietly
Open my eyes but i never see anything
If only i thought of the right words
I could've held onto your heart
If only i thought of the right words
I wouldn't be breaking apart
All my pictures of you
Looking so long at these pictures of you
I never hold onto your heart
Looking for the words to be true
But always just breaking apart
My pictures of you
There is nothing in the world
That i ever wanted more
Than to feel you deep in my heart
There was nothing in the world
That i ever wanted more
Than to never feel the breaking apart
All my pictures of you
The song "Pictures of You" by Lit is a heart-wrenching ballad about a person who is struggling to let go of a past relationship. The lyrics describe the pain of holding onto memories and pictures of someone who is no longer there, and the difficulty of moving on. The opening stanza sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer admitting that they have been looking at pictures of their former lover for so long that they have almost convinced themselves that the images are real. The second stanza describes a poignant moment when the singer and their former partner shared a kiss as the sky fell around them. The imagery of the sky falling perhaps reflects the singer's sense of the world collapsing around them as they struggle to come to terms with the loss of their relationship.
The chorus of the song is particularly powerful, with the singer justifying their continued fixation on their former partner by proclaiming that there is nothing in the world they ever wanted more than to feel them deep in their heart. The final stanza reveals the singer's regret at not being able to find the right words to hold onto their former partner's heart, and their acceptance that they are still struggling to move on.
Overall, "Pictures of You" is a moving and relatable song about the pain of heartbreak and the struggle to let go of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been looking so long at these pictures of you
I've spent so much time staring at these photos of you
That i almost believed that they're real
That I started to believe that they're the only way I can experience you
I've been living so long with my pictures of you
I've relied on these images of you to keep you with me
That i almost believed that the pictures are all i can feel
That I'm only able to feel you through these pictures
Remembering you
I recall you in my thoughts
Standing quiet in the rain
You stood silently in the midst of the downpour
As i ran to your heart to be near
As I hurried to be close to your heart
And we kissed as the sky fell in
And we shared a kiss while the sky seemed to collapse
Holding you close
I embraced you tightly
How i always held close in your fear
I always held you tightly when you were afraid
But in a soft through the night
But in a gentle tone throughout the night
You were bigger
You were a larger-than-life presence
And brighter
You were more radiant
And whiter than snow
You were as white as snow
Spring at the make-believe
A spring day in the imaginary world
Spring at the sky
The sky in springtime
And you finally found all your courage to let it all go
And you finally found the strength to release it all
Falling into my arms
Falling into my embrace
Crying for the death of your heart
Weeping for the loss of your heart
You were stone white
You were extremely pale
So delicate
So fragile and vulnerable
Lost in the cold
Lost in the frigid environment
You were always so lost in the dark
You were always lost and in the darkness
How you used to be
How you used to exist
So drown
So submerged
You were angels
You were angelic beings
So much more than everything
So much greater than anything else
Hold for the last time
Hold you for the final time
Then slip away
Then let go and disappear
Quietly
Silently
Open my eyes but i never see anything
I try to focus but can't see anything
If only i thought of the right words
If only I could find the appropriate words
I could've held onto your heart
I could've kept your heart close
I wouldn't be breaking apart
I wouldn't be falling apart emotionally
There is nothing in the world
There's nothing I've wanted more in this world
That i ever wanted more
Than to possess and keep you close
Than to feel you deep in my heart
Than to experience you profoundly in my heart
Than to never feel the breaking apart
Than to avoid feeling torn apart and broken
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAY HOWARD FERGUSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Seth Gordon
One of my all time fav bands from early 2000's. Amazing live and all their albums are great! CHEERS!
black winter
This is my favorite Lit album. All the songs are dope.
Big Tay
I can't believe how good this sounds.
starasylum1
Great cover by a great but sometimes underrated band.
Amethyst98
Gives me that 90's college feeling
Rodney Sturgis
Me too. It's a good feeling.
Tieu Kha Vu
Monté Although, they are not Blink 182 (Thank god) To Me, They are like "BB" (Breaking Benjamin), "Disturbed" and" Foo Fighters".
Alexa Shalala
One of the best cover of that song I've heard so far.
Hodgez The Hellcat
Chevelle did a good live cover as well!!
Jack Desjardins
I liked how Lit turned this into their song. I'm sure any artist would love to have somebody else cover their music.