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.
The Broken
Lit Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kicked in the balls, but man, we still got them
People on top, don’t stop to see the problem
We all fall down.
Been screwed, tattooed, we’ve been tested,
We’re not the ones you wanna mess with
Rolling deep and going double fisted
This is our town.
Yeah, yeah,
The girls are screaming
Yeah, yeah,
And if we go down, we’re going down swinging.
Whoa,
Show us what you’re made of
Let’s go
Nothing we’re afraid of
Scarred up, shattered into pieces,
Don’t mistake this as a weakness.
Stronger
Every time we suffer
We find strength in numbers
You can’t take our hope and
You can’t break the broken.
Try to knock us down and we'll get back up
Pour another round and raise your glass up
Here’s to the ones that never get the best of
Who’s laughing now?
Yeah, yeah
The kids are alright
Yeah, yeah
The when we go out we’re gonna go all night.
Whoa,
Show us what you’re made of
Let’s go
Nothing we’re afraid of
Scarred up, shattered into pieces,
Don’t mistake this as a weakness.
Stronger
Every time we suffer
We find strength in numbers
You can’t take our hope and
You can’t break the broken.
We’re battered and bruised, with nothing to lose
But we’ve got so much left to prove.
Tattered and torn, but we’re not alone.
Whoa,
Show us what you’re made of
Let’s go
Nothing we’re afraid of
Scarred up, shattered into pieces,
Don’t mistake this as a weakness.
Stronger
Every time we suffer
We find strength in numbers
You can’t take our hope and
You can’t break the broken
You can't break the broken
The song "The Broken" by Lit speaks of a group of people who have faced trials and challenges, but they remain unbroken. From being knocked down and kicked in the balls, they still stand strong, and they see their strength in numbers. The lyrics talk about society's views on those who are less fortunate, and how the people at the top do not see the problems of those at the bottom. The song exudes a sense of resilience and determination, that no matter what comes their way, they will not be broken.
The chorus of the song is an anthem, calling on those listening to show what they are made of and that they are not afraid. The bridging lyrics speak of being battered and bruised, with nothing left to lose, but a lot to prove. The lyrics call to the camaraderie of the group, coming together and finding strength within themselves.
Overall, the song is a message of hope, that even when faced with adversity, it is possible to overcome with the support of others. The lyrics of the song speak of the struggles that many people face in their lives, and how they can come together to overcome them.
Line by Line Meaning
Getting used to the view from the bottom
We are accustomed to being at the bottom
Kicked in the balls, but man, we still got them
Although we have been hurt, we still have the courage to stand up to challenges
People on top, don’t stop to see the problem
Those in power do not care about those who are struggling
We all fall down.
We all experience failures
Been screwed, tattooed, we’ve been tested,
We have been through hard times, both physically and mentally
We’re not the ones you wanna mess with
Our resilience intimidates others
Rolling deep and going double fisted
We are strong and prepared for anything
This is our town.
We belong here and will not be intimidated
Yeah, yeah,
We are confident
The girls are screaming
Our supporters are cheering
And if we go down, we’re going down swinging.
We will go down fighting
Whoa,
We are ready for a challenge
Show us what you’re made of
We want to see your strength
Let’s go
We are ready to start
Nothing we’re afraid of
We are not intimidated
Scarred up, shattered into pieces,
We have been hurt, but are not broken
Don’t mistake this as a weakness.
Our struggles do not make us weak
Stronger
We become stronger through hardships
Every time we suffer
We overcome every setback
We find strength in numbers
Our unity gives us power
You can’t take our hope and
No one can take away our optimism
You can’t break the broken.
We cannot be defeated by our struggles
Try to knock us down and we'll get back up
We will not stay down after being knocked down
Pour another round and raise your glass up
Let's celebrate our resilience
Here’s to the ones that never get the best of
Here's to the ones who have not yet given up
Who’s laughing now?
We have overcome and achieved what others thought we could not
The kids are alright
We are doing well despite our struggles
When we go out we’re gonna go all night.
We will celebrate our triumphs and our resilience
We’re battered and bruised, with nothing to lose
We have nothing to lose by continuing to fight
But we’ve got so much left to prove.
We still have much to accomplish
Tattered and torn, but we’re not alone.
We have each other's support
You can't break the broken
We will not let our struggles defeat us
Contributed by Bailey N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alan Connelly
What a great song these guys were very underrated
CrewsOnTheRadio
These guys still kick ass live. Watched them Saturday at Rock The Run. Nicest guys too.
Protoman242011
This is the style of music I want to eventually play. Not exactly like this, but close.
Beluga
Kevin Mitchell fr?
Kevin Mitchell
That moment when you find an old ass comment you left on a long forgotten account.
planthairdman16
LOVE THIS SONG! A BAND THAT'S BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH AND COMING BACK STRONGER THAN EVER! **LIT ROCKS!!**
blood_angel85
i saw lit live a few years such an awesome band! loved them since i was in the 8th grade im 32 now!
marino pereira
os caras são bons !!!!!! gosto muito da miserable
AaronDirtbagBedford
Stronger, everytime we suffer, we find strength in numbers. You cant take our hope and you cant brake the broken!
AnaRchyOnix
This is one of the best songs ever!