The band has sold over five million albums worldwide, won four Juno Awards, and ten MuchMusic Video Awards. OLP has released eight studio albums to date, with "Clumsy" often being considered the most popularized of the set. The Heavyweight Songfacts reports that their eighth studio album Curve was recorded from 2010 through 2012 at vocalist Raine Maida's home recording studio. It was released on April 3, 2012.
Full circle: a theme that eagerly resonates with each member of multiplatinum survivors, Our Lady Peace. As the band approached the release of their seventh studio album, a feeling of renewal and excitement washed over Toronto’s favorite sons in a manner not felt since their earliest days.
Self-produced in lead singer Raine Maida’s Los Angeles home studio, the 10-track Burn Burn (in stores July 21 2009), marks the longest period between studio albums for Our Lady Peace. It also signifies a sonic and philosophical rebirth. The band now enjoys a creative and professional freedom that they haven’t experienced since the release of their now classic debut. “I think about the way we made Naveed,” Maida recalls. “We were just starting, we knew nothing about the business and we had no expectations. It was four guys in a room just trusting their instincts. We went back to that. ‘Liberating’ doesn’t really even sum it up.”
Burn Burn is a triumphant return to what Maida terms “a proper, mature rock album,” steeped in the kind of raw intensity that drove their early material. Blinding rays of anthemic light make way to the tender poise and precision of a band that was looking for a way out and found a satisfying new way in.
With caution thrown to the wind, tracks such as the stunningly arranged “Dreamland” and the overpowering first single, “All You Did Was Save My Life,” soar above angry clouds of confusion and insecurity with an ascending clarity that can only come from experience and growth.
The pounding affirmation of “The Right Stuff” and the vigilant build of band favorite “Refuge,” also reinforce the notion that OLP now occupy a unique and enviable mindspace. “We’re not looking back with any kind of regret,” Maida points out, “but we’ve been doing this long enough now that we know what we want to say. We didn’t want to compromise a thing.”
Having scattered in different directions after the release of 2005’s Healthy In Paranoid Times, all four members took on projects of their own, ranging from solo records, production and songwriting work, tours and guest performances. Over the last two years, Raine Maida, guitarist Steve Mazur, bassist Duncan Coutts and drummer Jeremy Taggart sporadically reconvened and lived at Madia’s home, creating what he calls their best effort to date.
Members would leave each session without tapes, giving themselves a much fresher perspective on the material they created when they returned. Producing themselves and an adherence to rolling tape off the floor gave birth to an urgent, natural body of work. “We didn’t put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Coutts confirms. “We left things alone and haven't done that in a long time."
“For us,” adds Maida, “a big part of this band is playing live. It has to be something that we’re going to enjoy; a real dynamic collection of songs. When we really started to understand that, the record took on this whole other life.”
This work ethic allowed room for guitarist Steve Mazur, who joined the band in 2002, to blossom on Burn Burn. “On this album I really felt comfortable with my role and what I sound like as the guitarist of Our Lady Peace.” Mazur shines on tracks such as “Escape Artist” and “Paper Moon,” a song where Mazur’s solowork was nailed on the first go-round.
Our Lady Peace is also striking out on their own professionally this time around, opting for what the band terms a “true partnership” with both North American record labels. “We’ve never been this prepared for an album,” adds OLP founding member Jeremy Taggart. “In the past, we’ve never had the foresight to have maybe two or three singles in the can already with videos, etc.”
“Nobody knows us better than ourselves,” Taggart continues. “We didn’t over think a good song or idea or under think anything. The good songs really picked themselves.”
Life
Our Lady Peace Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like the red sea, you split me open
Somehow I knew these wings were stolen
All you did was save my life
Tried to run but I couldn't move
Well I paid for these concrete shoes
But like a singer that sings the blues
I'm not dying
All you did was save my life
Pulled me out of that flat line
Put the heartbeat back inside
I'm not dying
All you did was get me through
I owe every breath to you
Heart and soul unparalyzed
All you did was save my life
Save my life
I'm not for sale but I've been sold
The more I hear the less I know
And the lies are swallowed whole
In their insignificance
The story's been told a million times
But it's different when it's your life
I won the lottery tonight
The lottery tonight
The lottery tonight
I'm not dying
All you did was save my life
Pulled me out of that flat line
Put the heartbeat back inside
I'm not dying
All you did was get me through
I owe every breath to you
Heart and soul unparalyzed
All you did was save my life
I started to come around
The dogs are backing down
I'm not afraid to see
The devil's gone underground
This tightrope's been cut down
And I can finally breathe
You, looked at me as you walked in the room
Like the red sea you split me open
Somehow I knew these wings were stolen
I'm not dying
All you did was save my life
Pulled me out of that flat line
Put the heartbeat back inside
I'm not dying
All you did was get me through
I owe every breath to you
Heart and soul unparalyzed
All you did was save my life
All you did was save my life
(Put the heart beat back inside)
All you did was save my life
(Put the heart beat back inside)
All you did was save my life.
The lyrics to "All For You" by Our Lady Peace tell the story of someone who was stuck in a dark and hopeless place until they were saved by someone special. The singer describes feeling immobilized, as if they were wearing concrete shoes and unable to move. However, the arrival of the person who saved them (the addressee of the song) changed everything. The singer's heart started beating again and they were essentially given a second chance at life. The song is punctuated by repeated affirmations that "all you did was save my life," emphasizing the importance of this act of salvation and the immense gratitude the singer feels for their savior.
There's a sense of awe and reverence towards this person who saved the singer's life, described metaphorically as splitting the singer open like the parting of the Red Sea. There's also a feeling of being undeserving of this salvation - the singer refers to their "stolen wings" and constantly stresses that "all you did was save my life." This is juxtaposed with the feeling of finally being able to breathe and see clearly, unencumbered by fear or anxiety. The song ends on a note of celebration, with the singer feeling free and unafraid thanks to the person who saved them.
Line by Line Meaning
You, looked at me as you walked in the room
You immediately caught my attention and made me feel vulnerable as soon as you walked in.
Like the red sea, you split me open
You have opened me up, revealing my innermost thoughts and emotions.
Somehow I knew these wings were stolen
I had a sense of feeling lost and powerless as if something has been taken away from me.
All you did was save my life
You have brought me back to life and gave me a reason to live again.
Tried to run but I couldn't move
I felt trapped and unable to escape from my problems.
Well I paid for these concrete shoes
I am weighed down by the consequences of my actions.
But like a singer that sings the blues
I found hope and comfort in music, just like a musician who sings the blues.
You saw hope in the hopeless
You saw something in me when I felt lost and hopeless.
I'm not dying
I'm still alive and grateful for that.
Pulled me out of that flat line
You saved me from a state of being lifeless and devoid of emotion.
Put the heartbeat back inside
You brought back my capacity to feel alive and passionate.
I owe every breath to you
I am indebted to you for giving me a second chance at life.
Heart and soul unparalyzed
You've revived my heart and soul and made me feel alive again.
Save my life
You saved my life.
I'm not for sale but I've been sold
I am not owned by anyone, but I have been influenced and swayed by others.
The more I hear the less I know
The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.
And the lies are swallowed whole
I have been deceived by people who lied to me and I've believed their lies wholeheartedly.
In their insignificance
Their lies were trivial and meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
The story's been told a million times
The story of my situation has been told countless times and is nothing new.
But it's different when it's your life
The story might be the same, but it has a different significance and impact since it's my personal experience.
I won the lottery tonight
I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to have met you and have you in my life.
The dogs are backing down
The negative forces that once threatened me are no longer a concern.
I'm not afraid to see
I am no longer afraid to confront my fears and insecurities.
The devil's gone underground
The evil forces that have been plaguing me have vanished.
This tightrope's been cut down
The high stakes that used to govern my life have been diminished.
And I can finally breathe
I finally feel like a heavy burden has been lifted off my chest, and I can breathe freely.
All you did was save my life
You are the sole reason I am alive, and I owe everything to you.
(Put the heart beat back inside)
You rejuvenated my body and soul, reigniting the passion and joy of living.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JESS CATES, RAINE MAIDA, RON ANNIELLO, ZAC MALOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
R3A Anything
How many times have you been pushed around?
Was anybody there?
Does anybody care?
How many time have your friends let you down?
Was anybody there?
Did anybody stare?
How many time have your friends let you down?
Just open up your heart
Just open up your mind
How many times has your faith slipped away?
Well, is anybody safe?
Does anybody pray?
Oh, Life is waiting for you
So messed up, but we're alive
Oh, Life is waiting for you
So messed up, but we'll survive
How many days have you just slept away?
Is everybody high?
Is everyone afraid?
How many times have you wished you were strong?
Have they ever seen your heart?
Have they ever seen your pain?
Oh, Life is waiting for you
So messed up, but we're alive
Oh, Life is waiting for you
So messed up, but we'll survive
She gets high
She gets lost
She gets drowned by the cost
Twice a day, every week, all her life
She gets high
She gets lost
She gets drowned by the cost
Twice a day, every week, all her life
Oh, Life is waiting for you
So messed up, but we're alive
Oh, Life is waiting for you
So messed up, but we'll survive
All messed up, but we'll survive
Georgie Lockhart
Only 43k subscribers? This band is literally an essential part of the sound of the 90s in Canada! It's blaspemy! They deserve far more recognition.
Patrick SC
For sure
Nightwi1derness Brian Johnson
Now 52.3K subscribers & ❛Life❜ 生 has 1.8 Million views🙂
Rhett Everette
Totally agree! They don’t get brought up in the 90’s /00’s rock conversation enough. Catching the video for Clumsy on 120 Minutes made me a lifelong OLP fan.
Soulmask
Yeah, the group with the most hits that no one talks about.
Franco Yauri
62k subscribers
Deacon Elmore
I liked this song when I was a teenager. I didn't realize I'd rediscover it as a jaded adult and have it punch me in the stomach with its significance.
Loki Laufeyson
+Deacon Elmore Dude....ditto.....wow!
Jessica Thomas
absolutely
Enzo Pirrone
deep. a big slap in the face