Wes Scantlin was born in St. Joseph, Missouri. Raised in Kansas City, he attended Park Hill High School. After high school, he started the creation of Puddle of Mudd, now now famous for songs such as "Control", "She Hates Me", and "Blurry". Scantlin got his start in the music business after a copy of his demo was given to a friend producer by the name of Fred Durst. Durst enjoyed the demo, but Wes neglected to take any major steps forward with the band. Later, upon hearing that Scantlin's first attempt at a band had failed, Durst decided to bring Scatlin to California in an attempt to put a new band together.
In California Scantlin met Doug Ardito, an intern at Interscope Records. When Scantlin found out about Ardito's bass playing, they decided to work together. Still in pursuit of a guitarist, Fred Durst contacted a guitarist from his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, Paul Phillips. Phillips auditioned for the spot in Puddle of Mudd, and upon acceptance, left college to join the band full time. A drummer was also recruited from Jacksonville, however, via creative differences, left the band before it achieved any mainstream media attention.
The name of the band was inspired by the Missouri River flood, where the band in its early days performed and practiced. The large amount of pressure from the equipment left the floor a big "puddle of mud."
Puddle of Mudd is signed to Fred Durst's record label, Flawless Records.
In 2005 two members, Paul Phillips and Greg Upchurch, left the band. Greg currently drums for 3 Doors Down while Paul, now playing in Society Red, left citing creative and personal differences.
Their song "Control" was the official theme song of WWE's Survivor Series pay-per-view event in November 2001, and their song "Nothing Left to Lose" was the official theme song of WWE's Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in January 2004.
Their second album, "Come Clean" spawned 4 hits in 2003 and has sold 5 million albums to date. Their follow up, "Life on Display" spawned 1 hit single and sold 600,000 albums. In 2007, the band released "Famous", which takes a general rock as well as "nu-grunge" approach.
The band is currently working on a live album that is slated for release in 2008.
They have released their fourth album "Songs in the Key of Love and Hate"
Current members of the band include :
Wes Scantlin : Vocal, Rythmn.
Doug Ardito : Backing Vocals, Bass.
Paul Phillips: Lead Guitar
Ryan Yerdon: Drums
Better Place
Puddle of Mudd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the ones that you love the most
It's just never that easy
My color's fading fast
I can't believe that I didn't see it coming
I didn't see it coming down
I should've been there to pick you up
When you were going down
I should've been there to pick you up
I could've been there to help you out
But you were gone
I never wanna say goodbye
I never wanna say goodbye
I know you're in a better place
But I can't get you out of my mind
I never wanna say goodbye
I never wanna say goodbye
I know you're in a better place
Why'd you say goodbye?
The pictures in my head
Will never be enough to replace
All the good times we had together, man
I miss you every day, I miss you every day
And I wake up in a cold, cold sweat, yeah
The picture's in my head
Will never be enough to replace
All the good times we had together, man
I should've been there to pick you up
I could've been there to help you out
But you were gone
I never wanna say goodbye
I never wanna say goodbye
I know you're in a better place
But I can't get you out of my mind
I never wanna say goodbye
I never wanna say goodbye
I know you're in a better place
Why'd you say goodbye?
And I know you tried
(Well, I could've been there to help you out)
I know you cried
(I should've been there to pick you up)
When you were falling down
I never got a chance to say
I never wanna say goodbye
I never wanna say goodbye
I never wanna say goodbye
I know you're in a better place
But I can't get you out of my mind
I never wanna say goodbye
I never wanna say goodbye
I know you're in a better place
Why'd you say goodbye?
I know you're in a better place
But I can't get you out of my mind
I know you're in a better place
But I can't get you out of my mind
The lyrics of Better Place by Puddle of Mudd are about the difficulty of saying goodbye to a loved one and the feelings of regret that come with it. The song is about the singer's friend or loved one who has passed away and how they wish they could have been there to help them through their struggles. The singer expresses their pain and sadness at the loss of their loved one and how they cannot stop thinking about them despite knowing they are in a better place.
The lyrics reveal a sense of guilt on the part of the singer as they think about how they could have been there for their loved one when they were struggling, but they let them down. The song expresses the intense pain and longing that comes with grief and the struggle to come to terms with the reality of loss. The singer is haunted by the memories of their loved one and the good times they had together, which they know they can never replace.
Overall, Better Place is a poignant tribute to the memory of a loved one who has passed away. It highlights the complexity of grief and the struggle to say goodbye to someone who was an important part of one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
It's always so damn hard to say goodbye
Ending a relationship is emotionally challenging
To the ones that you love the most
The strongest bonds are the most difficult to break
It's just never that easy
Farewells can never be nonchalant or casual
My color's fading fast
My organism is deteriorating quickly
I can't believe that I didn't see it coming
I am in disbelief about my inability to predict this situation
I didn't see it coming down
I did not anticipate the collapse of our relationship
I should've been there to pick you up
I regret not being there for you
I could've been there to help you out
I could have offered my assistance
When you were going down
When you were experiencing difficulties
But you were gone
You were no longer here
I never wanna say goodbye
I am avoiding farewells
I know you're in a better place
I am convinced you are in a superior reality after death
But I can't get you out of my mind
I cannot stop thinking about you
The pictures in my head
The memories in my mind
Will never be enough to replace
Cannot substitute the good times we had together
All the good times we had together, man
The enjoyable moments we shared
I miss you every day, I miss you every day
You are missed every day
And I wake up in a cold, cold sweat, yeah
I suddenly wake up feeling anxious and distressed
And I know you tried
I am aware you made an effort
(Well, I could've been there to help you out)
I could have assisted you
I know you cried
I am aware you have wept
(I should've been there to pick you up)
I should have offered you emotional support
When you were falling down
When you were struggling
I never got a chance to say
I am guilty of unexpressed feelings
Why'd you say goodbye?
I am questioning your decision to leave
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CHRISTOPHER STONE, JOHN KURZWEG, WESLEY SCANTLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lereuf LaFratrie
Best grung/garage/punk/rock band ever, hands down.
Michael Lind
You mean post-grunge?
GTA V Movies
hands down!
Stefan Unson
This puts me to tears.
imatruebrooka
my gram was in the hospital with cancer when my mom got this cd this was my favorite song 3 days after my gram got home she passed :[ and i couldnt stop crying and replaying this song thinking about her
Russell Wyner
I miss him soo very much. :( It is amazing when the whole world can relate to losing the one you love,, I feel this song more than you could possibly imagine knowing Sean,, RIP. WE ALL LOVE AND MISS YOU. Thank you Wes.
Chrishickmanmusic94
buy the new cd its awesome and make sure to support the band so they can keep good music like this alive and make new live dvds and new albums
henry lopez
This song kills me because of my uncle ji I should of been there for him n now he gone RIP ji love U❤❤❤
henry lopez
Hell yeah love this song I got my tio n tia r in the hospital fighting for the Life n this song Hits Hard peace !!!!
Wesley Carter
they should make this a single!