Say Anything, then called Sayanything, began their career when the band was still in high school. They self-released two EP's and one LP entitled Baseball. Baseball and the band's first EP, Junior Varsity, are both out of print and are no longer available. The band's second EP entitled Menora/Mejorah was released online. All of these early albums have a pop punk sound reminiscent of blink-182 and of Max's favorite band, Saves the Day.
In August 2004 they released ...Is a Real Boy on Doghouse Records. The album was produced by Tim O'Heir (Sebadoh, All-American Rejects, Superdrag) with arrangements by Stephen Trask (Grammy nominated for Hedwig & the Angry Inch). While recording the album Max Bemis had a nervous breakdown during which he took to the streets of New York until his girlfriend found him and ended up in a mental hospital for a few weeks. He attributes the breakdown to stress and bipolar disorder.
Some time after ...Is a Real Boy was released, a set of 8 songs entitled Vs. AIDS Demos were leaked onto the internet by an unknown source. Soon the band told fans that the demos were part of an AIDS benefit album that had been scrapped, and told anyone who had attained them not to distribute them to anyone else (Max Bemis later stated on his website, "that shit sucks," in regard to the demos).
Say Anything signed with J Records (Maroon 5, Alicia Keys), owned by BMG Entertainment, one of the "big four" record labels. Under J Records they re-released ...Is a Real Boy with a bonus disc entitled ...Was a Real Boy containing seven of the eight Vs. AIDS Demos. This album, originally scheduled to be released on October 25th, 2005, was delayed over 4 months to February 28th, 2006. Some copies ended up leaking out through various retailers, notably Tower Records' website. Most leaks occurred due to retailers shipping pre-orders before J-Records had a chance to stop them. Soon copies of the album were selling for over $50 on eBay.
Say Anything released their third album, In Defense of the Genre, under J Records in 2007. Produced by Brad Wood, the album had two discs containing 27 songs, many of them featuring guest appearances by high-profile musicians such as Gerard Way and Hayley Williams.
In November 2009, Say Anything released their fourth full-length studio album, Say Anything. This is the band's first album under RCA Records. It contains 13 tracks, including "Hate Everyone," which was the album's first single.
On August 19, 2010 it was confirmed that Say Anything and RCA Records had parted ways. Soon after (September 29) it was announced via Say Anything's official website that Alex Kent would be leaving the band, and that Kenny Vasoli of The Starting Line would be temporarily taking over as bassist for their upcoming tour. As of so far no permanent bassist has been selected to replace Kent.
In December 2012, Bemis announced that drummer Coby Linder, the only other remaining original member of the band, had left Say Anything on amicable terms to pursue other projects.
Most Beautiful Plague
Say Anything Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't wanna make me cry
Or I will fill you with the emptiness inside.
Okay! Alright!
Baby!
You don't wanna say goodbye
Cause you're beautiful tonight
And the stars are burning bright.
And I give this curse to you
Like there is nothing else to do.
So let the purple sky explode.
Let it shower us with toads.
Let the scarlet river flood,
So it can drown us all in blood.
I just hope you don't,
Hope you don't.
It's funny,
How crazy you make me feel sometimes.
I'm so broken
I can barely even rhyme.
Okay! Alright!
Honey!
It's crazy that you take up all my time
Got me sippin' at a gross amount of wine.
But you're beautiful tonight
And the stars are burning bright.
And I give this curse to you
Like there's nothing else to do.
So let the purple sky explode.
Let it shower us with toads.
Let the scarlet river flood,
Let it drown us all in blood.
Tonight, I guess, I'm human.
So thank you for fighting
And havin' sex with me.
Tonight, I guess, I'm human.
So thank you for fighting
And havin' sex with me.
Oh!
The lyrics of Say Anything's song Most Beautiful Plague are full of intense and contrasting emotions that describe the singer's feelings towards a lover. The tone of the song is one of desperation, as the singer is expressing a fear of losing the person he loves. He issues a warning to his lover about the consequences of leaving him, using vivid imagery of filling her with emptiness or soaking her in formaldehyde. He also acknowledges the power that his lover has over him, admitting that she makes him feel crazy and that he is so broken he can barely even rhyme.
The chorus of the song is both beautiful and haunting, where the singer calls his lover beautiful, marvels at the stars that are burning bright, and then hands over a curse to her as if there is no other recourse. The curse contains the violent and morbid imagery of a purple sky exploding, showering them with toads, and a scarlet river flooding, drowning them all in blood. The way the curse is phrased conveys that the singer is not in control of his emotions or his words.
Finally, in the bridge of the song, the singer acknowledges that he is flawed and that the person he loves fights with him and has sex with him. The phrase "Tonight, I guess, I'm human" is both vulnerable and powerful. It shows that despite all his intensity and passion, the singer is human, and his love for this person, albeit flawed, is real and deep.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby!
Addressing someone close, who the singer wants to share their feelings with.
You don't wanna make me cry
Trying to explain that they should do something that doesn't hurt the singer.
Or I will fill you with the emptiness inside.
Explaining how the singer might feel if they were hurt badly by the person they're addressing.
Okay! Alright!
An expression of compliance when the person being addressed agrees with the artist's statement.
You don't wanna say goodbye
Asking the person being addressed not to leave the artist.
Or I will soak you in this rich formaldehyde.
Explaining how the singer might feel if the person being addressed leaves them.
Cause you're beautiful tonight
Complimenting the beauty of the person being addressed in the current moment.
And the stars are burning bright.
Adding poetic imagery to describe the environment in the current moment.
And I give this curse to you
Declaring that the artist is about to say something full of emotion to the person being addressed.
Like there is nothing else to do.
Explaining how important the artist feels this moment is, and how necessary it is to come clean.
So let the purple sky explode.
Using more poetic imagery to describe the intense emotions being felt in this moment.
Let it shower us with toads.
Continuing the poetic imagery with something bold and unexpected.
Let the scarlet river flood,
Using more imagery to describe the intense emotions.
So it can drown us all in blood.
Continuing the vivid imagery, perhaps to show how overwhelming the emotions are.
I just hope you don't,
Small moment of vulnerability, where the singer voices a hope.
Hope you don't.
Repeating the hope from the previous line in a more succinct manner.
It's funny,
A short aside, used to transition into a new topic of discussion.
How crazy you make me feel sometimes.
Talking about the person being addressed, and how they can make the singer feel sometimes.
I'm so broken
A moment of vulnerability, where the singer talks about how they're feeling.
I can barely even rhyme.
Finishing the thought from the previous line, using a bit of wordplay to make the point.
Honey!
Addressing the person being spoken to, using a term of endearment.
It's crazy that you take up all my time
Making an observation about the amount of the artist's life that is spent thinking about the person being addressed.
Got me sippin' at a gross amount of wine.
Adding a bit of humor to the situation, while still conveying how much the singer wants to escape their emotions.
Tonight, I guess, I'm human.
A short statement that shows the artist acknowledging their feelings, and how they're in the moment.
So thank you for fighting
Acknowledging that the person being addressed has been in the singer's life for the long haul, even if things have been difficult.
And having sex with me.
Using a bit of humor to break the tension and acknowledge physical intimacy that is part of the relationship.
Oh!
An exclamation that conveys sudden, intense emotion.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MAX BEMIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind