Scream was formed in Northern Virginia in 1981 by singer Peter Stahl, his brother Franz Stahl on guitar, bassist Skeeter Thompson and drummer Kent Stax. They are considered one of the benchmark bands in the history of the Washington, D.C. hardcore music movement. Along with bands such as Minor Threat and Government Issue, Scream ultimately merged the attributes of the movement, which were blinding speed, heavy political and social connotations in the lyrics, unpretentiousness of attitude, and shunning of commercialism. Their music is faithful to the roots of rock, but spun itself into other genres by employing sounds that predate the raunchiness of grunge, while saluting reggae and speed metal. Scream hated the classification of bands into certain types and considered what they played as simply 'music.' Recording their music in the basement of the now legendary Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, Scream became the first band on the Dischord label to release a whole album, Still Screaming, as opposed to singles or 12 inch EPs. Like the hardcore band Bad Brains, they could play clearly at breakneck speed, but also played mid-tempo songs like "American Justice" and "Hygiene," which were metal-tinged reggae.
For their second album Scream added another guitarist to their line-up, Robert Lee "Harley" Davidson, to thicken up the sound in the studio and in their live performances. In turn this eventually led to a powerful dual-lead guitar style, with complex guitar tracking, a more powerful live sound and an over-all crunchier sound for their third album. For a few compilation efforts and some live shows they added a keyboard player, Bobby Madden, who was a colleague of Davidson's from the same metal scene.
After the third album Banging the Drum, Kent Stax left the band for personal reasons and was replaced by local drummer Dave Grohl, who then played on Scream's 4th album No More Censorship. The band then toured Europe; with their May 4, 1990 show in Alzey, Germany being released by Tobby Holzinger as Your Choice Live Series Vol.10. Scream then recorded their fifth and final studio album Fumble, (which was much later released in 1993 on Dischord Records) and then called it quits in late 1990. Pete and Franz moved to North Hollywood and started rock band Wool, while Grohl joined Grunge band Nirvana. In 1997, Franz Stahl joined Dave Grohl's newly formed group, the commercially successful Foo Fighters, for a two year stint. During this time Pete Stahl worked as a road manager for both the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age, while continuing to record albums with several bands, including the Earthlings? and Goatsnake. Skeeter Thompson remained in the D.C. area and continued to work in bands, as did Kent Stax with the Skinhead/Oi! -tinged bands: the Suspects, United 121, Spitfires United, and Alleged Bricks. Stax has also committed himself to a family life. Davidson continued in the band Angelstorm, (in Huntsville, Alabama), from 1993–1995 and created the new bands Orangahead, Festival of Fools, (with Madden in 1998) and two different bands both named God Is Dead, (one in D.C. and one in Huntsville, Alabama) from 2002-2005.
The original line-up of the band played a reunion show on December 20, 2009 at the Black Cat nightclub in Washington, D.C.
On February 7, 2011, the band supported Foo Fighters on a special show at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, when the Foo Fighters showcased their new album Wasting Light for the first time from beginning to end.
Current members
Peter Stahl – lead vocals (1981–1990, 2009–present)
Franz Stahl – guitar, backing vocals (1981–1990, 2009–present)
Skeeter Thompson – bass, backing vocals (1981–1990, 2009–present)
Kent Stax – drums, percussion (1981–1986, 2009–present)
Former members
Dave Grohl – drums, percussion (1986–1990)
Robert Lee Davidson – guitar, backing vocals (1984–1989)
Solidarity
Scream Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like when you’ve lost your sight you cannot see
That’s why one chance is nothing to lose
One chance for you to lose
Do you know what this song’s about? It’s just a love story
About a people just trying to break out solidarity
But to us, it’s just front page news
They try to look but all there is red -- It’s a social state
Surrounded by the muscle heads to intimidate
But like a tree that’s dead, it’ll fall, though it’s tall
It’ll fall and that’ll be all
Their backs against the knife -- The military
If they lose, how they will spend their lives in obscurity
It’s just a love story
Will they die or are they dead?
With a hole through their heads
We don’t know what it’s like to not be free
Like when you’ve lost your sight you cannot see
That’s why one chance is nothing to lose
One chance for you to lose
It’s just a love story of solidarity
It's just a love story of solidarity
Solidarity
Solidarity
Solidarity
Solidarity
Solidarity
Solidarity
Solidarity
The lyrics to Scream's song 'Solidarity' convey a powerful message about freedom and oppression. The song highlights the stark contrast between the lives of those who are free and those who are not. The opening lines, "We don’t know what it’s like to not be free, Like when you’ve lost your sight you cannot see" illustrate the profound impact that oppression can have on an individual's life. The song goes on to question the perspective of those who are privileged enough to live a life of freedom and who remain complacent in the face of injustice. The chorus provides an insight into the motif of the song, "It's just a love story of solidarity", emphasizing the power of solidarity in the face of oppression.
The lyrics then shift to explore the challenges faced by those who are oppressed. The lines "They try to look but all there is red - It’s a social state, Surrounded by the muscle heads to intimidate" describe the forces that those who are oppressed must face, including physical intimidation and threats to their safety. The song then poses a question about the future of those who struggle for freedom and presents the possibility of their ultimate demise. The line "Will they die, or are they dead? With a hole through their heads" offers a searing commentary on the brutality of oppression and the cost of fighting for freedom.
Overall, 'Solidarity' is a passionate plea for unity and solidarity in the face of oppression. It urges listeners to recognize the importance of fighting for their freedom and to lend their support to those who are engaged in this struggle.
Line by Line Meaning
We don’t know what it’s like to not be free
We cannot truly understand the experience of being deprived of freedom.
Like when you’ve lost your sight you cannot see
When you lack freedom, it's as if you've lost your ability to see clearly.
That’s why one chance is nothing to lose
When you don't have a lot of opportunities, you can afford to take risks.
One chance for you to lose
A single opportunity could mean everything to someone who hasn't had many chances.
Do you know what this song’s about? It’s just a love story
The song is a metaphor for the love and solidarity people share in fighting for freedom and equality.
About a people just trying to break out solidarity
The song is about a marginalized community fighting together for their rights and freedoms.
But to us, it’s just front page news
For many of us, the struggles of others are just news stories that we quickly forget about.
Yeah, to you, it’s just news, to you
The struggles we witness every day might be someone else's entire life; it's all about perspective.
They try to look but all there is red -- It’s a social state
The artist is referring to the violent government suppression of dissenting voices.
Surrounded by the muscle heads to intimidate
The government enforces its power through displays of force and aggression.
But like a tree that’s dead, it’ll fall, though it’s tall
Even the most powerful people have weaknesses that can bring them down over time.
It’ll fall and that’ll be all
When a tyrannical government does fall, it means the end of an oppressive era.
Their backs against the knife -- The military
The common people are at the mercy of the powerful military, which threatens their lives and security.
If they lose, how they will spend their lives in obscurity
If the marginalized community loses their battle for freedom, they will continue to live in obscurity, without recognition or dignity.
Will they die or are they dead?
The community is fighting a losing battle, but they don't know if they're already beaten or if they'll keep resisting to their eventual end.
With a hole through their heads
The artist imagines a violent end for those fighting for freedom, a reminder of the constant threat of violence they face.
It’s just a love story of solidarity
This struggle for freedom boils down to love and a sense of solidarity in fighting for a shared cause for the oppressed.
Solidarity
The word is repeated several times to emphasize the central theme of the song.
Contributed by Charlie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.