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)
This Side Up
Scream Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But now today’s so bright, just want to let it all in
And I did it on my own and I know who my real friends were
But there’s no one to blame when it’s all a game
You know what the rules are
From here on out it’s this side up!
It’s shuffled steps and shuffled decks and how they both fall
And it hit me and hit me and hit me, I never even cared at all
For what’s not remembered, though others did see
There was no memory for me
From here on out it's this side up!
From here on out it's this side up!
From here on out it’s this side up!
From here on out it's this side up!
From here on out it's this side up!
From here on out it's this side up!
Yeah, oh boy, it feels like I got a new lease on life
I’ve opened a door as I opened my eyes, pulled out that knife
And it’s so different here, my head is clear and in a new frame
But I can’t forget my regrets, though there is no shame
For others it’s simply not the same
From here on out it's this side up!
From here on out it's this side up!
The lyrics of "This Side Up" by Scream seem to speak about a personal transformation that has taken place in the singer's life. It appears as though the singer has faced some hardships in the past, perhaps dealing with difficult relationships with their friends, and has now come out of it with a fresh perspective. They know who their true friends are, and they understand that sometimes life can be a game with certain rules to follow.
The singer then talks about how they have experienced both positive and negative experiences in life, but they seem to have become desensitized to the pain that often follows pleasure. They recognize their lack of memory when it comes to some events, which implies a certain detachment from their surroundings. However, they have come to the conclusion that from this point on, they will only move forward, there is no going back. The phrase "this side up" seems to have the same meaning as "moving forward" towards something new.
The final verse then focuses on the positive changes that have taken place in the singer's life; they feel like they have started anew with a new perspective. They may have made mistakes, but they don't regret their decisions or actions. But, they do acknowledge that everyone's experiences are different, and what may be positive for them is not necessarily the same for others.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday, it rained so hard I thought the roof was gonna give
The rain was so heavy that I thought the roof would collapse.
But now today’s so bright, just want to let it all in
It's a beautiful day and I just want to embrace it fully.
And I did it on my own and I know who my real friends were
I accomplished something by myself and it helped me see who my true friends are.
But there’s no one to blame when it’s all a game
When life is like a game, there's no one person or thing to blame for what happens.
You know what the rules are
You know what you need to do to play the game correctly.
From here on out it’s this side up!
From now on, I'm going to try to keep my life on the right course.
It’s shuffled steps and shuffled decks and how they both fall
Life is unpredictable, and the outcomes of situations are often beyond our control.
For me a taste at first and then always the pain that sooths
In my experience, I've had positive experiences that eventually turned painful and numbing.
And it hit me and hit me and hit me, I never even cared at all
I received countless blows throughout my life, but never really paid attention to them until now.
For what’s not remembered, though others did see
I might not remember some of the pivotal moments of my life, but others around me might.
There was no memory for me
I can't remember certain events that others seem to recall.
Yeah, oh boy, it feels like I got a new lease on life
I feel like I've been given a second chance in life.
I’ve opened a door as I opened my eyes, pulled out that knife
I've decided to make some significant changes in my life to move forward.
And it’s so different here, my head is clear and in a new frame
I'm in a new state of mind, where my thoughts are clearer and more positive.
But I can’t forget my regrets, though there is no shame
I can't completely forget about my past mistakes, but I'm not ashamed of them.
For others it’s simply not the same
My experience might not be the same as others around me.
Contributed by Sydney M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
joey wolfe
One of the most underrated talented bands ever!!! Love this album, Got me through some hard times and kept my outlook on life positive. THIS SIDE UP!
Greybeardrunz
Love this band being from Richmond just 3 hours south of DC I really dug these guys. They a breath of fresh air in terms of the existing state of punk and hardcore back then...Actual melody and songwriting LOL. That said I gotta say that last songs main riff sounds like a Cro-Mags song.
Chris Francz
Yes, you’re right! That riff is the darkest on the whole album. I definitely hear Cro-Mags but Bad Brains influenced Cro-Mags and weren’t Bad Brains stationed in DC / Virginia around this time?
Anahi Macauley
This album brings back so many memories. Just love this band!
Dwain Farmery
Classic album this, remember buying it in the local record store without having heard of them, turned out to be a big fave. Was a bit of a gamble buying music back in those days, no internet and not much media for this sort of thing in Lincolnshire....
Jonathan Mitchell
Scream's best album, in my opinion...and one of the greatest things Dischord ever released. It's right up there with the Minor Threat 7"s and Soulside's Hot Bodi-Gram lp.
David Partridge
It's like the guitar work from Dag Nasty's first LP, and the speed and ferocity of Bad Brains all at once.
Mike Silva
I always think of Bet You Never Thought as a triumphant sounding song but I remember being 18 in 1988 and coming home from my very last day of school and crying my eyes out to this song. Relief maybe 🤷🏾♂️
m b
There is more talent here in the first 16 seconds than in 10 Green Day albums
horse man
why even bring them up lol