During this time, Staind played a show with Limp Bizkit. When Fred Durst saw the controversial cover of the group's self produced album; tormented, he tried to have the band kicked off the bill, but when he saw the band's live show, he changed his tone and befriended them. Durst later sang harmonies on the live version of Outside, which was recorded at a Family Values Tour concert in Biloxi, MS, in late October 1999. Durst went on to be one of the executive producers for Dysfunction and Break the Cycle. He also directed a few videos for the band later on, including It's Been Awhile.
Dysfunction
The band's big break came in October 1997 after Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst witnessed the band open up for them at a Hartford, Connecticut show, eventually signed them to his Flip record label, and co-produced their 1999 breakthrough Dysfunction with Terry Date. Although it is supposed that the band owe a lot of success to Durst, Aaron Lewis has expressed in interviews that Durst never had much of a relationship with either the singer or the band, claiming the band 'only worked on four songs with Durst and recorded the rest of the album themselves.' [4] Staind has not been associated with Durst since he directed several videos from their 2001 follow-up. Dysfunction has sold over two million copies in the U.S. alone. The album was given mediocre reviews by critics for being "indicative of the times", but a large number of the band's fans nonetheless regard it as the group's best work. The nine-track LP (with one hidden track, "Excess Baggage") produced three singles, all of which enjoyed radio play. The most well known, "Mudshovel", (which also appeared on Tormented, spelled as "Mudshuvel"), has since become a staple of the band's live shows.
Break the Cycle
Staind toured with Limp Bizkit for the Family Values Tour during the fall of 1999, where Aaron Lewis performed their first mainstream hit "Outside" (a song he was working on at the time but had not yet finished—he finished it on the fly while performing) with Fred Durst to hundreds of waving cigarette lighters, and which set them up for their smash hit 2001 album Break the Cycle, which brought them international success (it went number 1 in both the U.S. and the UK), sold more than 7 million copies, and had first week sales of over 767,000 in the U.S. alone. The album sees the band move away from the nu metal sounds of their previous album and resort to an alternative metal sound [5] which has spawned five hit singles to date, "It's Been Awhile", (which hit the Billboard Top 10) "Fade", (which has been featured on a number of movie soundtracks and television shows), "Outside", "For You", and the acoustic ballad "Epiphany", and included a track called "Waste", devoted to two teenage fans who committed suicide shortly before the album was released. The album also received mixed critical praise; Rolling Stone magazine called them "the grim genre's most song-oriented, downright sensitive band in years" [3] while New Musical Express referred to the album as "14 tracks of parent-friendly grunge-flavoured soft rock that make Creed sound like GG Allin." [4]. 'It's Been Awhile' spent a total of 16 and 14 weeks on top of the modern and mainstream rock charts, respectively, making it one of the highest joint number 1s (30 weeks) of all time.
14 Shades of Grey
In early 2003, Staind embarked on a worldwide tour to promote the release of the follow-up to Break The Cycle, 14 Shades Of Grey, which sold two million albums and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. The fourteen-track collection was the band's most mainstream yet[6], and showed Aaron Lewis writing songs about his daughter, as well as moving on with his life and forgetting his past, hence the title representing uncertainty for the future and forgiveness. The album provided two mainstream hits: the lead single "Price to Play", and "So Far Away" (which spent 14 weeks on top of the rock chart); in addition, two other singles failed to crack the Hot 100—"How About You" and "Zoey Jane"— but "How About You" was a fairly popular song on modern rock radio. Their song "Price to Play" was the official theme song of WWE's Vengeance pay-per-view event in July 2003. As well, their song "So Far Away" was featured on an episode of WWE RAW as part of a video tribute to hardcore wrestling legend Mick Foley. The band's appearance at Reading Festival during the 2003 tour had another impromptu acoustic set, this time due to equipment failure. The singles "So Far Away" and "Price to Play" came with two unreleased tracks, "Novocaine" and "Let It Out", which were released for the special edition of the group's Chapter V, which came out in late 2005. In 2003, Staind unsuccessfully sued their logo designer Jon Stainbrook in New York Federal Court (blabbermouth.net) for attempting to re-use the logo he had sold to the band. They re-opened the case in mid-2005.
Chapter V
After extensive promotions, including an appearance on Fuse TV's 7th Avenue Drop, Staind's newest album, titled Chapter V was released on August 9, 2005, and became their third consecutive number one. The album opened to sales of 185,000 and has since been certified platinum in the U.S. The first single "Right Here" has been the biggest success from the album thus far, garnering much mainstream radio play and peaking at number 1 on the mainstream rock chart. "Falling" (the video of which does not feature the band members at all) was released as the second single, followed by "Everything Changes" and "King of All Excuses." Staind have been on the road since the album came out doing live shows and promoting it for a full year, including participating in the Fall Brawl tour with P.O.D., Taproot and Flyleaf, a solo tour across Europe and a mini-promotional tour in Australia for the first time. Recent live shows have included a cover of Pantera's This Love, a tribute to Dimebag Darrell. Staind appeared on The Howard Stern Show on August 10, 2005, to promote their new album Chapter V. They performed acoustic renditions of the single Right Here and Beetlejuice's song "This is Beetle." Their rendition of "Beetle" is immensely popular with fans and listeners alike and became a staple of the show. Staind also performed a version of "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd. Kevin Lofton, who does all the animation for the Howard Stern website, created a black-and-white animated video for the song. During a January 2006 Episode of WWE RAW, a tribute video to then WWE Champion Edge featured the band's song "Right Here". In early November 2005, Staind released the limited edition 2-CD/DVD set of Chapter V. The set included several rarities and fan favorites— music videos; a complete, 36-page booklet with exclusive artwork; an audio disc with an acoustic rendition of "This is Beetle"; the original, melodic rendition of "Reply"; the previously released B-side singles "Novocaine" and "Let It Out"; and live versions of "It's Been Awhile" and "Falling", among many others.
The Singles: 1996-2006
Staind announced that they would be performing an acoustic show in the Hiro Ballroom, New York City on September 6 and the songs played would be recorded for their upcoming "Greatest Hits" album, scheduled for a November 14 release. They played sixteen songs including three covers: Tool's Sober, Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb and Alice in Chains's Nutshell.
The title was later renamed to "The Singles" and finally "The Singles: 1996-2006". The album had most of Staind's singles (including "Everything Changes" which was recorded at the New York show), the three covers performed at the New York show and a remastered version of "Come Again", from Staind's first independent release Tormented.
It was released on November 15, 2006.
The Illusion Of Progress
On August 19, 2008, Staind released their 5th studio album (6th overall), The Illusion of Progress. A limited edition of the album was also made available to fans, which included 3 bonus tracks and a year membership in the Staind Fan Club, along with other items (the first 200 fans who pre-ordered the album through Atlantic Records received a signed copy of the album by the band). Prior to the album's release, the track "This Is It" was available for download on the iTunes store, as well as for Rock Band. The album debuted at #3 on US Billboard 200, #1 on the Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums Chart, #1 on the Top Digital Albums Chart, and also #1 on the Top Internet Albums Chart, with first week sales of 91,800 units. The first single on the album, "Believe", topped Billboard's Top 10 Modern Rock Tracks on September 05, 2008.
Not Again, the first single from Staind's self-titled seventh album was released to active radio stations on July 19, 2011 and made available for purchase on July 26, 2011. (Not Again Songfacts).
They are currently not Touring.
Comfortably Numb
Staind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me
Is there anyone at home?
Come on, now
I hear you're feeling down
I can ease your pain
Relax
Need some information first
Just the basic facts
Can you show me where it hurts?
And there's no pain, you are receiving
A distant ships smoke on the horizon
You're only coming through in waves
Your lips move
But I can't hear what you're saying
I was a child, I caught a fever
My hands felt just like two balloons
Now I've got that fever once again
Can't explain, you would not understand
This is not how I am
And I have become comfortably numb
Okay
It's just a little pinprick
There'll be no more, ah
You may feel a little sick
Can you stand up?
I do believe it's working, good
That'll keep you going for the show
Come on, it's time to go
There is no pain, you are receiving
A distant ships smoke on the horizon
You're only coming through in waves
Your lips move
But I can't hear what you're saying
When I was a child
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown, the dream is lost
And I have become comfortably numb
I have become comfortably numb
The lyrics of Staind's Comfortably Numb are a tribute to Pink Floyd's classic song of the same name. The song speaks about a person who is feeling down and is seeking solace from another person. The singer is offering to help ease the person's pain and get them back on their feet. He asks them to relax and share some basic information about where it hurts. In the chorus, the singer sings about feeling comfortably numb, almost as if he has become resigned to his circumstances and has given up on feeling any emotion.
The second verse of the song contains a reference to Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here," as the singer describes a time when he was a child and caught a fever. He compares the feeling in his hands to that of two balloons and remembers having the fever again but being unable to explain it to others. The song then moves into a third verse that discusses how the singer has become comfortably numb and how he caught a fleeting glimpse of something in his childhood that he cannot recall.
Staind's Comfortably Numb is a powerful take on Pink Floyd's original song, and it captures the feeling of emotional emptiness that can sometimes overtake a person. The song is both challenging and introspective and offers a unique perspective on what it means to feel numb.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello
A greeting to the person, indirectly asking if anyone is present or listening
Is there anybody in there?
Asking if there is a person present who can hear and respond
Just nod if you can hear me
Asking the person to respond without speaking if they can hear the singer's voice
Is there anyone at home?
Continuation of the inquiry to see if anyone is present and able to hear the artist
Come on, now
Encouraging the person to respond
I hear you're feeling down
Acknowledging that the person is not feeling well
I can ease your pain
Offering assistance to alleviate the person's discomfort
Get you on your feet again
Helping the person regain energy and return to a normal state
Relax
Encouraging the person to calm down and feel more comfortable
Need some information first
Requesting some basic information to better understand the person's situation
Just the basic facts
Requesting only need-to-know information
Can you show me where it hurts?
Asking the person to indicate where they are experiencing discomfort or pain
And there's no pain, you are receiving
Assuring the person that they will not be experiencing any physical pain
A distant ships smoke on the horizon
Describing visualization of a ship's smoke far away in the distance
You're only coming through in waves
Referencing communication waves that aren't consistent and may be disrupted
Your lips move
Noticing that the person is speaking
But I can't hear what you're saying
Unable to fully comprehend or make out what the person is communicating
I was a child, I caught a fever
Sharing a personal experience of being unwell with a fever
My hands felt just like two balloons
Describing the personal experience of feeling swollen or inflamed during illness
Now I've got that fever once again
Experiencing a similar fever to what was described earlier
Can't explain, you would not understand
Inability to express the exact feeling or sensation, knowing that others may not comprehend
This is not how I am
Feeling like the current state of illness is out of character or not normal
And I have become comfortably numb
Feeling a sense of detachment or disconnection from reality or the current situation
Okay
Acknowledging that something is about to happen
It's just a little pinprick
Assuring the person that something will be quick and not too painful
There'll be no more, ah
Providing further assurance that there won't be much discomfort involved
You may feel a little sick
Informing the person that they may experience some mild discomfort
Can you stand up?
Asking the person if they are able to rise from their current position or location
I do believe it's working, good
Noticing that the previous action or procedure is producing the desired results
That'll keep you going for the show
Expectation that the individual will now be able to participate in an event, such as a performance or entertainment show
When I was a child
Reflecting on a past experience or memory
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Recalling something that was seen momentarily or briefly
Out of the corner of my eye
Describing how the fleeting glimpse was seen without direct or focused attention
I turned to look but it was gone
Attempting to look again, but not able to locate or see whatever was glimpsed earlier
I cannot put my finger on it now
Unable to fully identify or remember the details of the previous fleeting glimpse
The child is grown, the dream is lost
Reflecting on time that has passed and how the past experience or dream may no longer be relevant or attainable
And I have become comfortably numb
Sensing a disconnection or detachment from reality, possibly as a result of the previous experiences shared
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: David Jon Gilmour, Roger Waters
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind