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.
Epiphany
Staind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your face is so unclear
I try to pay attention
Your words just disappear
'Cause it's always raining in my head
Forget all the things I should have said
'Cause my words get in my way
I smoke the whole thing to my head
And feel it wash away
'Cause I can't take anymore of this
I want to come apart
And dig myself a little hole
Inside your precious heart
'Cause it's always raining in my head
Forget all the things I should have said
I am nothing more than
A little boy inside
That cries out for attention
Yet I always try to hide
'Cause I talk to you like children
Though I don't know how I feel
But I know I'll do the right thing
If the right thing is revealed
'Cause it's always raining in my head
Forget all the things I should have said
The lyrics to Staind's song Epiphany are about a person trying to communicate with another person, but failing to do so. The first verse begins with the singer telling the listener that their words are whispered and unclear, and they have trouble paying attention to them. The singer then reveals that their thoughts are clouded, and they forget what they should have said. In the second verse, the singer tries to convey their emotions through smoke and metaphor, saying they "dig themselves into a hole" inside the listener's heart. Despite the confusion, the singer acknowledges their inner child's desire for attention and promises to do the right thing if they can figure out what it is.
The repeating line "It's always raining in my head, forget all the things I should have said" is a metaphor for the singer's inability to clearly express themselves. The rain is a symbol of constant noise and chaos in their mind, making it difficult to connect with others. The use of riddles and smoking as coping mechanisms are also indications of the singer's struggles with communication and anxiety.
Overall, Epiphany is a song about the challenges of trying to convey emotions and connect with others, especially when one's own mind is clouded by fear and confusion.
Line by Line Meaning
Your words to me just a whisper
You speak to me so softly that I can barely hear you
Your face is so unclear
I can't read your facial expressions or emotions
I try to pay attention
I make an effort to listen to you
Your words just disappear
But your words seem to fade away from my mind
'Cause it's always raining in my head
I am burdened by constant negative thoughts and worries
Forget all the things I should have said
I regret not expressing my thoughts before
So I speak to you in riddles
I express myself in a metaphorical, unclear manner
'Cause my words get in my way
My own verbal expressions become a challenge for my communication
I smoke the whole thing to my head
I use drugs to temporarily escape reality
And feel it wash away
And feel my problems and worries dissolve away from me
'Cause I can't take anymore of this
I can no longer handle these emotions alone
I want to come apart
I need to break down and let out my emotions
And dig myself a little hole
And seek solace in your love and affection
Inside your precious heart
Inside your loving and caring personality
I am nothing more than
I am just a helpless
A little boy inside
emotional child inside of a grown man
That cries out for attention
that needs love and care from people around him
Yet I always try to hide
But I'm too afraid to express my emotions and vulnerability
'Cause I talk to you like children
I express myself in a childish, innocent way
Though I don't know how I feel
Even though I don't understand my own emotions
But I know I'll do the right thing
I am convinced I'll do what's best for me
If the right thing is revealed
if I can pin down what the right thing is
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Aarron Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@resilientoverthinkervm4343
Lyrics
Your words to me just a whisper
Your face is so unclear
I try to pay attention
Your words just disappear
[Chorus]
Oh
'Cause it's always raining in my head
Oh
Forget all the things I should have said
[Verse 2]
So I speak to you in riddles
'Cause my words get in my way
I smoke the whole thing to my head
And feel it wash away
[Verse 3]
'Cause I can't take anymore of this
I wanna come apart
Or dig myself a little hole
Inside your precious heart
[Chorus]
Oh
'Cause it's always raining in my head
Oh
Forget all the things I should have said
[Verse 4]
I am nothing more than
A little boy inside
That cries out for attention
Yet I always try to hide
[Verse 5]
'Cause I talk to you like children
Though I don't know how I feel
But I know I'll do the right thing
If the right thing is revealed
[Outro]
'Cause it's always raining in my head
Forget all the things I should have said
@paulh9979
If you have never suffered from depression , you don't know how dark a night can be. It makes me mad when people say "it's the cowards way out " when they have no idea the pain it brings. For anyone that truly knows , we know the strength it takes to go on ONE MORE DAY.
@MichaelWilson-zr7oj
Truth brother 🙏
@automachinehead
it really is the cowards way out.. wth are you on about? if I didn't push myself to go out of my bedroom and touch grass after living in obscurity for 11 years, I would've stayed mad and probably lost it by now. thank God for covid, bc of that, people went inside while I did the opposite. the lockdown was all it took for me to find courage to walk out again. damn I hate people still but I am learning not to mind them now.
@paulh9979
im glad you found a way out of the depression.
@brianwilliams6555
I agree but it takes balls to follow through with taking your life
@roxannemoreno2087
Its never a cowards way ever. Depression is real. Im saying this as tears fall down my face. I struggle with it everyday
@kevinhumes5355
My dad took his life and in his letter to me and my brother he asked we always listen to this song in remembrance of him! I write this with tears rolling down my face. Such a meaningful song we love u dad
@brandonm9579
Man, that's really jacked , no disrespect, but that was crushing to me, just to read it. Give it too either children or parents that make the
profound mark on one's life, you'll be in my prayers
@kevinhumes5355
@Brandon Myers thanks buddy just makes perfect sense to me with all my dad went through in life. And to hear it's always raining in my head , that's exactly what my dad was facing. Haven't been the same since my dad left us thanks again
@chynablu11
Sending you hugs and remember he lives on within you, always x