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.
Fade
Staind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Memories overtaking me
I try to face them but
The thought is too
Much to conceive
I only know that I can change
Everything else just stays the same
That my life became 'cause
I just needed someone to talk to
You were just too busy with yourself
You were never there for me to
Express how I felt
I just stuffed it down
Now I'm older and I feel like
I could let some of this anger fade
But it seems the surface
I am scratching
Is the bed that I have made
So where were you
When all this I was going through
You never took the time to ask me
Just what you could do
The lyrics to Staind's song "Fade" describe the internal turmoil and pain that an individual is experiencing. The first verse uses the metaphor of memories overtaking them, making it difficult for them to face those memories. The singer in the song is overwhelmed by their emotions, and the thought of dealing with them is too much to bear. They express the feeling of being helpless, trapped in their own mind, and encased in darkness.
The second verse talks about the singer changing themselves and stepping out of the darkness they have been engulfed in. They were looking for someone they could talk to or express their feelings to when they were younger, but the people around them were too busy with themselves. They felt alone, which led them to hide their emotions and shove them deep down inside. However, now that they are older, they feel that they can try to move on from that anger and pain.
In the last part of the song, the singer questions where the people in their life were when they were going through these struggles. They were not asked how they felt or what the people around them could do to help. This further contributes to the angst and anger that the singer is feeling, highlighting the pain that is associated with feeling neglected.
Overall, the song highlights the pain and struggle that can arise from feeling isolated, neglected, and struggling to manage past traumas. The music video for the song further elucidates the lyrics, with footage of the singer in various settings, highlighting their internal battle. The song's powerful message resonated with audiences and made it a commercial success.
Line by Line Meaning
I try to breathe
I attempt to inhale air
Memories overtaking me
Past recollections overwhelm my mind
I try to face them but
I endeavor to confront them, but
The thought is too
The idea is excessively
Much to conceive
More than I can handle
I only know that I can change
I am aware that I have the capability to alter
Everything else just stays the same
However, everything else remains unaltered
So now I step out of the darkness
Therefore, I emerge from the shadowy recesses
That my life became 'cause
Which my existence turned into because
I just needed someone to talk to
Merely required someone to confide in
You were just too busy with yourself
You were occupied with your own concerns
You were never there for me to
You never were present for me to
Express how I felt
Communicate my emotions
I just stuffed it down
I merely suppressed it
Now I'm older and I feel like
Presently, I am aged and I sense as though
I could let some of this anger fade
I may permit some of this fury to vanish
But it seems the surface
Nonetheless, it appears that the shallow
I am scratching
I am digging into
Is the bed that I have made
Is the situation I have created for myself
So where were you
So, where were you
When all this I was going through
When I was experiencing everything I was going through
You never took the time to ask me
You never dedicated the time to inquire of me
Just what you could do
Simply what actions you could have taken
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AARRON LEWIS, JOHN APRIL, JOHN F. APRIL, JONATHAN WYSOCKI, MICHAEL MUSHOK, MICHAEL J. MUSHOK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
יוסף
I try to breathe
Memories overtaking me
I try to face them but
The thought is too
Much to conceive
I only know that I can change
Everything else just stays the same
So now I step out of the darkness
That my life became 'cause
I just needed someone to talk to
You were just too busy with yourself
You were never there for me to
Express how I felt
I just stuffed it down
Now I'm older and I feel like
I could let some of this anger fade
But it seems the surface
I am scratching
Is the bed that I have made
So where were you
When all this I was going through
You never took the time to ask me
Just what you could do
Kevin Jacquin
I grew up with Staind and as a 40 year old adult...Aaron's lyrics still ring true today
Krispy Kastner
Right
Valerie Lawlor
He's so underrated it's criminal his voice is so smooth and his lyrics are just heartbreaking
Paul Carpenter
Being 14 in 99 2000 definitely helps
GSXRoyce2
Same here 39. One of the major influences on my music career
LeadMe2TheBliss
I saw them live open for KoRn in 2021, great show! Mushok is a killer live guitarist.
For The Love Of Noise
For all of you with a father who did not really care enough to be a big part of your life, I feel you.
cardflopper
I cannot blame this on my father, he did the best he could for me
Josh Burnett
I do blame my father. Looking out the window for him to pick me up. This MF’ER stands me up time and time again and thinks he gets a pass. I’m 42 now. I have 2 children of my own. I can only thank my father for showing me how to NOT to be a father. I have great, well behaved kids.
For The Love Of Noise
@cardflopper I see what you did there.