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.
Falling Down
Staind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's obvious you've changed
Something deep inside you
Is probably to blame
Must be lonely up there
With your head up in the clouds
Even though you got there
What does your conscience tell you now?
It's never the same on the way down
How does it feel when your feet
Finally hit the ground?
When all of your bridges aren't around
And the sandcastles you built are falling down
You had us all
Sitting right there in your hand
But you had to fall
Because that's how this life is
Got your fingers burned
By burning candles at both ends
Now the table's turned
And now your demons are you friends
It's never the same on the way down
How does it feel when your feet
Finally hit the ground?
When all of your bridges aren't around
And the sandcastles you built are falling down
So now I question what you're gonna do
Now that everything's caught up with you
You believe the shit you say is true
But everybody's on to you
Life remembers everything you do
Your karma has caught up with you
It's never the same on the way down
How does it feel when your feet
Finally hit the ground?
When all of your bridges aren't around
And the sandcastles you built are falling down
The lyrics to Staind's song "Falling Down" depict a person's realization that they have changed and how their actions have led them to lose the people they once had in their lives. The opening lines suggest that the person who has changed is now disconnected from their inner self, and the change is probably to blame for their detachment. The lines "Must be lonely up there with your head up in the clouds, even though you got there" could suggest that the person had success in their life, but they might have lost sight of what is important.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the feeling of falling from grace, where everything that was once in your favor has turned against you. The lines "It's never the same on the way down, how does it feel when your feet finally hit the ground, when all of your bridges aren't around, and the sandcastles you built are falling down" suggests that the person is experiencing the consequences of their actions. They realize that the bridges they have burned and the relationships they have damaged are no longer there to support them, and their once-stable life is now crumbling down.
The last verses of the song suggest that the person who thought they had everything under control is now facing the consequences of their actions. They are now being confronted by their past, and karma has caught up with them. The lines "So now I question what you're gonna do, now that everything's caught up with you, you believe the shit you say is true, but everybody's onto you, life remembers everything you do, your karma has caught up with you" suggest that the person is now facing the reality of their situation.
Overall, "Falling Down" is a powerful song that speaks to the consequences of our actions, with a cautionary tale about self-destruction and the cost of losing oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
What's happened to you?
I can see that something about you has changed, and I'm curious to understand what caused it.
It's obvious you've changed
It's clear to me and others that you're not the same person you used to be, and we're trying to figure out why.
Something deep inside you
I can sense that the root of your change is buried deep within you, and it's not something that can be easily fixed.
Is probably to blame
I suspect that this inner turmoil is the reason for the changes in your personality and behavior.
Must be lonely up there
I imagine that it's a lonely experience, feeling so separated from the people around you and the life you once knew.
With your head up in the clouds
You seem to be living in a world of your own creation, disconnected from reality and lost in your thoughts.
Even though you got there
Despite whatever success or achievements you may have had, this disconnection from reality has taken a toll on you.
What does your conscience tell you now?
Are you able to look within yourself and assess the choices you've made, or are you still in denial about your situation?
It's never the same on the way down
When you fall from your high place and hit rock bottom, you realize that things will never be the same again.
How does it feel when your feet Finally hit the ground?
What is the feeling of coming back to reality? Does it hurt, or is it a sense of relief?
When all of your bridges aren't around
When you lose the support and connections you once had, it can be a difficult and isolating experience.
And the sandcastles you built are falling down
The dream world you had created for yourself is slowly crumbling, and you're forced to confront the reality of your situation.
You had us all
People were once drawn to you and your charisma, but now they're skeptical of your intentions.
Sitting right there in your hand
You had the power and control, but you lost it when you let yourself get too deluded and disconnected from others.
But you had to fall
You brought about your own downfall by ignoring the people around you and focusing only on your own wants and desires.
Because that's how this life is
Sometimes life requires us to fall and learn from our mistakes in order to grow and become better people.
Got your fingers burned
You took risks and made choices that came back to haunt you, and now you're dealing with the consequences.
By burning candles at both ends
You pushed yourself too hard and took on too much, which ultimately led to your downfall.
Now the table's turned
You're no longer the one in control, and you're having to face the consequences of your actions.
And now your demons are your friends
The problems and issues that you were once able to ignore or cover up are now your constant companions, and you have to confront them head-on.
So now I question what you're gonna do
I'm curious to see if you'll learn from your mistakes and try to make positive changes in your life.
Now that everything's caught up with you
All of the things that you ignored or ran away from have finally come back to haunt you.
You believe the shit you say is true
You've become so lost in your own delusions that you can't see the truth of your situation.
But everybody's on to you
People are starting to see through your facade and are realizing that you're not who you said you were.
Life remembers everything you do
The consequences of your actions will follow you for the rest of your life, and you can't escape them.
Your karma has caught up with you
The negative energy you've put out into the world has come back to affect you, and you can't escape it.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN APRIL, JONATHAN WYSOCKI, AARRON LEWIS, MICHAEL MUSHOK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind