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 finishedโhe 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 100โ"How About You" and "Zoey Jane"โ 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 favoritesโ 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.
Run Away
Staind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Anticipating, the ride to end
Before the wheels begin to move
[Chorus]
(Run away) so I can hide
(Run away) I've mastered feeling nothing
(Run away) I'm dead inside
Waste my time commiserating
Self medicating it's my design
Although I know you don't approve
[Chorus]
The truth is that I'm not so good
At showing how I feel
Or keeping my mouth shut
When there's something to conceal
Or knowing how to love
Love's not in my memories
How can I rise above all my insecurities
[Chorus]
(Run away) I fight the tide
(Run away) the ebb and flow consuming
(Run away) still by my side
(Run away) why should I care
In Staind's song "Run Away," the singer is expressing his fear of failure and his tendency to want to run away from difficult situations. He is anticipating failure even before attempting to face his problems. The chorus repeats the phrase "Run away" as a way of expressing his desire to escape from his problems. He believes that by running away from his problems, he can avoid feeling something, and therefore, he is dead inside. He spends his time commiserating and self-medicating, which suggests he may be self-destructive. He knows that others might not approve of his behavior, but he does not know how to deal with his insecurities, so he continues to run away.
The second verse reveals more about the singer's vulnerability. He admits that he is not good at expressing his feelings or keeping them hidden when needed. He also struggles with love and has no memories of it. He believes that his insecurities prevent him from rising above them, which adds a layer of hopelessness to the song. The chorus is repeated again, with the phrase "why should I care" indicating that the singer has given up and doesn't care about the consequences of his actions.
Overall, "Run Away" is a powerful portrayal of someone who is struggling with their own insecurities and self-destructive tendencies. The repetition of the chorus and the emphasis on running away reinforces the idea that the singer cannot escape from his problems, but he continues to try anyway. The vulnerability expressed in the song gives it a relatable quality, and its themes of fear and hopelessness will resonate with listeners who have experienced the same emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm still scared afraid of failing
I'm afraid of failure and it's holding me back
Anticipating, the ride to end
I'm anticipating the end of a challenging situation
Before the wheels begin to move
I'm hesitant to start taking action
(Run away) so I can hide
I want to retreat and hide from my problems
(Run away) I've mastered feeling nothing
I've become numb to my emotions
(Run away) I'm dead inside
I feel emotionally dead and empty
(Run away) why don't I care
I don't care about the things that used to matter to me
Waste my time commiserating
I'm spending my time feeling sorry for myself
Self medicating it's my design
I'm purposely turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms
Although I know you don't approve
I'm aware that my actions aren't healthy, but I'm doing them anyway
(Run away) I fight the tide
I'm struggling against the challenges I face
(Run away) the ebb and flow consuming
The ups and downs of life are overwhelming me
(Run away) still by my side
My problems are still with me, no matter where I go
(Run away) why should I care
I feel apathetic towards my struggles
The truth is that I'm not so good
I struggle with expressing my emotions and hiding my true feelings
At showing how I feel
I have a hard time expressing my emotions
Or keeping my mouth shut
I struggle with keeping quiet, even when it would be beneficial
When there's something to conceal
I have a hard time keeping my true feelings hidden
Or knowing how to love
I struggle with understanding and expressing love
Love's not in my memories
I don't have positive memories associated with love
How can I rise above all my insecurities
I'm struggling to overcome my self-doubt and fears
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, Iyiola Babatunde Babalola, Darren Emilio Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Matt Waldman
This album came out 15 years ago today. August 9, 2005. I went to the record store as soon as it opened. I was 18 and 10 days away from leaving for college. Best time of my life. I'm getting old fast.
xADK46erx
I was 22 don't feel bad brother. Keep living your best life.
Eduardo Corrรชa
What you do for living now??
Goodgrillby
No Staind song ever gets old to me. I love them a lot and listen to them every dayโฅ๏ธ
Zion Pineda
Staind,three days grace, breaking benjamin, switchfoot, seether were my backbone on my teenage suicide days. Thank you so much Aaron
omer anati
For me it was especially Three Days Grace
Ethan Williams
๐ Iโve been searching for a song that really makes me feel Iโm at a concert and Iโm rocking out. AND I FOUND IT ๐
Stupendous Horrendous
I relate to this song too much
Randy Failinger
" I've mastered feeling nothing"
Nikola DaThinker
A. Lewis... Most Influential Musician ever to walk planet earth... Best Therapy for a small group of individuals ;)