The original lineup consisted of vocalist Jason Cruz, guitarists Jake Kiley and Rob Ramos, bassist Jim Cherry and drummer Adam Austin. After releasing a self-titled 7" record, they became one of the first bands to be signed to Fat Wreck Chords, the record label owned and operated by Fat Mike of the band NOFX. Austin left the band in 1992 and was replaced by Brad Morrison who also left the band and was replaced on drums by Jordan Burns, formerly of fellow Simi Valley natives Ten Foot Pole. Their first album, Another Day in Paradise, was released in May of 1994. Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues followed in 1996. In 1998 they released The Skinny Years...Before We Got Fat, a compilation album of their pre-Fat Wreck Chords material.
The band showed notable musical growth on their 1998 album Twisted by Design, which was both speedy and technical but also punk-based and with darker overtones. The album established a mixture of the fast, poppy sound the band had established with Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues but mixed it with more atonality and more abstract song structures. Bassist Jim Cherry left the band in 1999 and went on to play in Pulley and Zero Down, but died of heart failure in 2002. He was replaced by Chris Aiken, whose musical background had a strong impact on the 2000 album The Element of Sonic Defiance, which continued in the fast, melodic punk tradition of the band while introducing more hard rock and metal elements.
In 2002 the band released their fourth full-length album An American Paradox, their first release to appear in the Billboard Top 200. The initial production run contained a bonus song entitled "Don't Look Back". A video was filmed for the song "Cemetery" and was included on several punk rock video compilations. In 2003 they recorded and released a live album as part of the Fat Wreck Chords Live in a Dive series. Exile in Oblivion, was released in 2004, with a video filmed for the song "Analog." Strung Out released their sixth full-length album, Blackhawks Over Los Angeles on June 12, 2007.
In March 2009, Strung Out released a compilation of B-sides, demos, and covers called "Prototypes and Painkillers" with material from all eras of the band's history. Many of these tracks have been on various punk compilations and/or were included in their "Live in a Dive" recording.
On September 29, 2009, Strung Out Released a their 7th studio album titled Agents of the Underground.
Don't look back
Strung Out Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before you turn away,
There's just one thing I gotta know,
Are you still who you claim to be?
I've been told we're all the same
Only difference is in the people that you wear
No apologies, always stayed the same
Now I don't look back
Ideals
And blind devotion
Kiss loyalties goodbye
And it's growing what's inside that counts
Twisted, true and without a doubt
I've been told we're all the same
Waiting for something that already came
Mind of confusion with no one to blame just waiting
Behind, locked inside your emotions
Caging, releasing, it feeds your motives
Growing, changing, is something you don't know,
Makes you feel you're losing ground
Growing up I thought I'd never change
No apologies, always stayed the same
I'll never look back
In "Don't Look Back," Strung Out addresses themes of personal identity and the struggle to maintain one's sense of self in the face of life's changes. The lyrics suggest that the people we become are shaped more by the circumstances and relationships we find ourselves in, rather than some innate essence or character that we possess. The opening lines ask whether the person the singer is speaking to is still the same person they once knew, expressing a sense of uncertainty and doubt about the nature of identity.
The chorus suggests a shift in the singer's own beliefs about the stability of identity. They say that they used to think they would never change and that they always stayed the same, but they now declare that they don't look back - implying that they have accepted the inevitability of personal growth and transformation. The verses describe the pressure to conform to societal expectations and the difficulty of maintaining ideals and loyalties in the face of that pressure.
The lyrics also touch on the idea that emotional authenticity and self-awareness are crucial to personal growth. The lines "Caging, releasing, it feeds your motives / Growing, changing, is something you don't know" suggest that the person the singer is addressing is struggling with repressed emotions and feelings of stagnation. Overall, the song encourages listeners to embrace change and growth, while remaining true to themselves and their values.
Line by Line Meaning
Before you say a word
I need to ask you something before our conversation
Before you turn away,
I need to ask you something before you leave
There's just one thing I gotta know,
There's only one question that I need the answer to
Are you still who you claim to be?
Are you still being honest with who you are?
I've been told we're all the same
Someone once told me that we're all alike
Only difference is in the people that you wear
The only difference between people is the identities they take on
Growing up I thought I'd never change
When I was younger, I thought I would always stay the same
No apologies, always stayed the same
I never felt the need to apologize or change before
Now I don't look back
I've moved past that mindset now
Ideals
Beliefs or values someone holds
And blind devotion
Dedication without questioning the motives or actions of another
Kiss loyalties goodbye
Saying farewell to the sense of being loyal to someone or something
And it's growing what's inside that counts
What's important is what's developing internally
Twisted, true and without a doubt
Completely and unapologetically honest and genuine, even if it's not perfect
Waiting for something that already came
Waiting for something that has already happened and is now gone
Mind of confusion with no one to blame just waiting
Confused about what to do next, with no one or nothing to blame, just waiting for something to happen
Behind, locked inside your emotions
Emotions that have been kept hidden or locked away
Caging, releasing, it feeds your motives
The act of hiding and releasing emotions can fuel one's motives
Growing, changing, is something you don't know,
The concepts of personal growth and change are unfamiliar
Makes you feel you're losing ground
This lack of growth and change may be causing one to feel stuck or stagnant
I'll never look back
I'm moving forward now and not looking back to the past
Lyrics © ALBERT MILLARD MUSIC PUB.
Written by: TERRY BURNS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind