According to the To Hell With The Devil Songfacts, Stryper took their name from a Bible verse Isaiah 53: 5, which says "….by His stripes we are healed." Stryper they explained was an acronym meaning "Salvation Through Redemption Yielding Peace, Encouragement and Righteousness."
In 1983 they were signed by Enigma Records and released their first album The Yellow and Black Attack. By the mid-1980s, Stryper saw their most successful period starting with the release of To Hell with the Devil which achieved Platinum sales status.
The band earned their stripes (pun intended) on the Los Angeles metal club circuit and in 1984, after recruiting bass player Tim Gaines, signed with Enigma Records and released their debut mini-album, The Yellow And Black Attack (Y&BA).
Their first full-length release, Soldiers Under Command, sold over half a million units worldwide in the eighties, and stayed on Billboard's Top 200 album chart for over forty weeks. In addition to the hard-rocking tunes that Stryper's core audience has come to expect, the ballad "Honestly" from their platinum selling 1986 release To Hell With The Devil hit the Top-40 charts. The video for "Honestly" rapidly became the number one most-requested video on MTV. 1988 saw the near-platinum release of In God We Trust, as well as renewed success on MTV, which was bombarded by thousands of phone requests for "Always There For You".
Coming off the acclaim of the 1989 tour supporting IGWT, the band released Against The Law which shipped gold in the fall of 1990. Despite its sales success, some fans were confused by Stryper's change in appearance and lyrics. This lead to numerous rumors and questions about the sincerity of Stryper's faith. "We were making a grab for musical freedom," says Robert Sweet, Stryper's drummer. "But we never should have let that been misinterpreted as a change in our beliefs."
In 1991, Enigma Records went bankrupt, and Stryper was left without a record company. This was short-lived, as they were quickly picked up by Hollywood Records. In the summer of 1991 they released Can't Stop The Rock, a "best of" album with two new tracks.
In January of 1992, Michael Sweet left the Stryper to pursue a solo career. Although officially Robert Sweet, Oz Fox and Tim Gaines continued as a three piece for another year, there were no further studio recordings as Stryper once Mike left.
Michael Sweet was the first to re-appear back on the scene, when he secured a record deal with the Christian label Benson Records. (Benson distributed Stryper to the Christian retail stores in the 80's.) This union produced two albums: the self titled Michael Sweet, and Real. In 1998, Mike put out a full length demo by himself titled Truth. This generated label interest, and he was soon signed to Restless Records. The remastered and updated version of Truth was released early in 2001.
Tim Gaines and Robert Sweet joined legendary Christian guitar player Rex Carrol in the band King James. Although King James released two releases to date, Tim and Bob only performed on the first album which was released in 1994 on the Christian label Star Song.
Absent from the limelight for many years was Oz Fox, who last was seen making guest appearances on several Christian releases including JC & The Boyz, Bride, and Ransom. Oz and Tim joined forces once again in 1995 to form Sin Dizzy. Together with Bobby MacNeil on guitar and John Bocanegra on drums, they released He's Not Dead in 1998. Tim left Sin Dizzy in 2000 to continue working musically with his wife, Irene Kelly.
Robert Sweet released his solo release titled Love Trash in 2000, in which he plays all the instruments on the album and features Larry Worley on vocals. (Ex-lead singer of Christian rock band Fear Not.) Robert recently formed Blissed with fellow members David Pearson, Trevor Barr, and Jeff Miller. Their album, Waking Up The Dead, was released in early 2003.
On May 21st of 2000, history was made when Stryper hit the stage again for an informal jam at the first annual Stryper expo in New Jersey. December 16th of 2000 marked the first full blown set performed by Stryper in 9 years, held in Costa Rica. The second annual Stryper expo was held in Azusa, California on May 18th and 19th of 2001. The two day expo featured multiple bands and vendors, with Stryper closing the expo with a concert. Shortly after, Stryper played to one of their largest crowds at Cornerstone at Bushnell, Illinois on July 7th, 2001.
On March 25th of 2003, Hollywood Records released Seven, The Best Of Stryper that included 2 new songs (Something and For You). That fall, they embarked on a 35 city tour that both fans and critics agreed was one of the hottest tours of 2003. In March of 2004, Stryper triumphantly returned to Puerto Rico to play a sold out show that was recorded for a DVD release scheduled to come out later in the year. The prayers of Stryper fan everywhere were answered in May of 2003 with the new live CD recording titled 7 Weeks: Live In America.
Stryper went on from there to record a full studio album, "Reborn", in 2005. The album featured a much harder sound than their earlier material. "Reborn" would be offered to pre-order customers complete with an autographed STRYPER pocket bible. To promote the album to distributors, STRYPER's Michael Sweet and Oz Fox took the unorthodox but personal approach of meeting with EMI branch employees in early May in both Atlanta and Philadephia to perform acoustic renditions of 'Open Your Eyes', 'Make You Mine' and 'Passion'. MTM Music took the album for Europe, this version released in completely different cover art. The initial pressing of US copies would unexpectadly give early purchasers a collectors item, as the manufacturer pressed the CD with an incorrect running order to that detailed on the sleeve. 'Reborn' sold over 8,000 copies in its first week of US sales to debut at no. 111 on the Billboard charts.
Notably STRYPER was set to co-headline what was billed as "Hell and Heaven United" alongside arch nemesi SLAYER and DEICIDE for the 'Monterrey Metal Fest', on September 23rd at the Coca Cola Auditorium in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. However, SLAYER withdrew, quoting "personal reasons". Whilst retaining ties to STRYPER, Oz Fox joined the ranks of BLOODGOOD in December.
In early 2007 Sony BMG released a new STRYPER live album, entitled simply 'Extended Versions', featuring live performances from the 2003 reunion tour.
'Murder by Pride' was Stryper's next album. The first single for the album, 'Peace of Mind', a cover of the classic Boston song, debuted at #27 on Christianrock.net on October 24, 2008 and peaked at #1 on February 22, 2009.
Robert Sweet did not play on the album because of some complicated reasons. Musicwise, the singer Michael Sweet has commented that "After years of speaking to fans and hearing comments like 'more guitars,' 'more solos' and 'more screams,' I decided to keep those comments in mind as I wrote each song. It was important to me to try to get back to that early sound of Stryper yet at the same time, to remain relevant today. It's certainly not an easy thing to do but as I listen to 'Murder By Pride', I think that was accomplished."
Stryper's ninth studio album The Covering was released by Big 3 Records/Sony on February 15, 2011. The album is a collection of twelve cover songs from bands that inspired Stryper and helped to shape the band's sound and musical identity. Speaking with Michael Sweet in a 2011 interview, he explained: "It really wasn't a difficult process, because we knew exactly where our history lied and our roots lied, and we knew the groups that influenced us the most. And we were all in agreement. Because, for the most part, it's all the same bands that influenced the four of us."
The band signed a deal with Frontiers Records and released 'Second Coming' on March 25, 2013.
' No More Hell to Pay', was completed on May 29, 2013, and was released on November 5 through Frontiers Records. ' Live at the Whisky', a CD/DVD combination recorded at the Whisky a Go Go, was released in September 2014. Fallen, was released on October 16, 2015.
During an interview with Antihero Magazine in November 2016, Michael Sweet revealed that the next Stryper album, which was planned for a February 2017 release, would be put on hold as the band went on hiatus and while he recorded a Sweet & Lynch album. Sweet also stated that bassist Timothy Gaines was taking time away from the band to deal with personal issues. While Sweet disliked the idea of continuing without Gaines, he was open to filling the bass position with the right person if and when it came to that. Gaines then confirmed that he was no longer a member of the band. Perry Richardson was announced as the new bass player on October 30, 2017.
On February 5, 2018, Michael Sweet announced the band's next album, ' God Damn Evil', which was released April 20, 2018. On February 9, the band released "Take It to the Cross" as a single for the album. The single featured Matt Bachand of the band Shadows Fall.
On September 4th, 2020, the band's next album, ' Even the Devil Believes', was released. The band's latest album as of April 2023, ' The Final Battle', was announced on September 22, 2022, and released on October 21, 2022.
Alive
Stryper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waves don't crash on the shore
′Cause You don't love me anymore
See, the morning sun doesn't shine
And the moon′s nowhere to find
′Cause You don't love me anymore
And then I realize - I′m Alive, I'll survive
I′m Alive, I'll survive
I′ll never stop believing
Feel, there's no wind in my hair
There's no warmth from the sun′s glare
′Cause you don't love me anymore
Stand, there′s no ground to walk on
There's no one to lean upon
′Cause You don't love me anymore
Then I realize - I′m Alive, I'll survive
I was only dreaming that our love died
I'm Alive, I′ll survive
I′ll never stop believing or deny
I'm Alive, I′ll survive
I was only dreaming that our love died
I'm Alive, I′ll survive
I'll never stop believing
Listen
Birds are singing once more
Waves are crashing on shore
′Cause You love me...
The lyrics of Stryper's song "Alive" tell a story of heartbreak and resilience. The verses describe a world in which everything seems dead or missing, symbolizing the loss of love. The singer feels abandoned and alone, but then has a realization in the chorus that they are still alive and will survive. They were only dreaming that their love had died. The song concludes with a hopeful image of the world coming back to life as love is rekindled.
The lyrics are relatable to anyone who has experienced heartbreak and the feelings of despair that come with it. The use of natural imagery in the verses, such as the absence of birds singing and waves crashing, creates a sense of emptiness and melancholy. The chorus, with its upbeat melody and message of survival, provides a powerful contrast and encourages the listener to keep believing.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen, birds don′t sing anymore
The world seems somber and dull without the presence of the person who used to love me.
Waves don't crash on the shore
The natural beauty that surrounds me holds no meaning since the person who used to love me is gone.
′Cause You don't love me anymore
The reason why everything seems different and lacking is because of the loss of love from this person.
See, the morning sun doesn't shine
Even the most vibrant and life-giving parts of the day, like sunrise, are bleak and empty without love.
And the moon′s nowhere to find
The nighttime, which can often hold its own unique beauty, is also inherently changed without love.
′Cause You don't love me anymore
The loss of love continues to taint each and every moment of life, transforming even the most beautiful experiences into hollow ones.
And then I realize - I′m Alive, I'll survive
Despite feeling lost and hopeless, I begin to understand that I will still continue to exist and move forward with life, even though things may be different now.
I was only dreaming that our love died
Maybe love hasn't actually disappeared completely, but instead it's just hidden or suppressed in some way.
I′m Alive, I'll survive
No matter what happens in my romantic life, I will continue to persevere and push through.
I′ll never stop believing
My hope for the future remains steadfast and unshakeable.
Feel, there's no wind in my hair
Even the most basic sensory experiences have lost their luster without the love of this person.
There's no warmth from the sun′s glare
The feeling of sunshine on my skin is no longer a comforting one, but rather one that feels lonely and hollow.
′Cause you don't love me anymore
Once again, the reason for the loss of these experiences is because of the absence of this person's love.
Stand, there's no ground to walk on
The feeling of stability and safety is missing from my life since this person left.
There's no one to lean upon
Without this person's love, there is a distinct lack of support in my life.
Then I realize - I′m Alive, I'll survive
Despite feeling adrift in life, I recognize that I will be able to keep going and persevere through this difficult time.
I was only dreaming that our love died
Once again, the possibility remains that this love still exists and can be revived in some way.
I'm Alive, I′ll survive
No matter what, I will keep living my life and move forward, even if things aren't perfect.
I′ll never stop believing or deny
I choose to have faith and hope for the future, and not give up on the possibility of love and happiness.
I'm Alive, I′ll survive
Once again, the song reiterates the importance of continuing to live and thrive in the face of adversity.
I'll never stop believing
Hope for the future and an earnest belief in love remains at the core of this song's message.
Listen
The end of the song revisits the opening line, but now with the newfound realization that love is present and the world can be beautiful once again.
Birds are singing once more
Despite the loss and sadness, beauty and joy still remain in the world.
Waves are crashing on shore
Nature still holds its own unique and awe-inspiring beauty, no matter what happens in the realm of love.
′Cause You love me...
The song ends on a hopeful, happy note, with the discovery that love still exists between the two people mentioned throughout the song.
Writer(s): Michael Sweet
Contributed by Lillian M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Madruguinha
Listen, birds don't sing anymore
Waves don't crash on the shore
'Cause You don't love me anymore
See, the morning sun doesn't shine
And the moon's nowhere to find
'Cause You don't love me anymore
And then I realize - I'm Alive, I'll survive
I was only dreaming that our love died
I'm Alive, I'll survive
I'll never stop believing
Feel, there's no wind in my hair
There's no warmth from the sun's glare
'Cause you don't love me anymore
Stand, there's no ground to walk on
There's no one to lean upon
'Cause You don't love me anymore
Then I realize - I'm Alive, I'll survive
I was only dreaming that our love died
I'm Alive, I'll survive
I'll never stop believing or deny
I'm Alive, I'll survive
I was only dreaming that our love died
I'm Alive, I'll survive
I'll never stop believing
Listen
Birds are singing once more
Waves are crashing on shore
'Cause You love me...
Rob Sylvia
A few years back I felt unloved and forsaken, I had made a mess of my life and couldn’t see God anywhere. It was like this song said, like a bad dream. But then the Son broke though the darkness. This song reminded me, that even though I didn’t feel God’s love, it didn’t mean He wasn’t there. I hung on every word that day. Thanks guys. I’m alive.
AC72CH
That s True... Only God can give such a selfless Love no matter what, even against our Will.. Cause our will is sometimes obscured by Evil and God knows it... He onows our pure essence and figjts for that... Let us do the same for HIM and bring Light onto this World! 💚🙏
Ive Hernandez
Amen.!
Eugenio Garrido
Beautiful yet underrated song. One of their best ballads for sure.
ORLANDO NIEVES RIVERA TACTICO
Simplemente hermosa una obra de arte !!! God bless all
Stryper for always
FinnStrype
This song brings tears in my eyes. Can't help it. B-A-Utiful! Best balland I have heard for a long time.
- Marino
Michael is always a good writer, but once in a while he hits a grand slam and this is one of those. This song is Perfect, lyrics, Melody, and Dynamics. Great song. It's perfect. Also goes to show, every song does not need bridge. It's perfect the way it is..I hope i am correct stating that Michael Sweet wrote this entire song. I love it!!!
ChrisTaylorG
What a beautiful song!!! Lot of feelings As always, Michael Sweet showing his heavenly voice!!!. I Love Stryper, God Bless Them!!... Saludos desde Hermosillo, Mexico
heavymetalmama1
This song is hands down one of the best ballads Stryper has ever recorded...one word: BEAUTIFUL
mowriter
I just realized...Michael Sweet wrote this for his wife, Kylie, who passed away 2 months before this CD was released. CHORUS: Then I realized I'm alive, I'll survive I was only dreaming that our love died I'm alive, I'll survive, I'll never stop believing.