Sum 41 released their debut album, All Killer No Filler, in 2001 and achieved mainstream success through the album's first single, "Fat Lip", which reached number-one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart; it remains the band's most successful single to date. As of February 2017, they have since released five more studio albums: Does This Look Infected? (2002), Chuck (2004), Underclass Hero (2007), Screaming Bloody Murder (2011) and 13 Voices (2016).
The band was formed by singer-songwriter Deryck Whibley and drummer Steve Jocz, after Whibley convinced Jocz to join his band. Jocz was a drummer in another band and Whibley was convinced that "he was the best drummer around". The duo then added Dave Baksh as lead guitarist a year later and after going through several bassists, ended up picking Jason McCaslin to complete their lineup.
On May 10, 2006, Dave Baksh announced in a statement through his management company that he was leaving Sum 41 to work with his new band, Brown Brigade, which has a more "classic metal" sound. Baksh cited "creative differences" as the reason for his departure but claimed that he was still on good terms with the band. On March 9, 2010, Steve Jocz confirmed that new lead guitarist Tom Thacker will take part in the writing and recording.
On April 18, 2013, drummer Steve Jocz announced he would be leaving the band via his official Facebook page, leaving Whibley as the sole founding member of the band. Their follow up album will be the band's second collaboration as a trio and first with Whibley and McCaslin as the only two bandmates from their original release left.
In 2015 Frank Zummo became the drummer of the band replacing Jocz after his departure in 2013. On July 9, 2015, the band launched a PledgeMusic campaign for its comeback album. On July 23, 2015, the band played its comeback show at the Alternative Press Awards, which featured former lead guitarist Dave Baksh, joining the band on stage 9 years after officially leaving the band. The band's set also featured DMC as guest. Since the performance, rumors speculated that Dave had returned to the band rather than being just a guest. On August 14, 2015, Sum 41 announced through Alternative Press that Baksh had made his official return to the group, and will appear on the group's sixth album. On December 26, 2015, Sum 41 teased two new songs on Instagram's account. On January 1, 2016, Deryck Whibley published on the Facebook page that the new album is almost finished.
The band is set to perform on the 2016 Warped Tour. On May 11, 2016, the group announced its signing to Hopeless Records. On June 1, 2016, the band announced that an album was set to be released in the fall of 2016. On June 6, 2016, the group announced that the album would be titled '13 Voices and that it is scheduled for release on October 7, 2016. The first song off of the upcoming album, "Fake My Own Death", was released on June 28, 2016 through Hopeless Records' official YouTube channel, along with a music video for the song. The song was performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on October 3, 2016. The album's first official single, "War", was released on August 25, 2016.[61] On September 28, 2016, the album's eighth track, "God Save Us All (Death to POP)" was leaked online, before being officially released (along with a live music video) on September 29, 2016.
Their seventh studio album, Order in Decline, was released July 19, 2019. The second single from the album "A Death in the Family" was released along with a music video on June 11. On June 18, "Never There" was released as the third single, along with a video. On July 8, the band released "45 (A Matter of Time)" as the fourth single, along with a video. On May 28, 2021, the band released a version of "Catching Fire" featuring Nothing, Nowhere, along with a music video.
On February 22, 2022, the band announced a U.S. tour with Simple Plan called the Blame Canada tour. The tour is set to run from April to August 2022. On March 23, 2022, the band announced their eighth studio album, 'Heaven and Hell', which is set to be a double album. 'Heaven' will be a pop punk album much like the band's early material while 'Hell' is a continuation of the band's more recent heavier metal sound.
Studio Albums:
'All Killer No Filler' (2001)
'Does This Look Infected?' (2002)
'Chuck' (2004)
'Underclass Hero' (2007)
'Screaming Bloody Murder' (2011)
'13 Voices' (2016)
'Order in Decline' (2019)
'Heaven and Hell' (2024)
Website: www.sum41.com
Holy Image of Lies
Sum 41 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is this beginning or ending? Am I stuck in a dream?
I don't wanna know what I think, I suppose
Out of the light into this timely demise
And there's a cross on the hill, the holy image of lies
I've opened my mind, but this dream is still real
You don't need to worry, I'm just fine
Tell me it's over 'cause I don't feel a thing at all
No conscience, not no more, senses all have disappeared
Am I at all alive tonight? Paranoid, am I to run?
Am I at all alive tonight? Crash and fall suicide with me
Look in my eyes, tell me I'm alright
I don't know if I'm still alive
If this is goodbye, forever's just a lie,
But big enough to make you wanna try
In just one life how can we
Live enough to rest in peace
In just one life (just one life)
How can we live enough to rest in peace now
Oh oh oh oh
Here as I stand, hand in hand, and one hand on my heart
As I depart, it's not so hard, what a day to become a man
You have your scars but I never thought that you would give me none
The lyrics of Sum 41's "Holy Image of Lies" seem to revolve around a sense of confusion, disillusionment, and uncertainty. The opening lines suggest that the singer is unsure of whether they are in the beginning or end of something, whether they are awake or asleep. They also express a reluctance to confront their own thoughts, to delve into the truth that might be uncomfortable or unpleasant. The reference to a "timely demise" indicates a sense of fatalism, a belief that the end is coming and there is no avoiding it.
The central image of the song is a cross on a hill, which the singer calls the "holy image of lies". This phrase underscores their sense of disillusionment with faith and religion, and suggests that the singer may have lost faith in a higher power or in the idea that there is an ultimate truth or meaning to life. Throughout the song, they express a sense of detachment and numbness, as if they are disconnected from their own emotions and senses. The repeated questioning of whether they are "alive tonight" creates a sense of existential angst and uncertainty.
Despite this sense of confusion, the song ends on a note of hopefulness, with the suggestion that even in the face of uncertainty and despair, it is worth trying to find meaning and purpose in life. The final lines about having "just one life" and needing to "live enough to rest in peace" suggest that the singer is grappling with the idea of mortality and the need to make the most of the time they have.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't believe, I think I'm falling asleep
I am unsure if what I am experiencing is real or not, and it is causing me to feel tired and disconnected.
Is this beginning or ending? Am I stuck in a dream?
I cannot discern if what I am going through is the start of something new or the conclusion of something else. The situation is difficult to process, like a confusing dream.
I don't wanna know what I think, I suppose
My thoughts and feelings are unclear and uncertain. I am not sure what to do about them.
Out of the light into this timely demise
I have moved out of a bright, positive space and into something that feels like destruction or collapse. This shift is happening quickly.
And there's a cross on the hill, the holy image of lies
Religious symbols like a cross are supposed to represent truth and purity, but in this case, it seems that these symbols are misrepresenting the truth or hiding something darker.
I've opened my mind, but this dream is still real
Even though I have tried to think more openly and critically about my situation, it still feels like something I cannot escape or control.
You don't need to worry, I'm just fine
I've just lost my mind
I am telling others that I am okay, but in reality, I feel like I have gone crazy or become mentally unstable.
Tell me it's over 'cause I don't feel a thing at all
I am hoping that my difficult situation has come to an end, but at the same time, I feel numb and unable to process any emotions.
No conscience, not no more, senses all have disappeared
I feel like I have lost my ability to tell right from wrong or make moral judgments. My ability to perceive the world around me feels dulled or gone.
Am I at all alive tonight? Paranoid, am I to run?
I am questioning whether I even feel alive anymore, and whether I should take extreme actions to escape my situation. I am feeling incredibly fearful and on-edge.
Am I at all alive tonight? Crash and fall suicide with me
I am feeling so overwhelmed that I feel like I could die, and I am wondering if anyone else feels the same way. I am suggesting that we could 'fall together' through a dangerous or self-destructive action.
Look in my eyes, tell me I'm alright
I don't know if I'm still alive
I am seeking reassurance from others that everything is okay or that I am still 'here,' but I am not even sure if I myself am really alive or present anymore.
If this is goodbye, forever's just a lie,
But big enough to make you wanna try
If it turns out that I am about to exit this world, then the idea of 'forever' (an afterlife, perhaps) seems like a fabrication. However, this notion is still powerful and meaningful enough to make people want to continue living and striving anyway.
In just one life how can we
Live enough to rest in peace
In just one life (just one life)
How can we live enough to rest in peace now
I am questioning how it is possible to live a fulfilling and peaceful life in such a short timespan. I am wondering if it is even possible to find rest or contentment in this world.
Here as I stand, hand in hand, and one hand on my heart
As I depart, it's not so hard, what a day to become a man
You have your scars but I never thought that you would give me none
As I prepare to leave or part with someone, I am recognizing the journey that we have been on and the challenges that we have faced. While I have come out with my own set of scars or wounds, I never expected the other person to hurt me in this way.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Deryck Jason Whibley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
J-BOOT
on In Too Deep
"I LIKE POOP!!!"