Although the band started out playing at Christian music festivals, they shun the label of "Christian rock," with singer and guitarist Jon Foreman saying, "For us, it's a faith, not a genre. We've always been very open and honest about where the songs are coming from. For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us `Christian rock' tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them. And that's not what we're trying to do. Music has always opened my mind -- and that's what we want." They started out on Charlie Peacock's label "re:think" and spent several years appearing at Christian festivals and enjoying Christian radio hits. Most of their early tours were with Christian bands and both of the band's new members were borrowed from Christian bands.
Switchfoot did not see success outside of the Christian rock scene until they were featured alongside singer Mandy Moore on the A Walk To Remember soundtrack. The band's first true commercial success came in 2003 with the release of their fourth major label (and first mainstream label) offering, The Beautiful Letdown. The album went on to sell more than 2 million albums and Switchfoot became the most popular rock band to be associated with Christian music.
They were featured on the British Edition of the Spiderman II soundtrack along with the likes of Taking Back Sunday and Dashboard Confessional to name a few, in 2004 with the song 'Meant To Live'.
In 2005 Switchfoot released "Nothing Is Sound". The album went gold within 3 months and received much critical acclaim.
Switchfoot's highly anticipated album, titled "Oh! Gravity." was released on December 26th, 2006.
On November 10th, 2009, Switchfoot released their first album produced under their own label, lowercase people. "Mess of Me", a single from the album released months before the CD, has enjoy chart-topping radio plays since its release.
In 2010 Switchfoot released their album, "Hello Hurricane".
On September 27th, 2011, to much anticipation and excitement, Switchfoot released their newest album, "Vice Verses".
Sites:
www.switchfoot.com
Switchfoot Message Boards
Adding to the Noise
Switchfoot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To slow us down
To let the silence spin us around?
What's it gonna take
To drop this town?
We've been spinning at the speed of sound.
Stepping out of those convenience stores
What could we want but more more more?
To the corporate core
We are a symphony of modern humanity
If we're adding to the noise
Turn off this song
If we're adding to the noise
Turn off your stereo, stereo, stereo
I don't know
What they're gonna think of next
Genetic engineers of the most high tech
A couple new ways
To fall into debt
I'm a nervous wreck but I'll bet
That that T.V. set
Tells us what we've wanted to hear
But none of these sound bites
Are coming in clear
From the third world to the corporate ear
We are the symphony of modern humanity.
The song "Adding to the Noise" by Switchfoot is about the obsession that modern society has with convenience and constantly needing more. The opening lines ask a rhetorical question about what it will take to slow us down and allow some silence to spin us around. The song is essentially saying that in our frenzied pursuit of always having more, we are missing out on what really matters in life. Switchfoot is calling out the corporate machine and advertising industry for selling us the idea that we need more to be happy.
The lyrics also touch on the idea that technology and media have made us more anxious and nervous wrecks than ever before. The reference to genetic engineering and falling into debt speaks to the idea that we are constantly searching for the next big thing, even if it means putting ourselves in debt or taking on risks that we would not normally take. The song urges listeners to turn off the noise and take a break from the constant barrage of messaging that we hear every day.
Overall, "Adding to the Noise" is a critique of modern society's obsession with consumerism and the need for constant stimulation. The lyrics encourage listeners to slow down, take a break from the noise, and reconnect with what really matters.
Line by Line Meaning
What's it gonna take
What actions must be taken
To slow us down
To decrease our pace
To let the silence spin us around?
To allow quietness to envelop us
To drop this town?
To leave this busy city
We've been spinning at the speed of sound.
We have been moving incredibly fast
Stepping out of those convenience stores
Exiting the places of comfort and ease
What could we want but more more more?
What else do we crave apart from what we already have?
From the third world
From less developed countries
To the corporate core
To the highest levels of corporations
We are a symphony of modern humanity
Together as humans, we create a harmonious modern world
If we're adding to the noise
If our actions are contributing to the chaos
Turn off this song
Stop listening to this music
If we're adding to the noise
If we are making the situation worse
Turn off your stereo, stereo, stereo
Stop listening to music altogether
I don't know
I am unsure
What they're gonna think of next
What ideas will they come up with in the future
Genetic engineers of the most high tech
Scientific professionals who manipulate genes with advanced technology
A couple new ways
A few different options
To fall into debt
To accumulate more liabilities
I'm a nervous wreck but I'll bet
Although I'm anxious, I am confident
That that T.V. set
That television
Tells us what we've wanted to hear
Affirms our beliefs and desires
But none of these sound bites
However, these news clips
Are coming in clear
Are not straightforward
From the third world to the corporate ear
From less developed countries to the highest hierarchies of companies
We are the symphony of modern humanity.
Together, we make a perfectly coordinated contemporary society.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sonia morales
What's it gonna take
to slow us down
the let the silence spin us around?
What's it gonna take
to drop this town?
We've been spinning at the speed of sound.
Stepping out of those convenience stores,
what could we want but more more more?
From the third world
to the corporate core
we are the symphony of modern humanity.
If we're adding to the noise
turn off this song.
If we're adding to the noise
turn off your stereo, radio, video...
I don't know
what they're gonna think of next
genetic enginers of the most high tech.
A couple new ways
to fall in debt.
I'm a nervous wreck but I'll bet
that that T.V. set
tells us what we want to hear
But none of these sound bites
are coming in clear.
From the third world to the corporate ear
we are the symphony of modern humanit
Victoria Brown
Okay as a kid I didn’t realize how amazing Switchfoot lyrics are! Listening at 25 my mind is blown !!
SilverSarcasmic
Man, it's so nostalgic to listen to Switchfoot again. And, props to these guys, they are probably the only guys in the world who've written a song that tells you to STOP listening to their music, lol!
Yulizzie
The lyrics are perfect for this day and age
Mighty Guy
Lizzie Rollano 2019
Ayahoo
Switchfoot is always on point
Isaac Vasquez
@Mighty Guy 2021
Abby :)
@Isaac Vasquez exactly what I was thinking!
Albert Solo
2022 still a banger!
Wingfin Records
Today, The Beautiful Letdown turns 20. I could not be more thankful for this album, and how it catapulted my obsession with this wonderful band.
2:07 is my favorite part of the regular CD, and Monday Comes Around is my favorite part of the Deluxe Edition.
Nico
This song is so unbelievably underrated it's disgusting. Been listening since around 2005 and I'll never stop.