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".
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VOICES
Switchfoot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you've got oceans trapped in your eyelids
They tell me that no man is an island
But it feels like it's a storm that I've been fighting
And I used to listen to the radio
But I've got an army of voices in my head
Voices in my head
But I've got an army of voices in my head
Voices in my head
How come the friends and the foes invisible
Are the ones that made my soul most miserable?
Head's reeling from the feeling
In my mind but I feel it in the physical
Why's the sunlight hiding?
Ain't letting any light in
It's a storm that I've been fighting
And I used to listen to the radio
But I've got an army of voices in my head
Voices in my head
And we used to live in stereo
But I've got an army of voices in my head
Voices in my head
And they're singing
I got voices, I got voices
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Yeah, I got voices, I got voices
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Every moment crowded with choices
Speak to me and drown out the voices
And I used to listen to the radio
But I've got an army of voices in my head
Voices in my head (voices in my head)
And we used to live in stereo
But I've got an army of voices in my head
Voices in my head
Voices!
Switchfoot's "Voices" is a powerful and thought-provoking song that explores the concept of battling your inner demons. The lyrics suggest that the singer feels overwhelmed by the voices in his head, which drown out the outside world and make him feel isolated. The opening line, "My words come out like an avalanche in silence," captures the sense of being besieged by internal thoughts that are both intense and difficult to articulate.
The song goes on to suggest that the root of this problem is the fact that the singer has been hurt by people who are no longer physically present in his life. He feels haunted by their memory, and their influence on his perception of the world is so strong that it distorts his ability to see clearly. The refrain, "I've got an army of voices in my head," is a powerful image that conveys the sense of being constantly at war within oneself. The singer is struggling to find a way out of this internal battle, but as the song goes on, it becomes clear that he feels overwhelmed and uncertain.
In the end, Switchfoot suggests that the only way to break free from the hold of these voices is to focus on the present moment and let go of the past. The last lines of the song, "Every moment crowded with choices / Speak to me and drown out the voices," suggest that if the singer can find a way to focus on what's happening right now, in this precise moment, he can start to overcome the negative influences that are holding him back.
Line by Line Meaning
My words come out like an avalanche in silence
I have so much to say that it seems like I'm not saying anything at all
And you've got oceans trapped in your eyelids
You have so many thoughts and emotions inside you that they seem to be overflowing from your eyes
They tell me that no man is an island
People say that we need others to support us, but sometimes it feels like we're alone in dealing with our struggles
But it feels like it's a storm that I've been fighting
It seems like I'm constantly battling against something that I can't control
And I used to listen to the radio
I used to seek comfort and escape through music and other media
But I've got an army of voices in my head
Now I can't escape the overwhelming thoughts and opinions that race through my mind
How come the friends and the foes invisible
Why is it that the people who affect me the most are the ones I can't see or touch?
Are the ones that made my soul most miserable?
Why do their words and actions impact me so negatively?
Head's reeling from the feeling
I'm overwhelmed by the emotions and thoughts that consume me
In my mind but I feel it in the physical
The stress and weight of my thoughts and emotions is physically affecting me
Why's the sunlight hiding?
Why is it that I can't find any happiness or peace despite the good things around me?
Ain't letting any light in
My negative thoughts and feelings are blocking out any positivity or hope
It's a storm that I've been fighting
I'm continuously battling this inner turmoil and it's taking a toll on me
And they're singing
The voices in my head seem to have a life of their own and won't stop
I got voices, I got voices
The volume and intensity of the thoughts in my head is too much to handle
Every moment crowded with choices
I feel like I have to make decisions constantly and it's overwhelming
Speak to me and drown out the voices
I need someone or something to distract me from my own thoughts and help me find peace
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: BRENT MICHAEL KUTZLE, JON FOREMAN, RYAN B TEDDER, TIM FOREMAN, TYLER SPRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
amey talekar
Lyrics
My words come out like an avalanche in silence
And you've got oceans trapped in your eyelids
They tell me that no man is an island
But it feels like it's a storm that I've been fighting
And I used to listen to the radio
But I've got an army of voices in my head
Voices in my head
And we used to live in stereo
But I've got an army of voices in my head
Voices in my head
How come the friends and the foes invisible
Are the ones that made my soul most miserable?
Head's reeling from the feeling
In my mind but I feel it in the physical
Why's the sunlight hiding?
Ain't letting any light in
It's a storm that I've been fighting
And I used to listen to the radio
But I've got an army of voices in my head
Voices in my head
And we used to live in stereo
But I've got an army of voices in my head
Voices in my head
And they're singing
I got voices, I got voices
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Yeah, I got voices, I got voices
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Every moment crowded with choices
Speak to me and drown out the voices
And I used to listen to the radio
But I've got an army of voices in my head
Voices in my head (voices in my head)
And we used to live in stereo
But I've got an army of voices in my head
Voices in my head
Voices!
Scott Kovacs
Man, Switchfoot has been rocking so hard with Native Tongue and now Voices!! Love it 👌👌👌
J M
Glad my dad showed me this song-- or I wouldn't have anything to listing to...
Tiffany Payne
I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYBODY SAYS!..
.SWITCHFOOT IS GREAT MUSIC!!! THANK YOU!
Mateo Ottie
To those who want rock. Jon was in the live chat before the premiere of this video and said that there is more guitar solos on the album than any other. This song was also written with OneRepublic, who don't write rock songs.
Kip Sullivan
Hope this is true, but I am skeptical
8-bit rock'n'roll
oh wow thank you for this comment, i do want rock lol. i never write off switchfoot songs if they’re not rock, i try to give them time for me to get used to them, but i do prefer the rock stuff!
8-bit rock'n'roll
and i was getting concerned since neither this song, nor native tongue were rockish songs.
John D
Clearly you haven't heard OneRepublic's first 3 albums if you don't think they write rock songs. They started out as an alternative rock band.
Wolverine
It sounds like One Republic helped with this
Lily Purimitla
YOUR music will never be irrelevant, because God is not done with you, and your gift to the humans! WE LOVE AND ADORE YOU! And your music only keeps getting better! <3 <3 <3