The Living End got their first big break in 1995 when, after sending a t-shirt and a demo tape to Billie Joe Armstrong, they landed a support slot in Green Day's upcoming Australian tour. After the tour, the group went into the studio to record their debut EP Hellbound which received moderate support from community radio stations.
In November 1995, the band went back into the studio to record their second EP (It's for Your Own Good which they released several months later. This recording yielded their first major radio airplay with the song From Here On In, which was placed on high rotation on the youth radio network Triple J. Shortly after the release of the second EP, drummer Joe Piripitzi left the band and was replaced with Travis Dempsey who was soon playing with the band at major festivals such as Pushover and the Falls Festival. After a year touring Australia, The Living End again headed into the studio to record something new to sell at their now very popular shows. The result was the Second Solution / Prisoner of Society double single.
Prisoner of Society quickly became a national hit and the band signed on to Modular Recordings for the release of their debut self titled album, The Living End. The album was an instant hit with Australian audiences and resulted in six Australian singles (counting the "Second Solution" release as two because both songs received major airplay). The Living End became the second-highest-selling debut rock album in Australian music history, now five times platinum.
The Roll On album in 2000 was a more creative work, but did not manage to achieve the status of their earlier album. Cheney later stated that he was trying to prove to critics that The Living End were not a band simply defined by their hit Prisoner of Society, and the album showed this by displaying other influences, as well as their traditional fast-paced rockabilly music. The album even garnered comparison, by a few critics, to seminal punk band The Clash's creative breakthrough, London Calling.
The band hit a quiet period after that during which Chris Cheney had a tragic car accident on the Great Ocean Road, rendering him unable to play for a significant period of time. He had been on the road to the house of a member of fellow Australian band Bodyjar.
In 2003, after Chris's recovery and with new drummer Andy Strachan, the band made a comeback, releasing One Said to the Other, Who's Gonna Save Us? and getting air play once again. This was followed by heavy touring (including Big Day Out) and a release of Modern ARTillery.
In late 2004, the band has released a singles collection From Here on In: The Singles 1997-2004 as well as a DVD, which included all video clips and a "supergig", collections of the band's most famous songs performed in Australia, Japan and the USA. The DVD also features the band's history- documented in interviews and home footage.
Recently, Chris performed at the 2004 ARIA awards as part of the supergroup The Wrights, featuring members of many other Australian rock bands.
Chris Cheney and Scott Owen have won the Best Guitarist and Best Bassist awards for 2004 and 2005, in the Jack Awards.
The band performs regularly in Melbourne, one performance recently was for the Channel V Music Bus at Federation Square Melbourne, Australia (15th of December 2005) which saw a capacity crowd of between 4,500 and 5,000 people attend. The event saw many under 18's get the chance to see their idols for free, and for a lucky few, the chance to sing with Chris Cheney, unplanned of course.
The Living End's fourth album, titled State of Emergency, was released on February 4 2006 and was recorded in Byron Bay after they played in the Splendour in the Grass festival. They had finished the recording and the artwork for State of Emergency in mid December 2005. The single "What's on Your Radio was released on November 20, 2005, and debuted at #9 on the ARIA singles chart. The second single, "Wake Up" was released on February 19 and debuted at #5 on the ARIA singles chart. The group is currently signed to Adeline Records, owned and run by Billie Joe and Adrianne Armstrong.
In 2008 The Living End released their fifth studio album titled as White Noise, showing more hard rock influenced sound of The Living End. First single from the album was a double A-side single White Noise/How Do We Know which was released physically and digitally 5 July 2008. The second single Moment in the Sun was released 25 October 2008. The third single, Raise the Alarm, was released 22 December 2008. In 2009 The Living End started the Raise the Alarm Tour.
Nowhere Town
The Living End Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somewhere that I can find a new day
Everybody's talkin' about this new place
Where no one remembers your face
Where they don't wanna know about the things you've done
They don't wanna know about the damage done
Everyone is going down....
Runaway, runaway to nowhere town
We're gonna go where we won't be found
Where the winners always win, the sinners always sin
Runaway, runaway to nowhere town
We're gonna go where we won't be found
Where the winners always win, the sinners always sin
We're on our way
We're on our way to nowhere
I heard you've been living e lie
If it's true then I won't ask why
Won't ask why
Cause they don't wanna know about the things you've done
They don't wanna know about the damage done
Everyone is going down....
Runaway, runaway to nowhere town
We're gonna go where we won't be found
Where the winners always win, the sinners always sin
Runaway, runaway to nowhere town
We're gonna go where we won't be found
Where the winners always win, the sinners always sin
We're on our way
We're on our way to nowhere
We're on our way
We're on our way to nowhere
Runaway, runaway to nowhere town
We're gonna go where we won't be found
Where the winners always win, the sinners always sin
Runaway, runaway
Runaway, runaway
The sinners always sin
The winners always
The sinners
The sinners always sin
The Living End's Nowhere Town is a song about the desire to escape from the past and start anew. The singer contemplates leaving everything behind and moving to a place where nobody knows him, a place where he can forget about the things he has done and the damage that has been caused. The idea of starting afresh in a new place is appealing to him because it represents a chance to leave behind the burden of his past.
The lyrics also touch on the idea that the pursuit of success and happiness can lead people down a dark path. The reference to winners and sinners suggests that no matter how successful one becomes, they will always carry the weight of their past mistakes with them. The idea that the winners always win and the sinners always sin is a commentary on the cyclical nature of life, suggesting that no matter how hard we try to escape, we will always end up repeating our mistakes.
Furthermore, the use of repetition in the chorus, particularly in the lines "Runaway, runaway to nowhere town / We're gonna go where we won't be found" emphasizes the idea of the escape, the longing for a place where we can be free of our past mistakes.
Overall, Nowhere Town is a song that examines the desire to escape from the past and start anew, shedding the burden of past mistakes in the pursuit of happiness and success.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been thinking about going away
The singer has been contemplating leaving their current environment.
Somewhere that I can find a new day
They want to start over and find a new beginning.
Everybody's talkin' about this new place
Others have discussed a new location with the singer.
Where no one remembers your face
This place is unknown and anonymous.
Where they don't wanna know about the things you've done
In this place, nobody cares about one's past actions.
They don't wanna know about the damage done
Mistakes of the past are not important in this new location.
Everyone is going down....
The current environment isn't a happy one where everyone is struggling.
Runaway, runaway to nowhere town
The artist wants to go somewhere new and start fresh.
We're gonna go where we won't be found
They want to go somewhere unknown and where they can't be located by their past.
Where the winners always win, the sinners always sin
In this new place, the same patterns always prevail, and past behavior still applies.
We're on our way
The singer is about to start their journey.
I heard you've been living e lie
The artist has heard that others are not being truthful.
If it's true then I won't ask why
The singer doesn't need an explanation because they understand why people would lie.
Cause they don't wanna know about the things you've done
People don't care about others' past actions in this new place.
They don't wanna know about the damage done
Mistakes of the past are not important in this new location.
Runaway, runaway
The artist continues to affirm their intention to leave and start over.
The sinners always sin
The cycle of past behavior repeats itself in this new location.
The winners always
Those who won in the past will still maintain their status in this new place.
Runaway, runaway
The singer continues to encourage themselves to go forth and leave their current situation.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER JOHN CHENEY, SCOTT BRADLEY OWEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind