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.
Resist
The Living End Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah I never thought that it would come to this
If the money's on the table
Then there ain't no way anybody's gonna resist
This is no place for the damned
We have sold our father's land
We'll never feel it as long as we don't resist
Cause they're only gonna send you away
Wherever our fate lies it couldn't be worse than this
I've seen the lights go out on Broadway
I saw the Roman Empire burning to the ground
And not one life was spared
When the bell tolled for the dead
We'll never feel it as long as we don't resist
There is no time for regrets
Soon they'll be ringing the bell again
We'll never feel it as long as we don't resist
Treated like a criminal, an animal
Behind the gates of hell
Treated like a criminal, an animal
Behind the gates of hell
And if you let me go I swear to you that I won't tell
Every night I have the same dream
That I am old and we are free
But there beyond the gate, a better life awaits
Somewhere else
And not one life was spared
When the bell tolled for the dead
Searchin' for salvation, a helping hand becomes a fist
There is no time for regrets
Soon they'll be ringing the bells again
We'll never feel it as long as we don't resist
No one to resist
The Living End's song Resist is a commentary on the greed and corruption that plagues modern society. The opening verse suggests that money is the root of all evil, and that it is impossible for anyone to resist its seductive power. The lyrics highlight the consequences of such a mindset- a world where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
The chorus is a message of resistance- that we must fight against the tide of corruption and greed in order to make a better world for ourselves. The lead singer laments the sad state that humanity finds itself in, a world where values such as integrity and honesty have been relegated to the background. He alludes to historical events such as the fall of the Roman Empire and the lights going out on Broadway as cautionary tales of what can happen when societies lose their way.
The second verse is more specific in its criticisms- the desecration of land that has been passed down through generations, the lies told by those in power, and the criminalization of those that dare to resist. The repeated refrain of "treated like a criminal, an animal, behind the gates of hell" is particularly haunting- emphasizing the desperation and helplessness people feel when they are oppressed and have no means of fighting back.
Overall, Resist is a powerful call to arms- urging listeners to resist the status quo and fight for a better world. It is an anthem for those who feel disenfranchised and powerless, a reminder that change is possible if we stand together and resist.
Line by Line Meaning
I never thought that it would come to this
We're in a situation that I never imagined would happen.
Yeah I never thought that it would come to this
Reiterating that we're in a situation that was unexpected.
If the money's on the table
Then there ain't no way anybody's gonna resist
Money is a powerful motivator and people will do anything for it.
This is no place for the damned
We have sold our father's land
We'll never feel it as long as we don't resist
This place is no longer suitable for the unfortunate ones, we've given away our heritage and won't notice as long as we don't fight back.
You can't trust a word they say
Cause they're only gonna send you away
Wherever our fate lies it couldn't be worse than this
We can't trust the people in power because they will only betray us and exile us, our destiny can't possibly be worse than our current state.
I've seen the lights go out on Broadway
I saw the Roman Empire burning to the ground
Referencing past events where once great civilizations fell to ruin.
And not one life was spared
When the bell tolled for the dead
We'll never feel it as long as we don't resist
No one was immune to death and we won't realize this as long as we don't fight back.
There is no time for regrets
Soon they'll be ringing the bell again
We'll never feel it as long as we don't resist
There's no time to lament what could have been, because soon we'll face another inevitable doom and not notice if we don't stand up against it.
Treated like a criminal, an animal
Behind the gates of hell
Treated like a criminal, an animal
Behind the gates of hell
And if you let me go I swear to you that I won't tell
We're being treated inhumanely as if we're damned souls, in this hellhole. If I'm released, I won't rat you out.
Every night I have the same dream
That I am old and we are free
But there beyond the gate, a better life awaits
Somewhere else
We hope to be free one day and live in a better place beyond our current confines.
Searchin' for salvation, a helping hand becomes a fist
There is no time for regrets
Soon they'll be ringing the bells again
We'll never feel it as long as we don't resist
We're desperately searching for a way out, and resorting to violence seems like the only option. There's no use regretting our past decisions, and we won't feel the impact of the next calamity if we don't put up a fight.
No one to resist
No one is standing up for a change, leaving us to fend for ourselves.
Contributed by Violet V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.