in a 2012 interview, The Used bassist Jeph Howard said that "A Box Full of Sharp Objects" is probably his favorite song by the band.
A few years ago, while preparing to send the album art for b-side collection Shallow Believer to his record label, Bert McCracken scrawled the word “Artwork” across its cover in silver ink. The sentiment, which, to Bert and his bandmates in The Used, resonated with both extreme simplicity and indescribable complexity, said everything without really having to say anything. Now, the Utah band has titled their fourth full-length album with that very word: Artwork.
The group started writing the album after finishing the Taste of Chaos International tour in 2007, slowly collecting and jamming out ideas with no concrete intention beyond making the songs as dirty as possible. The Used, whose last album, 2007’s Lies For the Liars, debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200, spent the first half of 2008 in LA exploring and refining these ideas, eventually piecing tangential riffs and melodies into a scattering of songs that contained a surprisingly cohesive sensibility. The band members dubbed the music they were writing “gross pop,” their own new genre of hook-laden numbers that pushed the boundaries of the grotesque. Tracking for the album began in June of 2008 with producer Matt Squire and eventually concluded in February of 2009, primarily at LA studios The Lair and NRG. Between a few sporadic tours, the band spent about three months total recording with Squire where they allowed their creativity to dictate when they worked on something.
“I wouldn’t say it was hard to make any of the record but it definitely was time consuming,” Bert says. “We worked on our time table. The band allowed me to create when I was able to create, which was a good thing. I didn’t feel pressure to force things. There was no specific time I had to do anything. If we were in the studio and I’d been working on lyrics for five hours and nothing came out, we would just try again tomorrow.”
In the studio Squire approached the recording process with a laid-back attitude the band both appreciated and needed. The decision to work with a new producer after establishing a longtime relationship with producer John Feldman, who was at the helm of the band’s past three albums (Lies For the Liars, as well as 2004’s In Love and Death and 2002’s The Used, both of which were certified gold), was derived from a simple desire for change. The Used wanted to see what would happen if they entered the studio with someone different, a process guitarist Quinn Allman compares to “breaking up with your girlfriend not because you don’t love her but because you need to try something new.”
“It wasn’t that we absolutely didn’t want to work with Feldman or that we absolutely wanted to work with Squire,” Bert explains. “It was more that the band needed a change. We wanted to try something different and have it sound a lot different. It took a few weeks for us to get a vibe for each, but once we got used to it, it was really easy. Squire brought in this willingness to try anything and an open mind and a good attitude. I feel like he was really in touch with what the band wanted to do and he was really supportive of our ideas.”
The result is a raw collection of twelve songs that not so delicately teeter the line between being aggressively discordant and charmingly hooky. The first single “Blood On My Hands,” which Quinn describes as the song that “sums up everything about The Used,” is confined chaos, brutally thrashing one moment and proffering a pop-driven, sing-along chorus the next. “Empty With You,” a track Bert says is “about feeling empty and lonely but as long as you have someone who can feel lonely with you then everything’s okay,” surges with passion and gripping honesty, while “Cut Yourself” balances the album’s predilection for propulsive rage with its quieter, piano-driven exploration of what it means to have someone to lean on.
“This record is more sincere,” Quinn says. “It’s got a sound more reminiscent of the first record. Lyrically, it completely engulfs you and makes you feel safe but it’s all about feeling alone and empty and knowing there’s always a light. If you’re frustrated that much it means you care that much. The lyrics carry you through the record and you’re right with Bert and where he’s at. The music isn’t showing off. It’s just being what it is. I think the fans will appreciate all that.”
“This record is about coming together,” Bert adds. “Whether it’s through positivity or negativity, it’s about coming together through anything.”
Artwork encapsulates the past eight years of a band that’s played tours and festivals like Warped Tour, Ozzfest, Projek Revolution, Give It a Name, Reading and Leeds and SxSW, and sold over two million albums in the States alone, while simultaneously urging them forward. It’s a collaborative effort that drew The Used closer together during its creation. It’s about love and mortality and the basic human emotions we all experience every day. It’s biting and gritty, and it’s melodic and catchy. It’s a new chapter for a band that’s constantly sought to redefine the bounds of pop music—and have always successfully done so. It’s a reminder, as Bert says, “we’re all artists creating our own art just by living it.”
“I Come Alive” is the first single from The Used's fifth album, Vulnerable. It is the first release on the band's own label, Anger Music Group, an imprint of Hopeless Records. The song was released on January 17, 2012. (I Come Alive Songfacts).
About You
The Used Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's nowhere in my mind
Was it something I said?
Spoon like a knife from within
She laid asleep there the whole time
And it wears under my skin
You asked me in private if I wrote that song about you
If I had missed that transfer there'd be no songs left to sing
Now I've lost you both
Please say your prayers
I was only kidding
Alone with your God up above
Mistaken small moments of love
And it all comes diving in
You asked me in private if I wrote that song about you
You said that it stuck with you then, now it meant everything
If I had missed that transfer there'd be no songs left to sing
I'd give anything
Just to hear you speak my name
I'd give anything
Just to hear you speak my name
I'd give anything
Just to hear you speak my name
I'd give anything
Just to hear you speak my name
You asked me in private if I wrote that song about you
You said that it stuck with you then, now it meant everything
If I had missed that transfer there'd be no songs left to sing
Don't know
Speak my name
I'd give anything
Just to hear you speak my name
(Speak my name)
The lyrics of The Used's song "About You" convey a sense of regret, longing, and emotional turmoil. The opening lines, "Paid for what's been used / It's nowhere in my mind," suggest a sense of emptiness and disappointment. The singer reflects on past actions and wonders if something they said had a negative impact. The imagery of a spoon cutting like a knife from within hints at internal pain and conflict.
The second verse delves into a personal interaction where someone asks the singer if a song was written about them. This revelation seems to hold great significance for the listener, as the person expresses how much the song means to them. The lyrics indicate that without this connection, there may not have been any songs left to sing, underscoring the importance of this relationship.
The chorus repeats the inquiry about the song being about the listener, emphasizing the impact of this revelation. The plea to "say your prayers" and the acknowledgment of being "alone with your God up above" suggest a sense of loneliness and spiritual contemplation. The mention of "mistaken small moments of love" alludes to past regrets and missed opportunities.
The repeated refrain of "I'd give anything / Just to hear you speak my name" conveys a deep longing and desire for connection. The desperation to hear the other person acknowledge the singer is poignant and evokes a sense of vulnerability. The unresolved ending with the plea to "speak my name" leaves the listener with a sense of longing and unfulfilled yearning. Overall, the lyrics of "About You" explore themes of regret, longing, and the impact of personal connections on the soul.
Line by Line Meaning
Paid for what's been used
Compensating for what has already been consumed or taken advantage of
It's nowhere in my mind
I am not thinking about it
Was it something I said?
Did I say something to cause this?
Spoon like a knife from within
A subtle but painful reminder
She laid asleep there the whole time
She remained unaware of the situation
And it wears under my skin
It bothers me internally
You asked me in private if I wrote that song about you
You wanted to know if the song was inspired by you
You said that it stuck with you then, now it meant everything
Initially memorable, now significant
If I had missed that transfer there'd be no songs left to sing
If that connection was lost, there would be no more inspiration
Now I've lost you both
Now I have lost both of you
Please say your prayers
Pray for us
I was only kidding
I didn't mean it seriously
Alone with your God up above
By yourself, seeking guidance from a higher power
Mistaken small moments of love
Misunderstood instances of affection
And it all comes diving in
Everything rushes back all at once
I'd give anything Just to hear you speak my name
I would do anything to hear you say my name
Don't know
Uncertain
Speak my name
Call out my name
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Jeph Howard, Bert McCracken, Dan Whitesides, Justin Shekoski
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind