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).
Buried Myself Alive
The Used Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You almost made me cry again this time
Another false alarm, red flashing lights
Well, this time I'm not going to watch myself die
I think I made it a game to play your game and let myself cry
Buried myself alive on the inside, so I could shut you out
And let you go away for a long time, God
I guess it's okay, I puked the day away
I guess it's better you trapped yourself in your own way
And if you want me back, you're gonna have to ask
I think the chain broke away and I felt it the day
That I had my own time
I took advantage of myself and felt fine
But it was worth the night I caught an early flight
And I made it home
I guess it's okay I puked the day away
I guess it's better you trapped yourself in your own way
And if you want me back, you're gonna have to ask
Nicer than that, nicer than that
With my foot on your neck, I finally have you
Right where I want you, right where I want you
Right where I want you, right where I want you
I guess it's okay I puked the day away
I guess it's better you trapped yourself in your own way
And if you want me back, you're gonna have to ask
Nicer than that (I guess it's okay I puked the day away)
Nicer than that (I guess it's better you trapped yourself in your own way)
And if you want me back, you're gonna have to ask
Nicer than that, nicer, nicer
than that
The lyrics of The Used's song "Buried Myself Alive" explores the emotions of someone who has been hurt repeatedly by another person's words and actions. The opening line of the song, "You almost always pick the best times to drop the worst lines," depicts the singer's frustration with the other person's ability to hurt them. They are tired of being deceived and hurt, and they are determined to stop the cycle by shutting themselves off from the other person.
Throughout the song, the singer describes how they have buried themselves alive on the inside to shut the other person out. They have become numb to their own emotions so that they don't have to feel the pain of being hurt repeatedly. However, they also recognize that this way of coping is not healthy and that they need to confront their feelings and let the other person go.
The line "With my foot on your neck, I finally have you right where I want you" suggests that the singer has gained some power over the other person, but they ultimately realize that they don't want to hold onto that power. The song ends with the line "And if you want me back, you're gonna have to ask nicer than that," indicating that the singer is open to forgiving the other person but only on their own terms and with the respect they deserve.
Line by Line Meaning
You almost always pick the best times to drop the worst lines
You tend to choose the moments when I'm most vulnerable to say something hurtful.
You almost made me cry again this time, another false alarm
You almost made me cry like you have in the past, but this time I refuse to let your words affect me.
Red flashing lights, well this time I'm not going to watch myself die
I won't let myself continue to be hurt by you, even if it means ending our relationship.
I think I made it a game to play your game and let myself cry
I've been playing along with your emotional manipulation, allowing myself to succumb to your tactics and feel the pain you inflict.
I buried myself alive on the inside, so I could shut you out and let you go away for a long time
I've deliberately closed myself off emotionally to protect myself from your actions and give myself space from our relationship.
I guess it's okay I puked the day away, I guess it's better you trapped yourself in your own way
I don't regret the ways I've coped with our problems, because it's better than the unhealthy ways you've been dealing with them.
And if you want me back, you're gonna have to ask. Nicer than that. Nicer than that.
If you want reconciliation, you're going to have to make amends and treat me with respect and kindness.
With my foot on your neck, I finally have you right where I want you. Right where I want you. Right where I want you. Right where I want you.
I've gained the upper hand and have power over you now, and it's satisfying to finally be in control of the situation.
Lyrics © THE BEST MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: Quinn Allman, Jeph Howard, Robert McCracken, Branden Steineckert
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ShanndeeSilva
LYRIC
You almost always pick the best times
To drop the worst lines
You almost made me cry again this time
Another false alarm
Red flashing lights
Well this time I'm not going to watch myself die
I think I made it a game to play your game
And let myself cry
I buried myself alive on the inside
So I could shut you out
And let you go away for a long time
I guess it's okay I puked the day away
I guess it's better you trapped yourself in your own way
And if you want me back
You're gonna have to ask
I think the chain broke away
And I felt it the day that I had my own time
I took advantage of myself and felt fine
But it was worth the night
I caught an early flight and I made it home
I guess it's okay I puked the day away
I guess it's better you trapped yourself in your own way
And if you want me back
You're gonna have to ask
Nicer than that
Nicer than that
With my foot on your neck
I finally have you
Right where I want you
Right where I want you
Right where I want you
Right where I want you
I guess it's okay I puked the day away
I guess it's better you trapped yourself in your own way
And if you want me back
You're gonna have to ask
Nicer than that
I guess it's okay I puked the day away
I guess it's better you trapped yourself in your own way
And if you want me back
You're gonna have to ask
Nicer than that
Nicer than
Nicer
@mjv1381
My Top 20 post-hardcore songs (no repetition of artist and not in order)
1. The Used- Buried Myself Alive
2. Alexisonfire- Pulmonary Archery
3. Alesana- Beautiful In Blue
4. Saosin- Seven Years
5. Underoath- Reinventing Your Exit
6. Chiodos- The Words Bestfriend Become Redefined
7. Emery- Walls
8. Funeral For A Friend- She Drove Me To Daytime Television
9. Glassjaw- Pink Roses
10. Hawthorne Heights- Ohio Is For Lovers
11. Lovehatehero- Red Dress
12. Matchbook Romance- The Greatest Fall
13. Senses Fail- Let It Enfold You
14. Silverstein- Call It Karma
15. Story Of The Year- Anthem Of Our Dying Day
16. Vanna- A Dead Language For A Dying Lady
17. Taking Back Sunday- You're So Last Summer
18. Thursday- Understanding On A Car Crash
19. A Thorn For Every Heart- February
20. AFI- The Leaving Song pt. 2
@bukhariperalta8448
2024 anyone?
@Hiiitsmaymay
❤❤❤ 2024!!
@ruslanbui9393
fack yeah!
@JavierMartinez-qk2kb
🎼🤟🏼
@TheProfessordank
Since '02
@iandesoloc7911
yes
@HaveUCalledSaul
Who still listening in 2024? This a classic for me now
@space_quartz
2024!! I love this song
@Chardpo
me still listening.
@gracepena8266
39! Stilllll listening! ❤