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 âArtworkâ 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, 2007âs 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 âgross pop,â 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.
âI wouldnât say it was hard to make any of the record but it definitely was time consuming,â Bert says. âWe worked on our time table. The band allowed me to create when I was able to create, which was a good thing. I didnât feel pressure to force things. There was no specific time I had to do anything. If we were in the studio and Iâd been working on lyrics for five hours and nothing came out, we would just try again tomorrow.â
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 bandâs past three albums (Lies For the Liars, as well as 2004âs In Love and Death and 2002âs 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 âbreaking up with your girlfriend not because you donât love her but because you need to try something new.â
âIt wasnât that we absolutely didnât want to work with Feldman or that we absolutely wanted to work with Squire,â Bert explains. âIt 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.â
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 âBlood On My Hands,â which Quinn describes as the song that âsums up everything about The Used,â is confined chaos, brutally thrashing one moment and proffering a pop-driven, sing-along chorus the next. âEmpty With You,â a track Bert says is âabout feeling empty and lonely but as long as you have someone who can feel lonely with you then everythingâs okay,â surges with passion and gripping honesty, while âCut Yourselfâ balances the albumâs predilection for propulsive rage with its quieter, piano-driven exploration of what it means to have someone to lean on.
âThis record is more sincere,â Quinn says. âItâs got a sound more reminiscent of the first record. Lyrically, it completely engulfs you and makes you feel safe but itâs all about feeling alone and empty and knowing thereâs always a light. If youâre frustrated that much it means you care that much. The lyrics carry you through the record and youâre right with Bert and where heâs at. The music isnât showing off. Itâs just being what it is. I think the fans will appreciate all that.â
âThis record is about coming together,â Bert adds. âWhether itâs through positivity or negativity, itâs about coming together through anything.â
Artwork encapsulates the past eight years of a band thatâs 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. Itâs a collaborative effort that drew The Used closer together during its creation. Itâs about love and mortality and the basic human emotions we all experience every day. Itâs biting and gritty, and itâs melodic and catchy. Itâs a new chapter for a band thatâs constantly sought to redefine the bounds of pop musicâand have always successfully done so. Itâs a reminder, as Bert says, âweâre all artists creating our own art just by living it.â
âI Come Aliveâ 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).
Pieces Mended
The Used Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like I can't rock
Like a rock hit my heart
Started to chain the day
And exploded into pieces
Marry me
Stay the same
I've got a feeling in my gut now fills me
With so much hope
Said fuck it I'm fine
Dine and dashed
The pianist peddled into morning
The song "Pieces Mended" by The Used is an emotionally charged and intense track that touches upon themes like heartbreak and betrayal. At its core, the song talks about the aftermath of a relationship gone wrong and how the singer deals with the pain and confusion.
The lyrics "Being faced with what I'm faced with I feel, Like I can't rock, Like a rock hit my heart" aptly capture the feeling of vulnerability and helplessness one feels after a heartbreak. The metaphor of a rock hitting one's heart describes how a sudden jolt of pain can leave one shattered and struggling to pick up the pieces. The lines "Started to chain the day, And exploded into pieces" further highlight how the singer is struggling to cope with the aftermath of the breakup.
The chorus of the song is a plea for comfort and assurance. The lines "Marry me, Stay the same, Lie to me and try to say you never will" describe how the singer is willing to overlook the issues in the relationship if only they could go back to a time when things were better. The desperation in the words is palpable, and fans of the band can relate to the pain and longing that the song expresses.
Overall, "Pieces Mended" is a poignant song that captures the complexity of human emotions. The raw energy and intensity of the lyrics and music make it an unforgettable track that stays with the listener long after the song has ended.
Line by Line Meaning
Being faced with what I'm faced with I feel
I am overwhelmed by the situation I am in
Like I can't rock
I feel unsteady and unsure
Like a rock hit my heart
I feel emotional pain
Started to chain the day
It feels like a chain reaction
And exploded into pieces
Everything fell apart
Marry me
Commit to me
Stay the same
Don't change
Lie to me and try to say you never will
Promise me something you cannot keep
I've got a feeling in my gut now fills me
I have a strong intuition
With so much hope
An optimistic outlook
Said fuck it I'm fine
I don't care anymore
Dine and dashed
Left quickly without paying
The pianist peddled into morning
The music played into the early hours
Lyrics © THE BEST MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: BRANDEN STEINECKERT, JEPH HOWARD, QUINN ALLMAN, ROBERT MCCRACKEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aliciaontiveros570
Being faced with what I'm faced with I feel like I can't rock
Like a rock hit my heart
Started to chain the day and exploded into pieces
[Chorus 1]
Marry me, stay the same
Lie to me and try to say you never will
Marry me, stay the same
Lie to me and try to tell me
[Verse 2]
I've got a feeling in my gut, now fills me with so much hope
Said fuck it, I'm fine, dine and dashed
The pianist peddled into morning, morning
[Chorus 2]
Marry me, stay the same
Lie to me and try to say you never will
Marry me, stay the same
Lie to me and try to say you never
[Bridge 1]
Morning, morning
[Verse 1]
Being faced with what I'm faced with I feel like I can't rock
Like a rock hit my heart
Started to chain the day and exploded into pieces
[Bridge 2]
Pieces (x7)
[Verse 1]
Being faced with what I'm faced with I feel like I can't rock
Like a rock hit my heart
Started to chain the day and exploded into pieces
@veraferdy6418
Being faced with what I'm faced with I feel
Like I can't rock
Like a rock hit my heart
Started to chain the day
And exploded into pieces
Marry me
Stay the same
Lie to me and try to say you never will
I've got a feeling in my gut now fills me
With so much hope
Said fuck it I'm fine
Dine and dashedÂ
The pianist peddled into morning
@AshenAlbaz0079
Adrian The chosen one To me it sounds like trying to fix something (most likely a relationship) and failing.
To be faced with what I'm faced with I feel
Like I can't rock
A rock in my heart
Started chaining the day, buried into pieces
This could mean that the realization that what they done to fix it means nothing has hit the narrator. This in turn starts a chain reaction that has left them feeling broken, hence why they feel the "rocks chaining the day".
Marry me
Stay the same
Lie to me and try to say you never will
This kind of confused me at first but I think this might be referencing a relationship with another, and the other person is trying to lie their way through it, or that the narrator is talking to themselvesâ. Basically saying that everything is going to shit but the narrator is trying to deny it.
Got a thing in my fun and it fills me
With so much hope
Most likely referring suicide, with the realization hitting them hard and everything happening so suddenly the narrator can't take it. They plan on killing themselvesâ cause it'll be easier on them.
Said fuck it I'm fine
Dined and dashed the pianist peddled in a moment
This line probably means the narrator decided against it and is now fine, however the pianist line still kind of confused me.
Mourning
Really simple, the narrator is mourning over the pieces. Everythings went to shit and they are mourning over it.
The rest of the song is just repeats of previous lines, I know my post is long but I thank you if you take the time to read it all.
@hxytxwnrx
2023 and here i am. Still one of their best songs. â€
@IMBIGTBLEED12
I wouldn't mind if they brought this sound back
@NoteEvan
Me tooo
@hezzycatasmr1886
Will go back to this album forever
@MiladyMarie
Definitely one of their best đ. Still here listening all the time!
@deftones8717
I hope youâre still visiting 1 year later. This entire album is perfect from start to finish. It will never get old. I still listen to it religiously like it just came out
@itmustbecomeasun
the piano in the end just makes this song even "more" perfect...
@spacemanmatty3113
This whole album slaps from start to finish. No skips not even in 2023
@deadendyouthx3
This album still hits the same way it did when I was listening to it for the first time at 13. Iâm 33 and still screaming the lyrics in public.
@Socom2SoLid
Being faced with what I'm faced with I feel... like I cannnnnât rock