The Word Alive was founded in 2008 by Craig Mabbitt (lead vocals) with Zack Hansen (lead guitar) and Tony Pizzuti (rhythm guitar) who were former members of the bands Calling of Syrens and Clouds Take Shape. As a side-project of Mabbitt during his part in Escape the Fate, the remaining required members he recruited to start The Word Alive were chosen to be Nick Urlacher (bass), Dusty Riach (keyboard) and Tony Aguilera (drums). The group recorded songs with the intention of releasing them as a self-titled EP, despite that it never surfaced. Later on, the band forced Mabbitt to leave due to their dissatisfaction with Escape the Fate's schedules, which required Mabbitt to work as a full-time member.
The day after, Mabbitt posted a blog to his fans via his Myspace account explaining that leaving the band was not his decision and that "[The Word Alive] pretty much replaced me while I was on the road due to the fact that they wanted to tour and couldn't until I was available, I started that band with those guys and I'm very hurt at how they replaced me while I was touring...it's bullshit." On December 3, the band officially announced that Tyler "Telle" Smith, who was formerly one of the vocalists for In Fear and Faith and bassist for Greeley Estates, joined The Word Alive as their new frontman.
Feeling somewhat stagnant in their progression beforehand, the addition of Smith catapulted the bandās ambitions to the forefront. With this initiation, their goals and aspirations were much more a reality, and they set to work on what would become their record label debut, Empire.
During March 2009, the band were taken in with a contract by a new label, later on during the 26th of that month the group officially confirmed that the label they were then signed to was Fearless Records. Smith stated "We hope to just keep touring, touring, touring... we couldn't be happier or more appreciative to be on tour right now, I think despite having some of the worst luck in the early beginnings of being a touring band yet never missing a show, we always have a positive attitude and that will make us a stronger band." The band set out to create an EP to be released through the label wherein it was titled Empire and was recorded with producer Andrew Wade in Ocala, Florida. It was released on July 21, 2009 where it reached #15 on the Billboard Heatseeker chart.
During February the band reached an agreement to leave founding drummer, Tony Aguilera out of the group. Both parties (Aguilera and the rest of the band) shared their concerns and reasoning for the matter publicly. It was overall described that the band wanted to pursue a different percussionist of alternate talent than the founding member. Aguilera was replaced with Justin Salinas, whom previously was a part of the bands Scars of Tomorrow and Catherine as well as serving as a past live drummer for MyChildren MyBride.
In April 2010, The Word Alive entered the studio in Ocala, Florida with Andrew Wade to record their debut full-length album, Deceiver. By June, Deceiver was fully mastered and engineered. On June 23, 2010 the band premiered their first single from the album, āEpiphanyā as streaming media online.The following day, Fearless Records released their 2010 Summer Sampler which also featured the track "Epiphany". A week later, the album's album art and track listing was released. Guitarist Zack Hansen explained upon this premiere that "We all felt like that was going to be the best choice considering how comfortable the recording process is with Andrew. The tracking was a lot of fun and everyone had a good time. We got the opportunity to stay in a house while we recorded and surprisingly we didn't party as much as I thought we would haha." Hansen later followed along explaining that his favorite track on the record is āThe Hounds of Anubisā, which was written by him and Pizzuti and stated that he "wrote this song with an 'Egyptian feel' to it and I think we got our point across." Smith described that its lyrics describe the times of when The Word Alive overcame their hardships that they face with the help and support from their fans. "The Hounds of Anubis" was released as the album's second single on July 26, 2010. It premiered on the official Revolver website.
By November of 2011, the band made plans to return to the studio on February 7, 2012 with Joey Sturgis to begin recording their next album, with an expected recording session lasting from that time until mid-March. However by February (and before the date of entering the studio), the announcement of two members leaving occurred; keyboardist, Dusty Riach and drummer, Justin Salinas were simultaneously confirmed to no longer be a part of the band. Salinas stated his reason was because he grew tired of touring, although Riach's reason was preferred to be kept silent.
In regards to the band's second studio album, it was reported that 17 songs were recorded in its process. 13 of those will be on the standard edition of the album, while the another three will be included on the deluxe edition. The name of the album will be Life Cycles and both editions will be released the same day.On March 23rd of the year, the group issued a statement that 18-year old Arizona resident Luke Holland has joined as the new drummer, however, Holland was not included for the recording sessions of Life Cycles. The drumming for the record was done by a friend of the band named Matt Horn wherein Holland joined after these sessions were already completed.
On March 18, 2014, the band released a new single entitled "Play the Victim." Along with the song, they also announced their third full-length album Real. would be released on June 10. The album would be the first to feature Luke Holland on drums.
The band released their fourth album, Dark Matter, on March 18, 2016. The band also revealed the tracklist and a headlining North American tour with support from Fit for a King and Out Came the Wolves. The album's lead single, "Trapped", was released January 8.
In November 2016, Luke Holland announced he would be leaving the band at the end of 2016 after finishing their last tour of the year to pursue other musical endeavors. In February 2017, the band announced that Matt Horn would be taking Holland's place as drummer. Shortly after, a new single "Misery" was released.
On August 7, 2017, The Word Alive and Daniel Shapiro mutually announced they were parting ways due to a "new musical adventure" of Shapiro's. The next day, The Word Alive announced that they would be joining I Prevail on their Rage on the Stage Tour along with We Came as Romans & Escape the Fate.
Heartless
The Word Alive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The coldest story ever told,
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless
How could you be so heartless?
How could you be so heartless?
Cold as the winter wind when it breeze yo
Just remember that you talking to me yo
You need to watch the way you talking to me you know
I mean after all the things that we been through
I mean after all the things we got into
And yo I know of some things that you ain't told me
And yo I did some things but that's the old me
And now you wanna get me back
And you gon' show me
So you walk around like you don't know me
You got a new friend
Well I got homies
But in the end it's still so lonely
In the night I hear 'em talk,
The coldest story ever told,
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless
How could you be so heartless?
How could you be so heartless?
How could you be so Dr. Evil
You're bringing out a side of me that I don't know
I decided we weren't gonna speak so why we up 3 a.m. on the phone
Why does she be so mad at me for,
homie I don't know she's hot and cold
I won't stop, won't mess my groove up
cause I already know how this thing goes,
You run and tell your friends that you're leavin' me
They say that they don't see what you see in me
You wait a couple months then you gon' see,
You'll never find nobody better than me
In the night I hear 'em talk,
The coldest story ever told,
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless
How could you be so heartless?
How could you be so heartless?
Talkin', talkin', talkin', talk,
Baby let's just knock it off
They don't know what we been through
They don't know 'bout me and you
So I got something new to see
And you just gon' keep hatin' me
And we just gon' be enemies
I know you can't believe
I could just leave it wrong
and you can't make it right
I'm gon' take off tonight
Into the night
In the night I hear 'em talk,
The coldest story ever told,
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless
How could you be so heartless?
How could you be so heartless?
The Word Alive's "Heartless" is a story about a man who has lost his soul to a woman who has betrayed him. As he looks back on their relationship, he cannot believe how cruel and heartless she was. The lyrics begin with "In the night I hear 'em talk, the coldest story ever told." This line sets the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer is haunted by the memory of this woman who has destroyed him.
The chorus of the song is especially impactful, with the repeated line "How could you be so heartless?" This line is both a question and an accusation, as the man cannot believe how someone could be so cruel and unfeeling. He wonders how she could have betrayed him and left him with nothing. The verses are a conversation between the man and the woman, as they argue about how things went wrong. The woman is defensive and angry, while the man laments the betrayal and the loss of their relationship.
The song is an emotional tribute to the pain of betrayal and heartbreak. It resonates with listeners who have also experienced the pain of losing someone they loved. The Word Alive's powerful vocals and meaningful lyrics make this song an anthem for anyone who has been hurt by love.
Line by Line Meaning
In the night I hear 'em talk,
At night, I hear people talking about me and my situation.
The coldest story ever told,
This is the saddest and coldest story that has been told.
Somewhere far along this road
At some point on this long journey, something went wrong.
He lost his soul
He lost himself and his true identity.
To a woman so heartless
He lost himself to a woman who is completely devoid of any compassion or kindness.
How could you be so heartless?
He is questioning how the woman could be so cruel and uncaring.
How could you be so heartless?
He repeats the question, unable to understand someone being so callous.
How could you be so,
He is beginning to describe how the woman has affected him.
Cold as the winter wind when it breeze yo
She is as cold as the harsh winter wind blowing against him.
Just remember that you talking to me yo
She needs to remember who she is talking to and be more respectful.
You need to watch the way you talking to me you know
She needs to be more mindful of how she speaks to him.
I mean after all the things that we been through
After everything they have experienced, she should treat him better.
I mean after all the things we got into
Their past experiences should have created a strong bond between them.
And yo I know of some things that you ain't told me
He is aware that she has not shared everything with him.
And yo I did some things but that's the old me
He has made mistakes in the past, but he is not the same person anymore.
And now you wanna get me back
She wants to make amends and restart their relationship.
And you gon' show me
She is planning to prove that she is committed to changing and being better.
So you walk around like you don't know me
She is pretending like she does not have a significant history with him.
You got a new friend
She has found someone new to associate with.
Well I got homies
He has a group of loyal friends that support him.
But in the end it's still so lonely
Despite his supportive friends, he still feels lonely and disconnected from the woman he has lost.
Talkin', talkin', talkin', talk,
People are always talking and gossiping about him and his situation.
Baby let's just knock it off
He wants them to stop gossiping and move on.
They don't know what we been through
The people talking do not know the intensity of their past relationship.
They don't know 'bout me and you
Their love and connection is not something that can be fully understood by outsiders.
So I got something new to see
He is moving on and finding new things to explore.
And you just gon' keep hatin' me
She will continue to hold a grudge and harbor negative feelings towards him.
And we just gon' be enemies
They will not be able to find common ground and will likely remain enemies.
I know you can't believe
He understands that she is struggling to accept the situation.
I could just leave it wrong
He could leave everything in a negative state and move on from her.
and you can't make it right
She will not be able to make the situation right and mend their relationship.
I'm gon' take off tonight
He is ready to move on and start fresh from this relationship.
Into the night
He is leaving in the darkness of night to begin his journey.
Lyrics Ā© Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Malik Yusef El Shabbaz Jones, Kanye Omari West, Ernest Dion Wilson, Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, Benjamin Hudson McIldowie, Jeffrey Nath Bhasker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@waynevolkov6114
In the night I hear 'em talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless...
How could you be so heartless?
How could you be so heartless?
[Verse 1]
How could you be so
Cold as the winter wind when it breeze yo
Just remember that you talking to me yo
You need to watch the way you talking to me you know
I mean after all the things that we been through
I mean after all the things we got into
And yo I know of some things that you ain't told me
I did some things but that's the old me
And now you wanna get me back
And you gon' show me
You walk around like you don't know me
You got a new friend
But I got homies
But in the end it's still so lonely
[Chorus]
In the night I hear 'em talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless...
How could you be so heartless?
How could you be so heartless?
[Verse 2]
How could you be so Dr. Evil
You're bringing out a side of me that I don't know
I decided we wasn't gonna speak so why we up 3 a.m. on the phone
Why does she be so mad at me for
Homie I don't know she's hot and cold
I won't stop, won't mess my groove up
Cause I already know how this thing goes
You run and tell your friends that you're leavin' me
They say that they don't see what you see in me
You wait a couple months then you gon' see
You'll never find nobody better than me
[Chorus]
In the night I hear 'em talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless...
How could you be so heartless?
How could you be so heartless?
[Bridge]
Talkin', talkin', talkin', talk
Baby let's just knock it off
They don't know what we been through
They don't know 'bout me and you
So I got something new to see
And you just gon' keep hatin' me
And we just gon' be enemies
I know you can't believe
I could just leave it wrong
And you can't make it right
I'm gon' take off tonight
Into the night...
[Chorus]
In the night I hear 'em talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless...
How could you be so heartless?
How could you be so heartless?
@smiki5000
I have a confession to make....i've listened to this song more that 100 times...
@Deelow909
FOreal !! aha
10years later
@PresidentKony
still amazing, production is A+
@stuntnbeauty
This was phenomenal!!! Best song on the album.
@Kriziak992
This song... Always gives me shivers... i just can't stop listening to it....
@VincentVindicated
Who in their right mind could dislike something as great as this?
@screamolover23
I'm in LOVE with that chorus, like really. Tyler's cleans are so passionate!!
@sleepingwithpanicatthedisc7740
Symon Vargas His screams are on point too. Yo!!
@nickwick35
That chorus is unreal. Totally agree, pure passion and talent!
@sirSkullMatikScootieMBA
Yo, he goes by Telle.