After signing to Jive Records, Three Days Grace released two studio albums, Three Days Grace in 2003 and One-X in 2006, both of which have been certified platinum and double platinum in the US and Canada, respectively. In 2007, the band was declared number one rock artist of the year by Billboard and was the number four artist in airplay in Canada that same year. The band's third album, Life Starts Now, was released on September 22, 2009.
History
Three Days Grace formed in 1992 under the name Groundswell in Norwood, Ontario, Canada. Groundswell's line-up consisted of five members: Adam Gontier (vocals, guitar), Neil Sanderson (backing vocals, drums), Brad Walst (bass), Phil Crowe (guitar), and Joe Grant (guitar), all of whom were attending high school when the band formed.
In 1997, after being disbanded for two years, the band regrouped in Toronto as a trio consisting of Gontier, Sanderson, and Walst. They also changed their name to "Three Days Grace". According to Gontier, the name stands for the question: If you had three days to change something in your life, could you do it? Once in Toronto, the band became acquainted with local producer Gavin Brown. The band gave him several years of material that they had created since forming, and he "picked out what he called 'the golden nuggets'", according to Gontier. Brown and the band polished the songs into a demo album which they gave to EMI Music Publishing Canada. The record label wanted to hear more material, and with Brown producing, the band created the song, "I Hate Everything About You", which attracted the interest of several record labels. The band was soon signed to Jive Records after being sought out by the company's president.
Three Days Grace (2003 - 2005)
After being signed to Jive, the band moved to Long View Farms, a studio in Boston, to record their debut album. The self-titled album was finished in Woodstock, New York and released on July 22, 2003. It was met with generally favorable reviews. Dave Doray of IGN said of the album, "Mistakes? There's not many." Allmusic reviewer Heather Phares said that on Three Days Grace, "the band's focus and adherence to alt-metal's formulas — coupled with tight songwriting and some unexpectedly pretty choruses — results in a strong tracks that are more memorable than the work of many of their peers". She did criticize the album for its simplicity, concluding, "Three Days Grace are definitely one of the most accessible alt-metal bands of the 2000s; they just need to add some more distinctiveness to their sound."
After acquiring lead guitarist Barry Stock in late 2003, Three Days Grace toured continuously and extensively for almost two years in support of their major label debut. The album peaked at number nine on the Canadian Albums Chart and number 69 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum in the US by the RIAA in December 2004 and double platinum in Canada by the CRIA.
One-X (2006 - 2008)
While touring in support of Three Days Grace, Gontier became depressed and addicted to drugs and alcohol. He went into rehab after the band finished touring, and while there, began writing material for the band's second album. After leaving rehab, he rejoined the band in a cottage in Ontario to finish writing material for the album. In a 2006 interview, Gontier said that the album's material was more personal to him than the band's previous release, being based on the despondence, drug abuse, and rehab that constituted the past two years of his life. The album, titled One-X, was then released on June 13, 2006, and was guitarist Barry Stock's recorded debut.
One-X was met with generally favorable reviews. The Toronto Star complimented the album with a review title of "One CD worth buying..." and focused on its lyrics, saying, "The lyrics really speak out to you, especially if you're going through a tough time in your life." Allmusic reviewer Corey Apar praised the music, saying it "remains catchy despite its lyrical darkness". The album did receive some negative criticism. Apar pointed out that Three Days Grace is "hardly innovative" in their approach to writing music and that "further distinctive qualities" would help the band separate itself "from their alt-metal peers".
One-X peaked at number two on the Canadian album chart and at number five on the Billboard 200, selling 78,000 copies in the US in its first week of release. Its first single, "Animal I Have Become", was Three Days Grace's most successful, becoming 2006's most played rock song in Canada, and the album helped propel Three Days Grace to become the number one rock artist in airplay in the US and Canada in 2007, with Billboard ranking them as the number one rock artist of the year in 2007. One-X was certified platinum by the RIAA in the US on August 30, 2007, and double platinum by the CRIA in Canada in July 2007. Three Days Grace toured the US and Canada throughout the second half of 2006 and all of 2007 in support of One-X. In early 2008, they toured alongside Seether and Breaking Benjamin across the US
Life Starts Now (2009 - 2011)
From March to August 2008, to January to April 2009, Three Days Grace recorded their third album at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Los Angeles, with producer Howard Benson, who had worked with them on their previous releases. The album, entitled Life Starts Now, was released on September 22, 2009. Critics as well as band members have noted the album's departure from the angry tone of the band's previous releases into a lyrical style that comes off as more optimistic. According to guitarist Barry Stock, the album's theme centers around "a new sense of freshness" and the idea that "you don't have to be stuck in whatever it is you're dealing with. Whether it's good or bad, it's your choice to make a change."
Life Starts Now debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, Three Days Grace's highest chart position, and sold 79,000 copies in its first week. The album was met with mixed reviews. Ben Rayner of the Toronto Star gave the album a negative review, saying it possesses "no sound of its own, just a shallow range between Linkin Park and Nickelback". According to Allmusic reviewer James Christopher Monger, who gave the album three out of five stars, Life Starts Now continues the theme of One-X, Gontier's personal demons, but with a "hint of sunlight". He compliments the album, saying it "treats the well-worn metal themes of anger, isolation, heartache, and redemption with the kind of begrudging respect they deserve, pumping out a competent flurry of fist-bump anthems and world-weary, midtempo rockers".[32] Harsher negative reviews came from Ben Czajkowski from 411mania.com as he described the album as "Boring, bland, trite, tired, tried, and true".
The first single from the album, "Break", was released on September 1, 2009. Three Days Grace embarked on a 20-date Canadian tour lasting through November and December 2009.[36] They co-headlined a January–February 2010 tour of the US with Breaking Benjamin and Flyleaf.
They embarked on a US headlining tour with support from Chevelle, and Adelitas Way starting on March 26, 2010 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and ending on April 16, 2010 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Three Days Grace went on tour with Nickelback and Buckcherry on the Dark Horse Fall 2010 Tour. They toured with My Darkest Days starting in March 2011 in Seattle, Washington.[39] They also joined Avenged Sevenfold on their Spring "Welcome to the Family" tour in 2011.[citation needed] They toured with Avenged Sevenfold, Seether, Escape The Fate, and Bullet For My Valentine on the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar tour from August 2011 to October 2011. It was their last album under Jive Records and their first album under Sony Music Entertainment after the Sony BMG joint venture ended, moving all former BMG labels to the new Sony Music Entertainment.
Transit of Venus and Gontier's departure (2012 - present)
On October 7, 2011, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding Jive Records along with Arista Records and J Records. With the shutdown, the band (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release their future material (including their upcoming fourth studio album) on the RCA Records brand.
On June 5, 2012, at 9:00 A.M. PST, the same day as Venus' visible transit across the sun, the band announced that their fourth studio album will be called Transit of Venus and that it is set to be released October 2, 2012. They created an early promotional video that was released on their website, featuring clips of them in the studio as well as footage of the physical transit of Venus. Due to the rarity of this occurrence, they created the slogan, "some things will never happen again in your lifetime", reflecting both this uncommon occurrence as well as the mood that the lyrics and music will most likely take on. The first single on the album, "Chalk Outline", was released August 14.
On January 9, 2013, Three Days Grace announced that Adam Gontier was resigning from the band. Brad's brother, Matt Walst of My Darkest Days, would be touring with the band as lead vocals. They cited Adam Gontier's sudden departure due to medical reasons.
Three Days Grace kicked off their 2013 tour in Moline, IL with Matt Walst as touring lead singer; he later became a permanent member of the band.
Awards
Three Days Grace has been recognized for their musical efforts through several awards and nominations. In 2007, the band was ranked by Mediabase as the top artist in airplay across all rock formats in the US and Canada, and Billboard named them Rock Artist of the Year. Three Days Grace has been nominated for four Juno Awards. In 2004, the band was nominated for New Group of the Year.[49] "I Hate Everything About You" was nominated for Best Rock Video and People's Choice: Favourite Canadian Group at Much Music Awards. In 2007, they were nominated for Best Group of the Year, and their album One-X was nominated for Album of the Year.[51] The band's first single from One-X, "Animal I Have Become", was Canada's most played rock song in 2006 and won that year's Mediabase award for the most played rock song on radio. "Never Too Late" was nominated for Best Video and Best Rock Video and "Pain" was nominated for Best International Video by a Canadian and People's Choice: Favorite Canadian Group at Much Music Awards.
In 2010, Life Starts Now was nominated for best Rock Album at the Juno awards but lost to Billy Talent III. In 2010, "Break" was nominated for Best Post Production Video and Best Rock Video of the year at Much Music Awards.On Fuse.tv. "Break" was nominated for "Best Single" and "Life Starts Now" won for "Best Album" at the Casby Awards.
Musical style and influences
Three Days Grace's musical style has generally been described by critics as alternative metal and hard rock throughout the band's career. Heather Phares of Allmusic, in a review of the band's debut album, compared them to rock bands Chevelle and Helmet. Dave Doray of IGN described Three Days Grace as "heavy and catchy, with chewy chunks of assurance and fury thrown in for added measure." Allmusic's Corey Apar said One-X brings an "accessible alt-metal attack of blunt lyrics and crunching rhythms" that retains the melodic sound of its predecessor "despite its lyrical darkness".
The band has listed numerous influences in their music. Gontier has mentioned such bands as Sunny Day Real Estate, Kyuss, Nine Inch Nails, and Tool as influences for the band's music. According to Gontier, the lyrics for Three Days Grace songs have mostly been influenced by the Seattle music scene. He summarized about the band's influences in an interview, "Musically there's a lot of different influences, but lyrically it's hard to have different influences because you just write."
Band members:
Current Members
* Matt Walst – lead vocals (2013-present)
* Brad Walst – bass guitar, backing vocals (1997 - present)
* Neil Sanderson – drums, backing vocals (1997 - present)
* Barry Stock – lead guitar (2003 - present)
Former Members
* Adam Gontier – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1997–2013)
Live Members
* Dani Rosenoer – piano, synthesizer, backing vocals (2012-present)
Three Days Grace discography
* Three Days Grace (2003)
* One-X (2006)
* Life Starts Now (2009)
* Transit of Venus (2012)
* Human (2015)
* Outsider (2018)
* EXPLOSIONS (2022)
Expectations
Three Days Grace Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
one day gonna be decadence
Prom Queen, Miss America
In the backseat in a pair of cuffs
Sixteen, little runaway
From the Five-O and you got away
From a small town with no scene
Looking for a shot on the big screen
Expectations
Go to hell
Expectations
Go to hell
Not so innocent
On the street hustling
Never be Miss America
In the backseat of a Celica
Crashing with a deadbeat
Living large on a love seat
In a small town, no scene
Turns out it was a pipe dream
Expectations
Go to hell
Expectations
Go to hell
Rich girl, wannabe
Bought a quick dick from the lottery
Watching TV with her boyfriend
Fell asleep, left the ticket on the nightstand
He stayed awake to see the ball drop
Turned it way down, she never woke up
Grabbed the keys to her car in the back lot
Through a shot of Jack back, left with the jackpot
Expectations
Go to hell
Prom Queen, Miss America
In the backseat in a pair of cuffs
Expectations
Go to hell
Never be Miss America
In the backseat in a pear of cuffs
The song "Expectations" by Three Days Grace tells the stories of four women from different backgrounds who all have one thing in common: they are all struggling with the pressure and burden of cultural expectations. The first verse describes the journey of a young girl from a small town who dreams of making it big in Hollywood as an actress but ends up becoming a street hustler. The second verse tells the story of a rich girl who buys a lottery ticket, falls asleep watching TV, and misses the winning numbers, but her boyfriend stays awake and takes the keys to her car to go claim the prize. Both verses highlight how societal expectations can lead people to make poor choices, and how those choices can ultimately lead to a life of regret and disappointment.
The chorus "Expectations go to hell" is a powerful statement that seems to suggest that trying to fulfill cultural expectations is a fruitless endeavor that only leads to pain and frustration. The closing lines of the song "never be Miss America in the backseat in a pair of cuffs" is a poignant reminder that even those who are expected to succeed can still fall victim to circumstance and societal pressure.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, innocence
A description of a young and innocent girl.
One day gonna be decadence
The girl's innocence will eventually lead to immoral behavior.
Prom Queen, Miss America
Stereotypical beauty pageant titles desired by young girls.
In the backseat in a pair of cuffs
Being arrested and detained by the police.
Sixteen, little runaway
A young teenager who leaves their hometown without permission.
From the Five-O and you got away
Escaping from the police and avoiding being caught.
From a small town with no scene
The girl is from a small and dull place.
Looking for a shot on the big screen
Hoping to become famous by pursuing a career in show business.
Expectations
The pressure to fulfill society's unrealistic standards and goals.
Go to hell
Rejection of societal expectations and norms.
Not so innocent
The girl has changed and is no longer pure or naive.
On the street hustling
Engaging in illegal activities to make money.
Never be Miss America
The girl will never achieve the idealized beauty standards of society.
In the backseat of a Celica
Being in a car with someone who does not value or respect them.
Crashing with a deadbeat
Living with someone who is lazy or unproductive.
Living large on a love seat
Living a mediocre and unfulfilling life.
Turns out it was a pipe dream
The girl's aspirations for success and happiness were unrealistic and unattainable.
Rich girl, wannabe
A privileged girl who desires something she cannot have.
Bought a quick dick from the lottery
The girl's attempt to achieve her desires through gambling or other risky behaviors.
Watching TV with her boyfriend
Spending time with a partner who does not share or support their goals.
Fell asleep, left the ticket on the nightstand
Neglecting or forgetting one's own goals and desires.
He stayed awake to see the ball drop
The partner stays up to see the results of the girl's gamble.
Turned it way down, she never woke up
Sabotaging the girl's chances of success while her partner gains from her failure.
Grabbed the keys to her car in the back lot
Taking advantage of the girl's wealth and resources.
Through a shot of Jack back, left with the jackpot
Celebrating a win at the expense of others and their dreams.
Prom Queen, Miss America
A reminder of society's beauty standards and how they crush individuality and freedom.
Never be Miss America
A reaffirmation of the impossibility of living up to these standards.
In the backseat in a pear of cuffs
Being punished for not living up to society's expectations.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHRIS WALLIN, DON GILMORE, ADAM GONTIER, NEIL SANDERSON, BARRY STOCK, BRAD WALST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind