In early 2004, they self-recorded and released their debut EP I Am for You. Simultaneously, the line-up was completed by guitarist Nick Rucker and bassist Derek Vaughn, replacing Teegarden. However, the two soon left the band, and a permanent bassist was found in Andrew Grosse, frontman Jones' former bandmate in their Christian accented high school band Formula316.[2] Without record label distribution and solely through word of mouth promotion, the CD's first pressing of 1,000 copies (being only available through the band's website and at their concerts) sold out within a month.[3] To date, the six-song CD managed to sell over 10,000 copies.[4] Its success landed the band a booking agent and allowed them to drop out of college, to pursue a career in the music industry. As the result of their constant touring and — due to lucky circumstances — their participating in 2004's Warped Tour, word spread fast and garnered the attention of several record labels, including Tooth & Nail Records, home to such bands as Further Seems Forever, Mae and Underoath. Tooth & Nail signed Waking Ashland and released their first full-length album Composure — produced by Lou Giordano — in May 2005. The album scanned 2,400 units within its first week of sales, debuting at #19 on Nielsen SoundScan's Alternative New Artist chart and at #53 on their Top New Artist Album chart.[5]
On September 5, 2005, a statement on the band's website announced that Grosse and Lee had left the band due to in-band conflicts. Temporary touring members included drummers Joe Greenetz from Sherwood and Rob Lynch from Harris, as well as bassists Jon Sullivan from Jack's Mannequin and Trevor Sellers from Number One Gun. On February 8, 2006, Waking Ashland released a nine-song EP, titled Telescopes, only in Japan. Immortal Records released Telescopes in the United States on June 13, 2006. The Japanese release had two bonus tracks, which were acoustic versions of "October Skies" and "I Am For You" from Composure. While the release featured session musicians to back up Jones and Lallier, a permanent rhythm section was finally announced in a blog on the band's MySpace profile as Nate Harold and Tim Very.
Part of the band's success can be attributed to their pages on MySpace and PureVolume. As of September 2006, Waking Ashland's songs have been played over 1.3 million times on MySpace and over 1.2 million times on PureVolume. Their song "I Am for You" appeared on the first MySpace Records compilation and the Drive Thru Records/PureVolume compilation, "Bands You Love, Have Heard of, and Should Know".
Waking Ashland's second album, The Well, was released by Immortal Records on April 17, 2007.
On July 9, 2007, Jones announced on their MySpace page that the band had broken up, citing irreconcilable differences. Jones is currently working with his newly formed band We Shot the Moon, consisting of him and two other musicians from the band Sherwood, Dan Koch and Joe Greenetz. Jones and Lallier are also currently working on solo projects.
Let Go
Waking Ashland Lyrics
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And I found my theme, roses bloom you inspired me
And the break of day fell upon me
And the light outshine
And you broke the spell that had kept me from loving you
I came to you for answers
I left confused
You play charades and the stars bow down
And I saw your face; I loose my self on a Saturday
It had been so long, so I question, I question everything
It's no surprise the time was right and you saw it in my eyes
I came to you for answers
I left confused
And you moved me and you promised you would let go
Now I need you and I want you to know
I am spinning
Out of control to be with you
I know that, who you are defines
I came to you for answers
I left confused
And you moved me and you promised you would let go
Now I need you and I want you to know
I'm steeping out today (I came to you for answers)
Pushed all the demons away (I left confused)
I'm steeping out today (and you moved me and you promised you would let go)
Pushed all the demons away (now I need you and I want you to know)
Ill come through
Let Go by Waking Ashland is a love song that describes the intense feelings that the singer feels towards his partner. The lyrics delve into the emotions that he experiences while being with her. The song starts with the description of a magical moment where the couple dances in the moonlight, and the singer finds his inspiration. The mention of the roses blooming signifies the beauty and intensity of their connection. However, as the light of day breaks and reality sets in, he realizes that there is a spell that was stopping him from loving her, and it was broken by her.
The second verse of the song talks about how the singer went to his lover for answers but left confused - this suggests that there are still things that he does not understand about their relationship. The lines that follow describe the cosmic significance of their relationship, with charades being played, and the stars bowing down. The mention of a Saturday indicates that it has been quite some time since they last saw each other. The singer then realizes that their time has come and that his lover saw it in his eyes, which explains why he came to her for answers in the first place.
In the chorus, the singer says that his lover moved him and promised to let go. He reveals that he is spinning out of control to be with her and that he knows that her being defines who he is. The last lines of the song talk about pushing all the demons away and stepping out today, which could be interpreted as the singer overcoming any internal conflicts that were stopping him from expressing his love fully.
Line by Line Meaning
You danced with me in the moonlight
We shared a magical moment under the night sky
And I found my theme, roses bloom you inspired me
You ignited a creative spark in me, and everything seemed to flourish in your presence
And the break of day fell upon me
The dawn brought on a new day with new possibilities
And the light outshine
The light was so bright and overwhelming that it drowned out everything else
And you broke the spell that had kept me from loving you
You helped me overcome my doubts and fears, and allowed me to finally feel love for you
I came to you for answers
I turned to you for guidance and clarity
I left confused
But instead, I ended up more uncertain and unsure than ever before
You play charades and the stars bow down
You have a captivating and mysterious presence that seems to command attention and respect from everything around you
And I saw your face; I loose my self on a Saturday
Just seeing your face was enough to make me forget everything else and want to spend every moment with you
It had been so long, so I question, I question everything
Our past experiences made me hesitant and doubtful of the present situation
It's no surprise the time was right and you saw it in my eyes
You were able to read my feelings and see that the timing was perfect for us to be together
And you moved me and you promised you would let go
You had a strong emotional impact on me, and you promised to help me let go of any negative thoughts or doubts
Now I need you and I want you to know
Now, I realize how much I need you in my life and I want to express that to you
I'm steeping out today (I came to you for answers)
I've decided to take action and move forward, even though I came to you for answers in the past
Pushed all the demons away (I left confused)
I've managed to overcome my doubts and fears, even though I left our previous conversation feeling confused
Ill come through
I will follow through on my promises and commitments to you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KEYSHIA M. COLE, JAMES MTUME, MELISSA A. ELLIOTT, CAINON RENARD LAMB, TIJUAN T. FRAMPTON, KIMBERLY JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind