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.
Open Doors
Waking Ashland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Closing in as the days grow longer
And this could be my fault
Slowly grab a hold
To try and find what really matters
You've been watching me
Like the moon watches the sky
You open doors, you open doors
It's hard to make believe
When the sun slips out of view
And I don't care what they say
I'm in love with you, so in love with you
I've been judging books by their covers
You brought the color back into my eyes
I'm ready to change, progress's made now
But what will they say when they find I'm in love with you?
You've been watching me
Like the moon watches the sky
Pushing me to find
You open doors, you open doors
It's hard to make believe
When the sun slips out of view
And I don't care what they say
I'm in love with you, so in love with you
There's choices to make with so much at stake, and how will I know?
Push reason aside, I will find you
And you've been watching me
Like the moon watches the sky
Pushing me to find
You open doors, you open doors
It's hard to make believe
I love you
And I don't care what they say
I'm in love with you, so in love with you
The lyrics to Waking Ashland's song "Open Doors" seem to speak about a relationship, perhaps a romantic one, that has been in progress for some time. The song starts with the subject feeling chased by someone, but that this someone could be their fault. As things progress, the subject slowly tries to grab hold and find what really matters. The person has been watching the subject like the moon watches the sky, pushing them to open doors and find something more. It's hard to make believe when the sun slips out of view, but the subject knows they're in love with this person.
Later on in the song, the subject acknowledges that they've been judging books by their covers and that the other person brought color back into their eyes, indicating that the other person opened their eyes to new possibilities. The subject is now ready to change, but what will people say when they find out about their love? There are choices to be made, as there always are in relationships, and the subject is afraid of what will happen. However, they know that they need to push reason aside and find the other person because they mean so much to them. The song ends with the subject stating that they don't care what others say because they're in love with the other person.
Overall, the song is about taking risks in a relationship, loving someone despite what others may say, and the fear of the unknown. It's a beautifully written song with lyrics that many people can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
You've been chasing me forever
I have been pursued by this person for a long time
Closing in as the days grow longer
As time goes on, this person is getting closer to me
And this could be my fault
It is possible that I am the reason this person is pursuing me
Slowly grab a hold
This person is trying to get a grip on me gradually
To try and find what really matters
The goal is to discover what truly matters in this pursuit
You've been watching me
This person has been keeping a close eye on me
Like the moon watches the sky
This person's watchful gaze is similar to the presence of the moon in the sky
Pushing me to find
This person is pushing me to look for something
You open doors, you open doors
This person is capable of opening doors, symbolically representing opportunities or possibilities
It's hard to make believe
It is difficult to pretend or deceive oneself
When the sun slips out of view
When things get difficult or unclear
And I don't care what they say
I am not concerned about other people's opinions
I'm in love with you, so in love with you
I have strong feelings of love for this person
I've been judging books by their covers
I have been making assumptions about people based on their appearances
You brought the color back into my eyes
This person has made my life more vibrant and enjoyable
I'm ready to change, progress's made now
I am willing to make changes and there has been progress
But what will they say when they find I'm in love with you?
I am worried about how other people will react when they learn about my feelings for this person
There's choices to make with so much at stake, and how will I know?
There are important decisions to be made and I am unsure how to proceed
Push reason aside, I will find you
I am willing to act on my emotions and search for this person
I love you
This person is loved by me
And I don't care what they say
I am not concerned about other people's opinions
I'm in love with you, so in love with you
I have strong feelings of love for this person
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JONATHAN WESLEY JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind