Their music features a rare contribution to the genre, incorporating the use of a violin. Formed in 1997, the final line up consisted of Ryan Key (vocals, rhythm guitar), Ryan Mendez (lead guitar, vocals), Sean Mackin (violin, vocals), Nathan Young on drums, and Josh Portman on bass.
Yellowcard was formed in 1997 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA after meeting at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. The band was made up of six members back then:
Ben Dobson (1997 - 2000) : vocals, Todd Clarry (1997 - 2001) : guitar, vocals, Sean Mackin (1997 - 2017) : violin, vocals, Warren Cooke (1997 - 2002) : bass, Ben Harper (not the same as Ben Harper) (1997 - 2005) : guitar, Longineu W. Parsons III (1997 - 2014) : drums.
Former members: Ben Dobson (1997 - 2000) : vocals, Todd Clarry (1997 - 2001) : guitar, vocals, Warren Cooke (1997 - 2002) : bass, Alex Lewis (2003 - 2004) : bass, backing vocals, Ben Harper (1997 - 2005) : lead guitar, Peter Mosely (2002 - 2003, 2004 - 2007) : bass, vocals, Sean O'Donnell of Reeve Oliver(2010–2012) : bass guitar, backing vocals
The band released their first album, Midget Tossing, in 1997 but with not much success.
Around that time their lead singer was replaced by Ryan Key who convinced the band that they couldn't be successful in Florida, so they decided to move to Southern California.
The new group released their debut album, One for the Kids (Lobster Records), in 2001, and followed up with The Underdog EP (Fueled by Ramen Records) in 2002.
Yellowcard signed with Capitol Records in 2003 and released Ocean Avenue, which is their most successful album to date.
Soon after, bassist Alex Lewis was let go by the band. Pete Mosely who had produced and played bass on most of the songs on Ocean Avenue took over on bass.
The Yellowcard popularity "skyrocketed" after this period, with a song from Ocean Avenue, Breathing appearing in the game Burnout 3: Takedown.
Lights and Sounds was released in January 2006. The title track, Lights and Sounds, was the first single released off the album. It is also featured on the game Burnout Revenge. How I Go features Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks.
In 2005 the guitarist Ben Harper left the band. He chose to work with his record label TAKEOVER RECORDS and has signed bands since his departure. He was replaced by Ryan Mendez (formerly of Staring Back) shortly before the Lights & Sounds tour began.
Paper Walls released on July 17th, 2007. Light Up the Sky was the first single released off this album. The album debuted at No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard 200 selling about 40,000 copies in its first week. After their tour for Paper Walls in 2008, the band went on hiatus for almost 2 years.
While touring for Paper Walls, Peter Mosely announced in a MySpace blog message that he would be leaving Yellowcard. . Josh Portman took over on bass until the reformation of Yellowcard in 2010, upon which Sean O'Donnell became the bass player.
Yellowcard's official Facebook page announced on August 1, 2010, that the band has reformed and will be working on a new record. When You're Through With Thinking, Say Yes released on March 22, 2011. On October 24, 2011, the band released an acoustic version of the album.
Sean O'Donnell left the band in early 2012, replaced by Josh Portman.
Southern Air was released on August 14, 2012. It debuted at 10 on the US Billboard top 200, making this their second album to debut in the top 10 and their second-highest debut. The album's first single, Always Summer, was released May 22, 2012. Here I Am Alive was released July 31 as the second single.
An acoustic version of Ocean Avenue was recorded for the album's tenth anniversary. The album was released on August 13, 2013.
On March 13, 2014, the band announced that drummer and founding member Longineu Parsons III had left the band. Parson's departure left Sean Mackin as the only remaining original member of the band.
On August 4, 2014, Yellowcard announced that the next album would be titled Lift a Sail. On August 19, 2014, the band released the first single, One Bedroom. Lift a Sail released October 7, 2014. The album is a notable change of sound for the band, moving away from pop-punk.
On June 7, 2016, the band announced on Facebook that its next album would be a self-titled album. Yellowcard was released on September 30, 2016. On June 24, 2016, the band released the lead single titled Rest in Peace.
On June 25, 2016, the band announced on via its website that the group would be breaking up after a final tour, stating: "Please come and join us on our last trip around the globe. We hope to share this final record and tour with each and every one of you." The band's final show was on March 25, 2017 in Anaheim, CA.
In 2019, it was reported that they were suing American rapper Juice WRLD over his hit song 'Lucid Dreams'.
Fighting
Yellowcard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But before I walk out there is something that I need you to know
I got lost in a blink of an eye
And I can never get back; no, I never got back
You were not there when I wanted to say
That you were everything right and it wasn't even me to change
Now I got to go it alone, but I will never give up; no, I'll never give up
There must be something more
For all these words I sing
Do you feel anything?
Said, I'm okay, but I know how to lie
You were all that I had; you were delicate and hard to find
Got lost in the back of my mind
And I can never get back; no, I never got back
You were not there when I needed to say
I hit the bottom so fast that my head was spinning around for days
Now I got to go there alone, but I will never give up
No, I will never give up
What am I fighting for?
There must be something more
For all these words I sing
Do you feel anything?
What am I fighting for?
What am I fighting for?
Never give up on this
Never give up on this
Never give up on this
Never give up on this
Said I'm okay, but I know how to lie
I will never give up; no, I'll never give up
What am I fighting for?
There must be something more
For all these words I sing
Do you feel anything?
What am I fighting for? (No, I'm never going to give up, give up)
What am I fighting for? (No, I'm never going to give up, give up)
Said that I'd fight for the one that I found
I'm going to stay here while I wait for you to come around
I'll fight; you're apart of me now
And I will never give up, no, I'll never give up
The song "Fighting" by Yellowcard is about the struggle of moving on from a past love. The singer starts off by saying that despite promising to move on and leave the relationship alone, there is something they need to tell their ex-partner before they leave. The singer expresses regret over losing the relationship so suddenly and not being able to retrieve what was lost. They also express that the other person was everything right and that they didn't need to change anything. The song grapples with the question of finding a reason to keep fighting, as the singer seems to feel lost and unsure of what to do next. They ask, "what am I fighting for?" and wonder if there is something more to all the words they sing.
The lyrics in the chorus encapsulate the overwhelming emotions the singer is feeling. They want to know if their partner feels anything about the situation, and if there is a reason to fight for something that seems to be lost. The song expresses the sense of loneliness that comes with moving on from a relationship that meant a lot to you. The singer repeats several times that they will never give up, despite feeling lost and unsure of what to do next.
Overall, "Fighting" by Yellowcard is a powerful song about the emotional difficulties of letting go of a past relationship. It conveys the conflicting emotions of love and loss that often accompany such experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Said I'd move on and I'd leave it alone
I promised myself to move past you and forget about you.
But before I walk out there is something that I need you to know
I have to say something to you before I can leave.
I got lost in a blink of an eye
I lost myself and my direction without even realizing it.
And I can never get back; no, I never got back
I can't undo the past, and I can't go back to who I was before.
You were not there when I wanted to say
You weren't there when I needed to tell you how much you meant to me.
That you were everything right and it wasn't even me to change
You were the best thing about my life, and I didn't need to change anything to make it better.
Now I got to go it alone, but I will never give up; no, I'll never give up
I have to move forward by myself, but I won't give up on what I believe in.
What am I fighting for?
I need to know what I'm struggling for and what the reason is behind it all.
There must be something more
I believe that there's a greater purpose and meaning behind my battle.
For all these words I sing
All the lyrics I'm singing hold a deeper message and significance.
Do you feel anything?
Do these words resonate with you at all?
Said, I'm okay, but I know how to lie
I pretend like I'm fine, but really I'm hurting inside.
You were all that I had; you were delicate and hard to find
You were the most precious thing in my life, and it was difficult to find someone like you.
Got lost in the back of my mind
I pushed my feelings about you aside and buried them deep in my subconscious.
You were not there when I needed to say
You weren't around when I needed you the most to share my thoughts and feelings.
I hit the bottom so fast that my head was spinning around for days
When I hit rock bottom, it happened so quickly and unexpectedly that I was left feeling dizzy and disoriented for days.
Never give up on this
I won't give up on what I believe in no matter what.
Said that I'd fight for the one that I found
I promised to fight for the person I discovered and fell in love with.
I'm going to stay here while I wait for you to come around
I'll wait for you to change your mind while I stay put and hope for your return.
I'll fight; you're apart of me now
I'll continue to struggle because you're a part of me, and I can't let go so easily.
And I will never give up, no, I'll never give up
I'll never stop fighting for what I believe in and won't give up on you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LONGINEU WARREN III PARSONS, PETER MICHAEL MOSELY, RYAN MICHAEL MENDEZ, SEAN MICHAEL WELLMAN-MACKIN, WILLIAM RYAN KEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind