Evanescence charted with “Bring Me to Life”

Bring Me to Life Evanescence with Paul McCoy

Writer(s): Amy Lee, Ben Moody, David Hodges (see lyrics here) Released: April 7, 2003 First Charted: January 25, 2003 Peak: 5 US, 11 RR, 4 A40, 11 AR, 12 MR, 13 UK, 3 CN, 16 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 1.2 UK, 5.1 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.7 radio, 1238.17 video, 708.2 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Evanescence leaned mostly toward a commercialized form of goth which was alternative-radio friendly, but lead singer “Amy Lee’s powerful voice juxtaposes…[with] guest singer Paul McCoy’s (of 12 Stones) gruffness” AZ to give “Bring Me to Life” doses of nu-metal and rap-rock. PopMatters.com’s Adrien Bengrad said it sounded “like a love song between a Lilith Fair girl and an Ozzfest dude.” WK All Music Guide’s Johnny Loftus called it “a flawless slice of Linkin Park-style anguish pop” AMG and The Boston Globe said the song “conjures visions of Sarah McLachlan fronting Godsmack.” WK The orchestral parts and pop leanings have also earned the song genre descriptions such as “chamber pop” and a “power ballad.” WK The song didn’t just mix genres but challenged radio station owners who said, “We don’t play pianos and chicks on rock radio.” WK They did after this song became a hit. Initially included on the Daredevil soundtrack, it also served as a launch pad for the group’s album, Fallen. The song was a chart-topper in the UK, Australia, and Italy and went top ten in at least 15 countries. WK The song also took home a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance and was nominated for Best Rock Song. It also won the Billboard Music Award for Soundtrack Single of the Year. Some have interpreted the song’s lyrics as a “a call for new life in Jesus Christ,” but the record company explained that the band was secular and didn’t belong in Christian markets. WK The group’s lead singer, Amy Lee, told Billboard she opposed them being identified as a Christian band, although there are many fans suggesting they are a Christian band. SF Other fans have suggested the song was an homage to the movie Never Ending Story. SF Lee explained that the song was about recognizing what is missing in one’s life. She said the idea was sparked by a conversation in a restaurant waiting for the rest of the party to show up. Although he was just a friend of a friend, he was perceptive enough to sense her hidden feelings and asked her, “Are you happy?” She told VH1, “I realized that for months I’d been numb, just going through the motions of life.” WK She explained to MTV News that, “One day something happens that wakes [you] up and makes [you] realize that there’s more to life…It’s just like, ‘Wow, I’ve been asleep all this time.’” WK Resources: AMG All Music Guide AZ Amazon.com SF Songfacts.com WK Wikipedia.org Related Links: First posted 1/25/2013; last updated 11/7/2022.