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Raise your hand if you are tired of debating what is or isn't "punk".
If you're reading this, there's a good chance you've already taken your position on Simple Plan. But maybe it's time to forget what you already know, because Simple Plan couldn't care less about what people think of them. Simple Plan has spent the past year channeling their energy, positivity, and yes, at times their frustrations, into their music.
And regardless of how you want to label it, the 11 songs on the band's eagerly awaited second album demonstrate that Simple Plan is not a punk band, a pop band, a rock band, or whatever you want to call them; they are simply a great band, a group that strives to write great songs and put on an amazing show! To be honest, a lot has happened since this group from Montreal, Canada - singer Pierre Bouvier, drummer Chuck Comeau, bassist David Desrosiers, and guitarists Sebastien Lefebvre and Jeff Stinco - released "No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls" in the spring of 2002.
Aside from selling a couple of million records, the band has shared the stage with everyone from Rancid to Aerosmith; participated in the 'Vans Warped Tour' for three consecutive years (two of which as headliners), and received four MTV Video Music Awards nominations: not bad for five kids who used to go on tour in their parents' station wagons.
"Songs about cars and parties don't say anything to me," Comeau explains. "I like songs that give me chills". And indeed, you might find it useful to wear a parka when you listen to "Still Not Getting Any", because it is chock-full of spine-tingling moments: "Crazy" speaks about the challenges we all face every day (yes, even if you're a rock star), while "Perfect World" struggles to make sense of a loss. Yet, for a while, it seemed that these songs would never come to be. "For us, composing is an art we really have to work hard on," Comeau admits.
After the band completed their headlining American tour with MxPx last February, Comeau and Bouvier spent every day of the following three months locked up in Vancouver writing songs for the new album, discarding more ideas than came to mind. "At first, we couldn't put together anything we liked, so we kept writing and writing without ever giving up. After months of pushing each other, the right pieces finally came together," Bouvier explains. 'Perfect World' was one of the first good songs we wrote, and from that point, others began to flow like a waterfall." When it came time to record them, the band secured the collaboration of Bob Rock, the renowned producer responsible for some of the most famous records by Metallica, Motley Crue, and Bon Jovi. The idea behind "Still Not Getting Any" was simple, the band would not be limited to punk, which ironically these days seems to have more rules than one can remember. "I think with the first record we just wanted to create a pure pop-punk album, but for this one, we didn't care - we just wanted to write great songs," Comeau explains. Bouvier has a perfect analogy for the band's approach: "As an artist, why limit yourself to doing just a few things?" he asks out loud. "If you were a painter, would you want to use only seven or eight colors or mix them together to create the most beautiful painting possible?" And from the personal story told in "Welcome To My Life" to the hilarious crazy solo in "Promise", their palette best illustrates the band's attitude towards songwriting.
It goes without saying, "Still Not Getting Any" certainly won’t end up in the trip-hop section of any record store but it still contains surprises, whether it be the delicate yet powerful interludes in "Shut Up", the minimalist yet intricate drum loop in "Perfect World", the beautiful string section and touching lyrics of "Untitled", or the epic string arrangement in "One." "Thank You" reminisces the melodic punk bands of the early '90s that influenced Reset, Comeau and Bouvier's old hardcore band.
"The record is a bit different from the first one, but it's still us," Lefebvre emphasizes. Still, although Simple Plan is open to experimenting with the formula that made them famous, their biggest concern is not to disappoint their fans, because this album is for them. "The relationship with our fans is the most important thing we have," Desrosiers explains. "Ultimately, they will be the ones who will make this album a success or a failure, not some music critic who has already decided who and what we are," adds Stinco. "Without them, I'd probably be doing some office job that I hate."
In the end, the band's concepts are best expressed through their lyrics and in "Shut Up" when Bouvier sings, "Nothing you say today will stop me" it’s not calculated rebellion, it’s the truth. So, whose side are you on?
These are the band members:
Pierre Bouvier (vocals);
Chuck Comeau (drums);
David Desrosiers (bass and backing vocals);
Sebastien Lefebvre (guitar and backing vocals);
Jeff Stinco (lead guitar).
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Shut Up! (03:03)
There you go
You're always so right
It's all a big show
It's all about you
You think you know
What everyone needs
You always take time
To criticize me
It seems like everyday
I make mistakes
I just can't get it right
It's like I'm the one
You love to hate
But not today
So shut up, shut up, shut up
Don't wanna hear it
Get out, get out, get out
Get out of my way
Step up, step up, step up
You'll never stop me
Nothing you say today
Is gonna bring me down
There you go
You never ask why
It's all a big lie
Whatever you do
You think you're special
But I know, and I know
And I know, and we know
That you're not
You're always there to point
Out my mistakes
And shove them in my face
It's like I'm the one
You love to hate
But not today
So shut up, shut up, shut up
Don't wanna hear it
Get out, get out, get out
Get out of my way
Step up, step up, step up
You'll never stop me
Nothing you say today
Is gonna bring me down
(shut up, shut up, shut up)
Is gonna bring me down
(shut up, shut up, shut up)
You'll never bring me down
Don't tell me who I should be (Don't tell me who I should be)
And don't try to tell me what's right for me
Don't tell me what I should do
I don't wanna waste my time
I'll watch you fade away
So shut up, shut up, shut up
Don't wanna hear it
Get out, get out, get out
Get out of my way
Step up, step up, step up
You'll never stop me
Nothing you say today
Is gonna bring me down
Shut up, shut up, shut up
Don't wanna hear it
Get out, get out, get out
Get out of my way
Step up, step up, step up
You'll never stop me
Nothing you say
Is gonna bring me down
Bring me down
(shut up, shut up, shut up)
Won't bring me down
Bring me down
(shut up, shut up, shut up)
You won't bring me down
Shut up, shut up, shut up
02 Welcome to My Life (03:21)
Do you ever feel like breaking down?
Do you ever feel out of place?
Like somehow you just don't belong
And no one understands you
Do you ever wanna run away?
Do you lock yourself in your room?
With the radio on turned up so loud
That no one hears you screaming
No you don't know what it's like
When nothing feels alright
You don't know what it's like to be like me
To be hurt
To feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked
When you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
And no one's there to save you
No you don't know what it's like
Welcome to my life
Do you wanna be somebody else?
Are you sick of feeling so left out?
Are you desperate to find something more
Before your life is over
Are you stuck inside a world you hate?
Are you sick of everyone around?
With their big fake smiles and stupid lies
While deep inside you're bleeding
No you don't know what it's like
When nothing feels alright
You don't know what it's like to be like me
To be hurt
To feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked
When you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
And no one's there to save you
No you don't know what it's like
Welcome to my life
No one ever lied straight to your face
And no one ever stabbed you in the back
You might think I'm happy
But I'm not gonna be ok
Everybody always gave you what you wanted
You never had to work it was always there
You don't know what it's like
What it's like
To be hurt
To feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked
When you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
And no one's there to save you
No you don't know what it's like (what it's like)
To be hurt
To feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked
When you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
And no one's there to save you
No you don't know what it's like
Welcome to my life
Welcome to my life
Welcome to my life
04 Thank You (02:55)
I thought that I could always count on you,
I thought that nothing could become between us two.
We said as long as we would stick together,
We'd be alright,
We'd be ok.
But I was stupid
And you broke me down
I'll never be the same again.
So thank you for showing me,
That best friends can not be trusted,
And thank you for lying to me,
Your friendship and good times we had you can have them back
Yeah!
I wonder why it always has to hurt,
For every lesson that you have to learn.
I won't forget what you did to me,
How you showed me things,
I wish I'd never seen.
But I was stupid,
And you broke me down,
I'll never be the same again.
So thank you for showing me,
That best friends can not be trusted,
And thank you for lying to me,
Your friendship the good times we had you can have them back
When the tables turn again,
You'll remember me my friend,
You'll be wishing I was there for you.
I'll be the one you'll miss the most,
But you'll only find my ghost.
As time goes by,
You'll wonder why,
You're all alone.
So thank you for showing me,
That best friends can not be trusted,
And thank you for lying to me,
Your friendship and good times we had you can have them back.
So thank you, for lying to me,
So thank you, for all the times you let me down
So thank you, for lying to me,
So thank you, your friendship you can have it back
06 Crazy (03:40)
Tell me what's wrong with society
When everywhere I look I see
Young girls dying to be on TV
Won't stop 'til they've reached their dreams
Diet pills, surgery
photoshopped pictures in magazines
Telling them how they should be
It doesn't make sense to me
Is everybody going crazy
Is anybody gonna save me
Can anybody tell me what's going on
Tell me what's going on
If you open your eyes
You'll see that something is wrong
I guess things are not how they used to be
There's no more normal families
Parents act like enemies
Making kids feel like it's World War III
No one cares, no one's there
I guess we're all just too damn busy
And money's our first priority
It doesn't make sense to me
Is everybody going crazy
Is anybody gonna save me
Can anybody tell me what's going on
Tell me what's going on
If you open your eyes
You'll see that something is wrong
Is everybody going crazy
Is everybody going crazy
Tell me what's wrong with society
When everywhere I look I see
Rich guys driving big SUVs
While kids are starving in the streets
No one cares
No one likes to share
I guess life's unfair
Is everybody going crazy
Is anybody gonna save me
Can anybody tell me what's going on
Tell me what's going on
If you open your eyes
You'll see that something
something is wrong
Is everybody going crazy
Can anybody tell me what's going on
Tell me what's going on
If you open your eyes
You'll see that something is wrong
07 Jump (03:08)
Jump
I dont wanna wake up today
Cuz everydays the same
And Ive been waiting so long
For things to change
Im sick of this town
Sick of my job
Sick of my friends
Cuz everyones jaded
Sick of this place
I wanna break free
Im so frustrated
I just wanna jump (jump!)
Dont wanna think about tomorrow (jump!)
I just dont care tonight
I just wanna jump (jump!)
Dont wanna think about my sorrow
Lets go, whoa
Forget your problems
I just wanna jump
I dont wanna wake up one day
And find out its too late
To do all the things I wanna do
So Im gonna pack up my bags
Im never coming back
Cuz the years are passing by
And Ive wasted all my t-t-time
Im sick of this house
Sick of being broke
Sick of this town thats bringing me down
Im sick of this place
I wanna break free
Im so frustrated
I just wanna jump (jump!)
Dont wanna think about tomorrow (jump!)
I just dont care tonight
I just wanna jump (jump!)
Dont wanna think my sorrow
Lets go, whoa
Forget your problems I just wanna jump
I just wanna jump
I cant take it anymore
I cant take it anymore
I cant take it anymore
Forget tomorrow
I just wanna jump (jump!)
Dont wanna think about tomorrow (jump!)
I just dont care tonight
I just wanna jump (jump!)
Dont wanna think my sorrow
Lets go, whoa
Forget your problems
Time to let them go
Whoa
Forget tomorrow
I just wanna jump (jump!)
I just wanna jump (jump!)
Yeah!
I just wanna jump (jump!)
I just wanna jump
08 Everytime (04:03)
It was 3 AM
When you woke me up
Then we jumped in the car and drove as far as we could go
Just to get away
We talked about our lives
Until the sun came out
And now I'm thinking about
How I wish I could go back
Just for one more day
One more day with you
Everytime I see your face
Everytime you look my way
It's like it all falls into place
Everything feels right
Ever since you walked away
It left my life in disarray
All I want is one more day
It's all I need
Is one more day with you
When the car broke down
We just kept walking along
Til we hit this town
There was nothing there at all
But that was all ok
We spent all our money
On stupid things
But if I look back now
I'd probably give it all away
Just for one more day
One more day with you
Everytime I see your face
Everytime you look my way
It's like it all falls into place
Everything feels right
Ever since you walked away
It left my life in disarray
All I want is one more day
It's all I need
Is one more day with you
Now I'm sitting here
Like we used to do
I think about my life
And now there's nothing I won't do
Just for one more day
One more day with you
Everytime I see your face
Everytime you look my way
It's like it all falls into place
Everything feels right
Everytime I hear your name
Everytime I feel the same
It's like it all falls into place
Everything, everything feels right
You walked away
Just one more day
It's all I need
Is one more day with you
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