Shaun Morgan Talks about Amy Lee and CMWYS and Broken

[AeternusAmatorius]

Hey guys. I found this on EvBoard. This is just to inform you guys on the whole CMWYS and Breakdown and other songs about Amy/Shaun. It's not here to start as controversy or an argument. Please keep calm and listen to Evanescence guys. 

Whole interview here on SongFacts.com:

Songfacts: Well, I want to talk about one of the songs that there's a lot of speculation about. And that's the song "Breakdown," where someone has suggested that that's sort of a response to Amy Lee.

Shaun: [Laughs]

Songfacts: And so how would you like to respond to that? Is that the case?

Shaun: Maybe. I mean, that's at the heart of the whole thing. She wrote a song about me called "Call Me When You're Sober," and then she tried to retract that. Basically she went out and aired all my dirty laundry in the press. She was bad mouthing me and everything.

She was very much an inspiration for that song, but she's also been the inspiration for other songs, as well, which are not quite as current. [Laughs] So yeah. Honestly, I think I wanted to do something that was different. I wanted to say, "Okay. That's the way you want to approach this whole thing and that's the road you want to walk on."

I never thought it would be a single. It was just a song for me to get it out of my system. And yeah, she definitely was a very big part of the inspiration for that song. I'll put it that way.

Songfacts: Now, the song that you sing a duet on, the song "Broken," I don't imagine that you imagined that as a duet, did you?

Shaun: It wasn't really my idea to do that. We had done it as a duet live a couple of times, and it was always something that I was willing to try. Originally we were open to try that and end up doing the acoustic version, but having it sort of be a milder, more mellow version of what eventually became the single. And our label, obviously, they smelled dollars. So they sent us into the studio and we did that version.

There are times when I'm quite proud of that version, but other times when I feel like I should have just stuck with my guns and kept the original version of the way I prefer it. But in 2004 we didn't have any say at our record company, so it was mostly a lot of decisions were made for us and we just went with them.

But I wrote the string parts at the end of it, and I think that's great. So it was a little different for us. I don't think I ever imagined it to be quite so soundtrack, epic-y sounding. I would have preferred for it to be what the vulnerability that we wrote it with was. But it's done now.

[dannycastillo]

Call Me When You're Sober > Anything Seether (except if it's a song featuring Amy Lee)

JUST saying. Good read, btw. It's like my five year old nephew threw a tantrum and managed to get an interview.

[Andromeda - Evanescent-Killjoy]

lol...

na i respect him as an artist and as a song writer i don't think anything of both shawn and amy writing songs about each other.
Perhaps the lyrical content of the songs were exaggerated but... if they hadn't been the songs would be boring so yeah... what ever...

[ladylollydragon (Kazlan)]

I always think it's funny when people say that Amy was out of line with Call Me When You're Sober. I mean, the only person that can really be upset about that is Shaun, and Breakdown is equal when it comes to content. I really like the song, and I love CMWYS, and I don't understand why people always make such a big deal over it. Lyricists write about their lives, the way they feel, things that happen and people they know. That's the way it works.

[Deleted]

Is it considered bad-mouthing if you're an substance abusing butthead and they write a song about how much it sucks to love you? Heh.... I mean.... If you ARE an alcoholic or drug-abuser or whatever the hell his vice of choice was, then is it really a bad thing when someone calls you one? Just a thought.... The song doesn't necessarily imply that he had a problem with this sort of thing either, it more or less specifically states: You only want me when you're drunk... For all we know it could be about Amy's insecurity over being so incredibly annoying to date that you can only handle her when you're drunk! Hehehehehehe....

[AeternusAmatorius]

I just don't see how Shaun can say "she aired out my dirty laundry to the world" (paraphrasing). It's not like that is what she did. She didn't say any specifics to what went on in their relationship or with Shaun, in the song, video, or interviews. She just said the song was about addiction, when people started questioning her if it was about Shaun she came out and said "Yeah", and she only said "You never call me when your sober", "Stop making excuses", "I didn't ruin paradise, you did with your drinking because the that always came first", and "Get out, I'm done and made up your mind" (not literally -metaphorically- except for the first one and last one -those were literal-).

[frozenflames]

My only issue is with this is that when CMWYS came out, Shaun got pissed at Amy for "airing out their dirty laundry" and basically said something like "You don't do that to someone. I would never do that to her." And then he proceeds to write several songs about Amy on the next album.

Also, didn't he originally say Breakdown was about his previous gf/wife? I remember another quote that said that he and Amy at their worst were still better than he and the other girl at their best.

[selby56]

I am a big Seether fan myself, they are certainly one of my top five bands. I couldn't care less about this little "feud" that no longer seems to exist. It is obvious that Amy has moved on, and I think Shaun has moved on also. I've seen him answer questions plenty of times about this song, and other songs on their Finding Beauty album, and if they are related to Amy. He normally has taken the "high road" and said none of them were about her, but I think we all knew he wrote at least one song about her, even if he didn't want to admit it. And I don't see a problem with him writing a song about her, I mean they did date for how many years? She obviously had some impact on his life, and whether or not he was the one at fault for why the relationship failed, the break-up wasn't easy for him I'm sure. Why wouldn't he write a song about it?

And I really don't feel like Breakdown is a mean response. I get the vibe that the song was more "Say what you want to make me look bad, but there are two sides to every story." Whether or not he told his side of the story on any other songs is debatable. Shaun has said before that he knows everyone is going to look for the Amy Lee reference in each song on the Finding Beauty album.

The funny thing is, listen to any Seether album before, during, and after Shaun and Amy's relationship, and there are a handful of songs on each one about failed relationships. I've had people try telling me before that the songs Pride and Whore are about Amy, even though both of those songs were written when they were still Saron Gas and in South Africa. I think this break-up was more blown up by the fans than it was Amy and Shaun, but that is just my personal opinion.

[DarkFlare89]

May 21, 2013 12:25:27 GMT -5 frozenflames said:

Also, didn't he originally say Breakdown was about his previous gf/wife? I remember another quote that said that he and Amy at their worst were still better than he and the other girl at their best.

Oooh! I think I found it *dance* - SOURCE

Most of us would love to have a hit song written about us. Seether's Shaun Morgan isn't one of those people.

But that didn't stop his ex-girlfriend, Evanescence's Amy Lee, from penning "Call Me When You're Sober," a tune she later admitted was specifically written about her relationship with Morgan (see "Evanescence Set For Fall Tour; Amy Lee Reveals Inspiration Behind 'Sober' "). And the timing couldn't have been worse for Lee's damning revelation, coming just weeks after Morgan checked himself into rehab for treatment of "a combination of substances" (see "Seether Frontman Enters Rehab; August Tour Dates Canceled"). His rehab stint, coincidentally, began on the very same day the Evanescence track was delivered to the nation's rock radio stations.

As you might expect, Morgan wasn't thrilled with Lee's public airing of the pair's dirty laundry. For the last year, the song has "followed me around and haunted me," he said, and it chipped away at his reputation.

"People would say to me, 'Yeah, man, I know what you're going through,' and I was like, 'No, I don't think you do,' " Morgan explained. " 'Your ex-girlfriend didn't write a song about you, that millions of people have heard, saying you're a bad guy. As soon as that happens, buddy, come up and tell me you know what I'm going through.' "

Now, clean and sober, Morgan and his band are returning with their third studio outing, Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces, which is set for an October 23 release. But don't expect the LP to contain a response track.

"There isn't necessarily a response as there's a lament," the singer for the South African rockers said. "I was bummed out. I was really upset that she would say and do those things. In any relationship, I don't think it's right to say and do those things when people break up, and she obviously felt the need to go out there and make me sound like a complete a--hole. What can I do? I just refuse to lower myself to that level. But it was a painful thing and it got me down — people coming up to me on the street and referring to that song. But I didn't feel the need to write back and be mean."

Instead, the Howard Benson-produced Finding Beauty — which the band hopes to begin mixing next week — boasts "Breakdown," a song some might interpret as Morgan's answer to "Sober." But that's not the case.

"It isn't an aggressive song, and it isn't even an angry song — I would prefer to refer to it as a lament rather than an angry backlash," he said. "You couldn't tell that the song was about one person. It's probably more universal. I prefer to be a little more vague and respectful. There are some things I could have said and done too — there are always two sides to every story. And if anything, the song says, 'Fine. Go ahead and say those things.' But what's the point of telling my side? That's what the bloodthirsty want, and I don't care what the bloodthirsty want."

If there are any references on the disc about a failed relationship, Morgan said it will be about his most recent ex and not Lee.

"These songs are turning out to be somewhat more introspective, which is weird — you'd assume I'd be more pissed off and have more things to say," he explained. "I don't know how much I want to say and what I want to say. It's tough, because I know what the expectations are for this album and that people will be looking for that Amy Lee reference, and I am trying desperately not to have any. I just ended another truly, truly horrible relationship with somebody, so if there's anything about somebody on the record, it would be about her, not Amy. In retrospect, Amy and I, at our worst moments, were still better than this last girl and I at our best moments."

[Worm Baby]

May 21, 2013 12:25:27 GMT -5 frozenflames said:

My only issue is with this is that when CMWYS came out, Shaun got pissed at Amy for "airing out their dirty laundry" and basically said something like "You don't do that to someone. I would never do that to her." And then he proceeds to write several songs about Amy on the next album.

This. I think he's being hypocritical here. I'm sure he was hurt and angry about "CMWYS", but can he still not look at the whole situation objectively all these years later?

First off, He says here, "I never thought it would be a single. It was just a song for me to get it out of my system." Does he not think it's possible that this was also the case with "CMWYS"? Does he really believe Amy sat there and and maliciously wrote this song, thinking to herself "mwahaha I'm going to write a song about Shaun's alcoholism and put it out for the whole world to hear", while cackling like a witch?

And it's simply BS to say that she "bad mouthed" him. Show me one interview where she did that. Everyone knows she's was reluctant to even admit it was about him for quite a while. And when she finally did say it, didn't she also always say that she was happy to hear he was getting help?

I'm pretty sure the whole reason this thing blew up was because of the terrible coincidence of Shaun checking into rehab at the exact same time the song came out. If the timing of it all hadn't happened like that, I bet people wouldn't have pressed Amy on the matter so much, and she probably would've never come out and named Shaun. It was really all just an unfortunate coincidence. Can he still not see that? Bitter.

[AeternusAmatorius]

May 21, 2013 15:51:17 GMT -5 Worm Baby said:

May 21, 2013 12:25:27 GMT -5 frozenflames said:

My only issue is with this is that when CMWYS came out, Shaun got pissed at Amy for "airing out their dirty laundry" and basically said something like "You don't do that to someone. I would never do that to her." And then he proceeds to write several songs about Amy on the next album.

This. I think he's being hypocritical here. I'm sure he was hurt and angry about "CMWYS", but can he still not look at the whole situation objectively all these years later?

First off, He says here, "I never thought it would be a single. It was just a song for me to get it out of my system." Does he not think it's possible that this was also the case with "CMWYS"? Does he really believe Amy sat there and and maliciously wrote this song, thinking to herself "mwahaha I'm going to write a song about Shaun's alcoholism and put it out for the whole world to hear", while cackling like a witch?

And it's simply BS to say that she "bad mouthed" him. Show me one interview where she did that. Everyone knows she's was reluctant to even admit it was about him for quite a while. And when she finally did say it, didn't she also always say that she was happy to hear he was getting help?

I'm pretty sure the whole reason this thing blew up was because of the terrible coincidence of Shaun checking into rehab at the exact same time the song came out. If the timing of it all hadn't happened like that, I bet people wouldn't have pressed Amy on the matter so much, and she probably would've never come out and named Shaun. It was really all just an unfortunate coincidence. Can he still not see that? Bitter.

I agree. Amy was very reluctant to say who it was about at first until everyone started asking her if it was about Shaun. And yes, she has also said that she was happy to hear he was getting help. And I think all that was a huge coincidence/poor timing thing as well. I don't think the song caused Shaun to go into rehab like the interviewers say it did... 

Though, I also agree with selby56 that there are multiple songs about relationships and everything that Seether has written. Do they mean they're about Amy? No. Is it a possibility that some songs during their relationship and after are about Amy? Yes. Will we know for sure? Probably not. The thing is that all songs can be open to interpretation. If people want to interpret them the way they do and say they're about something then fine. Why should the artist need to explain what the song is about to them or what kind of importance it has in their live? They don't have to. Would it be right to be honest with their fans? Yes. But do they have to say what it's about exactly and in detail? No. 

But anyway. Shaun seems happy from that interview. I'm glad to hear he's doing well but I'm sorry to hear about his brother. I hope everyone is doing well in his family and friends. 

[selby56]

I can understand both sides here as far as Shaun perhaps taking it too personally. On one hand, Amy was letting go of frustrations. She didn't sit down one day and say "I'll write a song about Shaun and how he is an alcoholic." She was simply doing what many other artists do, writing about real things that have an effect on their lives. He shouldn't take it too personally, her goal wasn't to make him look like a bad guy. It doesn't help that Shaun had a reputation for drinking a lot prior to the songs release, so everyone already knew it was about him.

But I can also see why Shaun was bitter about it. It is easy for us to say "get over it, bro" and say he is being too sensitive. But we have to remember that Shaun had a problem. We don't know how serious of an alcoholic Shaun was, but he was bad enough to go to rehab. That to me says his drinking was to the point that it was out of his control. Having a song written about how he is a crappy boyfriend with a drinking problem just kind of kicked him while he was down. Maybe he felt like the song made people more interested in drama rather than helping him with his addiction. The public didn't see him as a guy that had a problem and needed help, but rather the guy that was a jerk to Amy and ignored her because he cared more about alcohol. For all we know, he wanted to keep Amy badly but his problem took over his life, and it may have hurt him that she not only broke up with him because of his problem, but had a song about it.

Maybe I'm looking into it too much, but I love both Amy and Shaun. They are two of my favorite artists of all time, and I guess I just try to convince myself that neither of them are in the wrong here, haha.

[Worm Baby]

May 21, 2013 18:17:18 GMT -5 selby56 said:

But I can also see why Shaun was bitter about it. It is easy for us to say "get over it, bro" and say he is being too sensitive. But we have to remember that Shaun had a problem. We don't know how serious of an alcoholic Shaun was, but he was bad enough to go to rehab. That to me says his drinking was to the point that it was out of his control. Having a song written about how he is a crappy boyfriend with a drinking problem just kind of kicked him while he was down. Maybe he felt like the song made people more interested in drama rather than helping him with his addiction. The public didn't see him as a guy that had a problem and needed help, but rather the guy that was a jerk to Amy and ignored her because he cared more about alcohol. For all we know, he wanted to keep Amy badly but his problem took over his life, and it may have hurt him that she not only broke up with him because of his problem, but had a song about it.

This is actually a very good point. There probably wasn't enough sensitivity to Shaun's problem from anyone at the time. I mean, it's understandable for Amy to have written the song the way she did, considering she was probably hurt by his actions and maybe just needed to write an angry, accusatory song to get those feelings out. She's not obligated to write sensitively in her personal art and writing. But I think it probably did give the public the feeling that he was just an asshole boyfriend who chose booze over her, when in reality, it could've been a much bigger problem that was out of his control.

But I still think it's wrong of him to act like she had malicious intents with this song and that she trash talked him. Those things just simply aren't true.

[ladylollydragon (Kazlan)]

In the end, he probably doesn't care now. It's a years-old debate, and both parties have moved on with their lives.

[Deleted]

Wait, Amy doesn't stay up at night quietly weeping over Shaun Morgan? But.... I thought everyone did that. I know I do!

Shaun, baby, come back! Mama Boobies still loves you!