Song of the Week (V.2 Thread)

[AlessEv]

I had singing lessons a few years ago, and Taking Over Me was the only Ev song I got to learn to sing.
It's such a great song when having a futile and intense crush. Listening to it always helps with that agonising aching.
I don't believe it deserves the spot as many people's least fave song on Fallen. I don't think any of the songs on Fallen deserve to be near the bottom when listing faves.

[Ring]

^Lol nostalgia.

Another week, another song.

[Worm Baby]

Ah, "Forever You"! I have to admit, this is a song I've always thought was good but never gave all that much attention to. I'm glad to have given it some special attention this week, as it was like rediscovering the song.

This song has such awesome electronic sounds going on in it. Right off the bat, it just really strikes you with how cool and different it is. It gives it this dark, dangerous mood. Those bass drops are really cool and so unexpected for an Ev song. And I love the quiet, distorted piano(?) during the verses combined with the vocal effect on Amy's voice. And the belting she does in the background during the chorus is fantastic!

My favorite parts of the song are right after the 2nd verse and the bridge - those awesome instrumental parts with Amy's wordless vocals. It makes me think of a siren. Her voice sounds so ghostly and seductive with this hint of danger.

One thing I have to point out is how similar the chorus of this song and the verses in BMTL are! Especially when Amy sings "now that I know the way you play", which sounds so much like the line "now that I know what I'm without" in BMTL. Almost the same words and melody. So weird. I just always found that funny. It makes me wonder which came first.

[Ring]

I have to say, I can listen to this song for a dozen times in a row and I still won't get tired of it.

[RapturedLight]

I've always thought this song sounds really cool and BA for some reason. There's something about the guitars. And the vocals are really nice in this, especially all the vocalizing in the middle eight. (By the way... Did Stephanie Pierce do some the backing vocals? They kind of reminded me of her work on Lies and Understanding.) Not one of my favorite songs, personally, but I mean, it's Evanescence, so obviously it's good, like everything else they do.  

[Ring]

It seems barely anyone has anything nice to say about FY. Anyway, the new song of the week.

[Worm Baby]

Yay, "ATILF"! This is a favorite of mine. It seems to be an underrated song amongst fans, and I've never understood why. I wish this would've been a single over "SS", but I guess I'm in the minority there. I was really happy to hear Amy say that it's one of her favorites at the acoustic show in Germany.

Where to begin? There's so many things I adore about this song. I'll start off with the lyrics. I think this is without a doubt one of the best Ev songs lyrically. Just so beautifully written. A masterpiece. The second verse is definitely my favorite. Especially "I believe that dreams are sacred. Take my darkest fears and play them, like a lullaby, like a reason why". Just perfection.

One of the things I noticed on TOD when it came out, was that I couldn't relate to a lot of the lyrics like I could on Fallen and everything before. They seemed to become more personal and less generally relatable. Not that I minded that. But "ATILF" is one of the few songs I felt a real personal connection to with the lyrics.

And musically, this song is amazing! I love the dynamic between the heavy, grungy chorus and the dark, delicate verses. It starts off so in-your-face, and then suddenly and unexpectedly shifts into that soft, trip-hop beat and beautiful strings, joined by Amy's almost whisper-like vocals and gentle piano notes. I also love the touches of subdued programming. It's subtle, but it really adds to the lush texture of the song.

The second verse is so gorgeous. That acoustic guitar is perfect. It's intricate yet delicate, and it gives the feeling of drifting into this dark lullaby, just like the lyrics describe. I love closing my eyes and just getting lost in the music during that part.

The juxtaposition of how soft and ballad-like the verses are, with how jolting and energetic the chorus is, works brilliantly in this song. The chorus's grungy guitar pairs perfectly with Amy's forceful, anthemic vocals. And I love when the second guitar kicks in with the high notes. I also really love the way they do the chorus right after the bridge - how everything gets stripped back to just the guitar, the eerie background effects, and Amy's abrasive vocals, and then goes quiet before everything loudly and dramatically kicks back in.

One other little thing I have to add, is that I've always adored the way she sings the word "far" during the bridge. It gets this raspy quality that just makes me melt.


But gosh, then we have the acoustic version, which is almost like a whole other song! And it's just as amazing as the album version. In fact, there've been a lot of times where I prefer the acoustic. It's just so gorgeous toned down like this and stripped down to just Amy, piano, acoustic guitar, and cello. Without a doubt the best acoustic version of any Ev song. It's the only one that sounds like it could've been written and recorded exactly as it is. It takes on such a lovely, somber mood. Perfect for a rainy day.

[Ring]

If it's one of her favorites, then why didn't she perform it on tour? It certainly deserved to be played live more than Sweet Sacrifice. Seriously. I don't have anything to add after your huge post, you took all of the words out of my mouth.

[Worm Baby]

Jul 6, 2013 7:30:30 GMT -5 Ring said:

If it's one of her favorites, then why didn't she perform it on tour? It certainly deserved to be played live more than Sweet Sacrifice. Seriously. I don't have anything to add after your huge post, you took all of the words out of my mouth.

I know, right? I guess "SS" gets priority just because it was a single. Humph!

[RapturedLight]

Well, Sweet Sacrifice was also a favorite of theirs. (I read this on EvRef.) So who knows which song they sacrificed ATILF for.

I've had kind of a weird relationship with this song. It's never been one of my favorites, it's been one of my least favorites at some point, it's been in the middle... Just all over the place for me. But during the past x-amount of months, it has really grown on me, because for this first time EVER, I've been able to relate to it. Even in the past, before this song became more appealing to me, I could still agree with basically everything Worm Baby said about it. The lyrics are so undeniably wonderful. I've always loved the bridge, and I was in love with the beautiful acoustic version the second I heard it. But I just couldn't love it as much in the studio until I had that personal connection and everything clicked into place. I've come to truly appreciate it as of late.

[The_Sacrificed]

Jun 29, 2013 1:41:15 GMT -5 Worm Baby said:

One thing I have to point out is how similar the chorus of this song and the verses in BMTL are! Especially when Amy sings "now that I know the way you play", which sounds so much like the line "now that I know what I'm without" in BMTL. Almost the same words and melody. So weird. I just always found that funny. It makes me wonder which came first.

I'm glad I'm not the only who thinks this! I've thought about that for a very long time. Its weird how close they sound.

[Worm Baby]

Got a new song of the week for us, Ring?

[Ring]

Yeah, I forgot. The new song is up now.

[Drifter]

Away From Me is one of my favourite pre-Fallen songs. It's still ridden with angst, ha, but I like it that way. When I was first getting into Ev, I was on a YouTube loop of pre-Fallen songs. AFM's chorus caught my attention immediately! It's freaking catchy.

[Worm Baby]

Ah, "Away From Me"! Great song! It's the perfect last song song on Origin before flowing into "Eternal" so beautifully and seamlessly.

The very beginning is so awesome. It always kind of reminded me of the tribal sounds in NIN's "Head Like A Hole". Would not be surprised if that was a direct influence. I love all the electronic elements in this song. It really shows how much of an electronic direction Ev's music can go in, while still maintaining a great rock sound. I feel like this is one of their rarer more upbeat, lighter sounding songs. It doesn't sound as serious and dramatic as they usually do. It's a nice little change of pace.

Another thing I have to compliment is the production quality. Listening to this song so much this week really made me realize how great Ev's production was when they were just kids. Am I right in assuming that Ben had a big hand in this? (He's credited as the engineer.) He was so talented. This song in particular sounds so good to me. Everything is so crisp and balanced.

I absolutely love David's piano parts after the choruses. His style is quite different from Amy's, but it's a perfect addition.

And that deep harmonizing Amy does during the 2nd verse is so awesome! I love when she uses her lower register, and it sounds especially cool when she contrasts it with her normal, higher voice. It creates this really cool duality - like 2 different sides of her are coming through.

This song has really good, solid lyrics too. They explore self-loathing and disenchantment, yet there's a strength in them. They have an empowering quality, rather than a defeated one. My favorite lines are "I hide behind a smile as this perfect plan unfolds" and "Crawling through this world as disease flows through my veins. I look into myself, but my own heart has been changed". Those latter lines have such a great flow to them.

Listening to this song really takes me back. I can see myself sitting on the floor in my old bedroom listening to this song a million times. Or in the car during the long roadtrip to my Grandma's, as it's lightly raining outside, watching the raindrops race each other across the window. It brings back such lovely nostalgic memories. But I also can't believe how long it's been since those memories. I can't believe I've been listening to Ev for 10 1/2 years already! It only feels like a couple of years. So much has changed in my life since then, but I'm so glad my love for this band hasn't.

Haha, I always write freaking essays in this thread.