u/LivingEmu5

Per a request, I've resumed the song of the day. I've been in a tough spot recently tbh: overwhelmingly busy, and a little depressed, but also just jamming out to all my favorite music when I have the chance. So I'm super stoked that Made of Stone is the song I landed on for today!

I hope you enjoy this live performance of the song during Conan O'Brien's show. What a performance! Fast forward to 0:21 if you wanna skip Conan's intro for the band.

I so enjoy the opening guitar riff, which is the same riff used for the chorus. It is so Terry. It's a very heavy riff too, making for a great 2nd track on the self titled album.

I also am a huge fan of Amy's powerful vocals on this one. The lead up into the chorus "Don't waste your time" and the culmination with "Don't wanna play your game" where Amy makes the powerful belt, and does so multiple times throughout the song. My voice would be dead lol. I find there to be a good mix of soft, maybe more shimmery, vocals, with the powerful rock sound she's so well known for. And the bridge is so beautiful. The transition she makes requires skilled breath control given that she takes the breath right before "I'll numb the pain" and sings through "heart".

More on the guitars, Troy killed it with the guitar solo on this one. I mean it fits the beat and rhythm perfectly and definitely marks a climax in the song. It does exactly what a post-bridge guitar solo should do: it brings the song to a resolution through the final chorus after that amazing bridge.

I recently saw a vocal coach talk about her technique, and he made a great compliment: that she doesn't need distortion in her voice. There is actual aggression that can be experienced in her belts. Amy is so incredibly expressive with her voice, and Made of Stone is yet another great example of that.

As for the meaning of this one, here's what Amy has said: "The song is about strength. It’s not completely literal because obviously you can’t numb yourself until you’re made of stone. It’s kind of saying, ‘I’ll take it beyond this, I’m gonna have to make myself harder.’"

What do you like about this song? Let me know below!

Hi. I just joined this community. Love Breaking Benjamin.

One of my favorite songs is Breaking the Silence, but my favorite, for heavier music, is likely Red Cold River. Controversial, I know. I hope to get more involved.

So badly wanted them to come to Ohio on this tour😞

For today's song of the day, I returned to Evanescence roulette so I wouldn't feel pressured to pick a song. And the first one that played was one of my all time favorites, Taking Over Me.

This song has two meanings: the more superficial and advertised (if you will) meaning is that it's from the perspective of a stalker who feels they absolutely must be with someone. The deeper meaning (which Amy revealed numerous times) is that she wrote it about her future husband Josh, because she had these feelings for him but was not in the right situation to express them to him.

The piano in the beginning suggests a sort of tension, romantic or otherwise, which is not resolved as the heavy guitar riff kicks in. Man do I love this riff! 🎸It's so cool 🎸. I also want to highlight some really cool production here: the riff cuts out at the start of the verse, and doesn't come back in until the narrator's justification for feeling the way they do: "But who can decide what they dream? And dream I do." The other time it cuts out is in that moment of waiting after the lyric "And touched my hand", and comes back in right after "I knew you loved me". This is such great placement and really adds to the tension in the song. Just continuous, unresolved tension. What a great job they did on this!

And Amy's vocals, without a doubt my favorite part of this song! Her voice never ceases to amaze me, it is just so beautiful and soothing to me, even though some of the lyrics are really intense. Has anyone else ever felt comforted by her voice? One thing to highlight, continuing the tension, is that in the second chorus, Amy sings much higher on "give up everything", and in the third chorus, which starts with just Amy's voice and the piano, she sings much higher on "over" in "taking over me". This makes clear the tension felt by the narrator. They can't escape this feeling, and it just gets more and more intense as time goes on, until it feels like it really is taking over their life.

I relate to this song in a pretty particular way, which is much different from the original meanings. The first time I heard this song, I nearly broke down because the only person I could think of was my Mom. This Thursday will be 1.5 years since her death. In a way, I feel abandoned by her death, though she did not abandon me. We were very close. The line "I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you" hits me hard because when I think about her a lot, especially at night, it gets me down a bit. Definitely still working through grief, which is a process. And the chorus is exactly how I feel at times about her. To reference another song, "What I wouldn't give to be with you For one more night." I do feel like I would give up everything just to have her here for another moment. And at times, I wonder how I can make it through one more moment without her (though I can, it just feels impossible in the moment. Those who have been through it know what I mean, or those who have been through any kind of deep loss).

For an awesome live performance of it, check this video out!

What are your thoughts on Taking Over Me? I'd love to hear them.

Friends, I know we can do this. I love CMWYS, but it would be so cool to see Even In Death make it to the Sweet 16, especially since it would be the only Origin song to do so.