Keep Away

Album: Godsmack (1997)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • On an ABC Radio Networks Interview called the "Godsmack Radio Network" acoustic set, lead singer Sully Erna explained, "It's a song of hope. Hope to get the bitch out of my life." >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Jackie - Virginia Beach, VA
  • According to Erna, this was Godsmack's original first single when the band was still gaining traction in their native Massachusetts. Their demo album All Wound Up was making the rounds in Boston and ended up at the radio station WAAF (FM), who put the track "Keep Away" in heavy rotation. "It's really the song that helped grow our fanbase in Boston," Erna recalled in a Pandora Stories feature. "We had sold about 20,000 copies on our own out of the trunks of our own cars. It attracted the attention of the record labels and we got signed, and the rest is history."
  • All five singles from Godsmack's self-titled debut peaked in the Top 10 of the Mainstream Rock chart.
  • The band played this during their set at Woodstock '99. Although the festival famously turned riotous, Erna credits the highly publicized event for helping the band reach a wider audience.
  • This was used on the MTV animated series Daria, in the 2000 episode "Psycho Therapy."
  • The music video was directed by Peter Christopherson, an English musician who also helmed clips for acts like Rage Against The Machine, Marc Almond, Soft Cell, and Nine Inch Nails. The dark clip follows the journey of a teenage boy who attracts derision wherever he goes while the band rocks out in dingy warehouse space.

Comments: 5

  • Russertafukk from Loyalton CaliforniaGood info it almost comletes the experiance to know why songs were written and the meaning of them .. right on thanks.
  • Luna Loud from Royal Woods, MichiganZero, they don't do the drum solo's live on this song anymore. Bummer.

    This song is actually about one of Sully's exes, Lisa, whom Sully was cheating on his girlfriend, Erin, with. She would verbally and physically abuse him and eventually he left her and came back to Erin.
  • Zero from Nowhere, NjAnd the drum solos live are intense!
  • Zero from Nowhere, NjThe acoustic version from the Other Side EP is even better than the album version. Actually when they play it live it's even better. I think the solo sounds better with a rhythm guitar backing it up.
  • K from Wilmington, Ncawesome f*ing song!!! Very good for getting the lead out after a stressful day :)
see more comments

Editor's Picks

John Lee Hooker

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."