In 2003, “Bring Me To Life” became a massive hit for Evanescence. Led by singer Amy Lee, the band’s brand of gothic metal tapped into rock music’s post-grunge milieu. But before Lee penned her signature hit, she had a disquieting conversation with a mutual friend. She wasn’t expecting his pointed question. And she likely didn’t expect the future that query would ignite.
Are You Happy?
Lee wrote “Bring Me To Life” when she first met her husband. “I was in a really bad place, relationally, and going through a really hard time,” she said. Then Lee’s future husband, Josh Hartzler, asked if she was happy. “And it shocked my heart, and I looked down and just started making up excuses,” she said.
The opening verse describes the encounter.
How can you see into my eyes,
Like open doors?
Leading you down into my core.
Where I’ve become so numb,
Without a soul,
My spirit sleeping somewhere cold.
Until you find it there,
And lead it back home.
“And I felt like he could just see straight into my soul. That inspired the whole song. Years later, I told him it was about him, and the rest is history,” she said.
(Wake me up) Wake me up inside,
(I can’t wake up) Wake me up inside.
(Save me) Call my name and save me from the dark.
(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run,
(I can’t wake up) Before I come undone,
(Save me) Save me from the nothing I’ve become.
Life Among the Dead, Nu-Metal, and Rap Rock
Written by Lee with guitarist Ben Moody and songwriter David Hodges, “Bring Me To Life” remains the band’s defining song. Its blend of nu-metal and rap rock arrived at a time when both genres were culturally dominant thanks to blockbuster releases by Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, and Korn.
“Bring Me To Life” put Evanescence on the map. And for Lee, the song gave her a new kind of life.
Frozen inside,
Without your touch, without your love.
Darling, only you,
Are the life among the dead.
Photo by Stefan M. Prager/Redferns