Sick, Sick, Sick

Album: Killing Time (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Bayside's Anthony Raneri describes "Sick, Sick, Sick" as one of the most personal and darkest songs he's ever written. The song draws its inspiration from the divorce he went through before starting the album that it appears on, Killing Time. Raneri explains that the song is an unfiltered portrait of what was going through his head at the time, because he writes his lyrics from the heart. He does not think of himself as a very clever songwriter, so instead tries to be as direct and impactful as possible.
  • This was a very stubborn song to write. In our interview with Anthony Raneri, he explained: "I rewrote the chorus 100 times because we knew that was going to be the single on that record before it was even done. We thought the verse was there, we thought the pre-chorus was there, we really thought the whole vibe of the song was there and we felt we really had something with it. As far as commercially, it's our most successful song, got the most radio play and stuff, so we knew we were kind of onto something.

    That made it hard to finalize, though. Because when you know you've got something good, you don't want to f--k it up. So that was a tough one. I think there's about five different versions of that song with five different choruses that were recorded, all using different demos and stuff like that."
  • The album, Killing Time, benefits from an extended writing session compared to the band's previous releases. For other albums, the band would generally write, record, and finalize each song over a matter of days or weeks. Often, the songs would be written while on tour. This album, however, was written over the course of a year, no touring involved. The band says they are most proud of this album. For more on their writing process, see our interview with their guitarist Jack O'Shea.
  • Queens of the Stone Age released a song with the same title in 2007, but Raneri wasn't aware of it at the time.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith

Steven Tyler of AerosmithSongwriter Interviews

Tyler talks about his true love: songwriting. How he identifies the beauty in a melody and turns sorrow into art.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?

The Evolution of "Ophelia"

The Evolution of "Ophelia"Song Writing

How five songs portray Shakespeare's character Ophelia.

Kip Winger

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.

Bryan Adams

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.

Tom Johnston from The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."