My Own Prison by Creed

Album: My Own Prison (1997)

Charted: 54

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Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti wrote the music to this song, and lead singer Scott Stapp composed the lyrics, which are about his struggles with life at a time when he was questioning his faith. He realized he had created a prison within his own mind.

After Creed became wildly popular (and at the same time, reviled), Stapp created another kind of prison for himself with drug addiction, alcoholism, and a series of unflattering incidents the tabloids lapped up. In 2012, he was able to take an honest look at his life and re-evaluate his priorities, which he wrote about in his memoir Sinner's Creed. When we spoke with Stapp the following year, he explained, "Any time we have reconciliation in life, and any time there's balance brought back into life and perspective, at the end of those things, you find peace and joy and contentment, and that's where my life is today."
"My Own Prison" was Creed's first single and the title track to their debut album. It was a great example of the confessional songwriting that would become Stapp's hallmark. The singer says that expressing his deepest emotions and his vulnerabilities in his songs is cathartic for him.
Creed has a very grass-roots success story that starts when they made their My Own Prison album on the cheap with a local producer in Tallahassee (they formed at Florida State University) named John Kurzweg, recording it in his home studio. In April 1997 they pressed copies themselves and claimed they were signed to Blue Collar Records, a name they made up. Pretending to be distributors from the label, they took copies to local stores and convinced many to stock them. They also brought it to the Tallahassee rock station X101.5, which played "My Own Prison" on their local music show. The phones lit up with listeners asking about the song, so they put it in regular rotation, and all these albums in the record stores started selling.

Real record labels took notice, and the BMG subsidiary Wind-Up Records signed them. Wind-Up had them re-record some parts and had producer Ron Saint-Germain remix the album to make it sound more professional, then in August they re-issued it.

They pushed the band by distributing "My Own Prison" to radio stations as a promotional single and supporting it with their first video, which was directed by Stephen Scott. The combination of radio and MTV airplay set Creed on their path to success, and Wind-Up fulfilled demand by following up with three more promotional singles from the album: "Torn," "What's This Life For," and finally, "One."

None of these singles were sold in America, which drove up sales of the album at a time when $16 CDs were still commonplace. My Own Prison eventually sold over 6 million copies Stateside, a huge total that was nearly doubled by their next album, Human Clay, released in 1999.
Creed songs were in their happy place on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, where this song went to #2. Their early singles were ineligible for the Hot 100 because they weren't sold as singles, but "My Own Prison" managed to hit #54 on the Airplay chart in March 1998, nearly a year after the album was first issued.

By the time the album's last single, "One," was released, Billboard had changed their rule about Hot 100 eligibility, so that song made #70 on the chart in April 1999, just four months before the first single from Human Clay, "Higher," was issued. This kept a constant stream of Creed on the airwaves, resulting in a backlash as listeners eventually suffered Creed fatigue.

Comments: 26

Linda Ambrosino from Balto MdTrue how sin can be a stronghold in a person's life. The lyrics are felt and the choice words used could only be picked by someone who went through this experience of
I love how their choice was to cry out to to God because they came to the realization God is only one who can set us free
Linda Ambrosino from Balto MdTrue how sin can be a stronghold in a persos life. The lyrics are felt and the choice words used could only be picked by someone who went through this experience of
I love how their choice was to cry out to God
Josh from CaliforniaThis song helped me through depression during quarantine. my parents both work and leave me home with no one but my cats. i say i like being alone but i'm beginning to realize i don't.
Christi FisherI believe all sins are forgiven by God! If you repent he will set you free! I’ve dealt with schitzaphrenia and bipolar disorder and it’s through Grace and Love of the Father that has set me free!
Chris from Longwood, Fl Soo...here I am just thinking that it was the Hillary Clinton song....Something about Hillaree Burns....JUST SAYING!!
Rory from Nunya, OkGoerge from NJ dude please don't bash on christians like that its not cool. I actually signed up to songfacts to confront you on this issue im not trying to bash on you and diss you in any way but i am confronting you because i care. (i know that sounds cheesy) as a former christian you must know enough about the it that i do not have to inform you about much im simply saying that you left just because the music that is such a pity thing to loose a soul over i have grown in a community where their are no musical instruments at all and i listen to only heavy metal and rock (Metallica Led zeppelin Korn Slipknot ect) now if your saying more people will be drawn in that doesn't make any sense we shouldn't be drawn in for that we should be drawn in for one reason God. its not about what we want and how is it that so many have been drawn to christianity from the metal community Fieldy,Head, Scott Stapp, Sonny, and many more its because early in their life they realized that they cant fill their empty hearts with drugs boos and any other earthly thing and only one thing can do that. That one thing is YHWH!
Jacob from Elderwood , CaPat if you don't like Creed what are you doing here? Go back to your cave and listen to yourself crapping in a paper bag
Scott from Jackson, Alok George from jackson, nj. judgement day is approaching fast.
Steve from Melbourne, Australiaas a person who believes in jesus i think this song is about the time that we will all face up to on judgement day
Matt from Reading, Payour supposed to talk about the song not bash religion and post your opinion on your f---ked up life, George. Its one thing if you dont follow a religion but at least have respect for it and the people that do, you piece of sh*t. So you keep going to your clan meetings and talking with that annoying Jersey/"Joyze" accent but shut the hell as far as posting your opinion with a lack of respect for religion especialy when 86% of the human population belongs to one. And if your one of the 14% who doesnt have a religion... that is your choice but the rest of us dont want to hear about it. Creed is a very good band I went to their concert in Hershey a few years back and it was awesome and sounded great.
George from Jackson, Njthis song is about a guy going to hell and being put on trial for hell, great song, i dont beleive in that stuff at all, what so ever, actually i hate the idea of religon all together, but i still like some of creeds songs. they are definatly a band who made it even though they had gay christian lyrics that usually dont relate to people who like rock, and they are also bashed by christians and not considered a christian rock band.
i think if u religous idiots played music like creed,POD and other great christian rock bands instead of "open the eyes of my heart" and s--t like that, you would have alot more people going to and coming back to church.In fact i might still beleive in god, but i have ben to exposed to free thinking and scientific explanation and things that are actually real. thank you
Todd from San Francisco, United States I find all of Scott Stapp's lyrics to be confessional and inspiring. I'm Christian and alot of people in church cicles have condemned him for his failures in my experience. His solo album was very good and typical to his style. I did notice the guitars were a bit more simple sounding than with Creed but the whole album is good. I am writing a paper on My own prison.
Joseph from Toastville, OhAll you people who come here just to bash the band, GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE NOW! What kind of life do you have? You just want to get on the internet, take the time to go to this website, type in Creed, and bash them for no reason at all? Get a life people, a real actual life.
Matt from Marion, IaDefinately the best Creed song out there. The acoustic version is pretty biting too.
Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScI'm not a huge Creed fan, but you could at least write a better comment. Right Pat? Personally I like Led Zeppelin and other groups from that period better, but Creed is a good group. Besides, Creed is much better than other singers who are popular right now.
Steve from Burkburnett, Txim not gonna start a creed grupee club and i dont even have an official cd, i have 3 downloaded off the web and honestly, i like thier music. i could care less of what you think of them but dont rag on the fans for liking their music. that comment was very disrespectful and you kinda pissed me off as well as some others. seriously, if you dont like thier music
1. turn it off
2. dont bother other people who do like it
3. be more respectful
Glenn from Bandera, TxCreed reached a lot of people with their soul searching lyrics and sledgehammer guitar. To call them a Pearl Jam cover band (I love PJ) or to dismiss them as some wuss metal act is inaccurate. If anything, they drew inspiration from the likes of The Doors, Led Zeppelin and other legendary artists. The proof that they were a GREAT band was evident to me the night I saw them live. CREED will rise again...
Michelle from Anaheim, CaPat, if you don't like Creed, the OBVIOUSLY don't come here. And Creed has great lyrics, by far the best I've heard. I'd hate to here what YOU listen to. And you're WAY wrong about u "recording" better music. I'm sure u'd have WAY more fans listening 2 u crap then Creed fans.
NOT.
so no one wants to here you diss Creed, got it?
Pat Long from E Nopo, Nyyeah i really hope creed gets back together so they can make some more crappy music for its legions of worthless fans who dont know crap about music! that would be awesome! i mean with arms wide open is definitley the best song ever..hold on that song is a miserable piece of musical garbage. i could record myself crapping in a paper bag and back it with some pots and pans being run over by a mack truck and it would sound better than anything creed ever recorded.
Mariano from Fredericksburg, Vaguys my own prison is sort of a story of when he dies and hes n the heanvenly court(heaven facinbg god)where hes being judged for all his sins and he regrets all the bad things he did....CREED ROCKS!!!!!AND SO DOES ALTER BRIDGE.and chris im sorry man but creed will never happen again.
Chris from San Diego, CaAwesome song. Creed was a good band. hopefully they will get back together
Erik from Willow Hill, PaI think this song is very touching. He's gone through alot in life and has cleaned up since Creed broke up.
Isobel from Sydney, Australiascotty woke up one morning banging his head against the wall after being high the night before he was upset and depressed.
Dude from Tx, TxApparently his faith has dwindled since he wrote this song, with all the anti-religion interviews and the intoxication on stage.
Brad Nash from Rochester Hills, MiThat sound offly simmalar to "THE WALL", the rock opera where a kid builds up a "wall" in his mind to block out reality because of his mistreatments
Luke from Manchester, EnglandCreed - The #1 Pearl Jam tribute band

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