The Other Side

Album: Evanescence (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This booming track finds Amy Lee singing about death, a subject she has visited on a number of occasions before including "My Immortal," "Even In Death" and "Hello." "I wrote it with the guys. It was real collaborative," Lee explained to MTV News. "That was a hard one for me to write the lyrics for, because I had the chorus - it's very epic and dramatic; 'Counting the days to meet you on the other side' - but then, the verses, again, that element of fun is coming back in, you know, the band, it's grooving. So I'm like, 'How do I sing about death in a way that's sort of bitchy?' Like, it's not really possible ... it's hard to explain. But it's harder than it sounds."

    Lee's preoccupation with death can partly be explained by the tragedy of losing her 3-year-old sister Bonnie when she was 6.
  • The song is an aggressive, heavy track, but also has a looseness to it. "There's this element, this thing that we're doing that I can't really describe. We're just going to have to release the record and create an adjective [for it]," Lee said to MTV News with a laugh. "It's just... 'musicianship.' We're enjoying playing, and the way that I'm singing, the way that I'm writing my vocals, it's not about the most dramatic expression of pain, it's like, 'I'm singing this because it feels really good to sing the melody that way.' And I think that song has both. It's beautiful and epic, but at the same time it's got that rocking vibe."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Movie Stars In Music Videos

Movie Stars In Music VideosSong Writing

Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Mila Kunis and John Malkovich are just a few of the film stars who have moonlighted in music videos.

Weezer

WeezerFact or Fiction

Did Rivers Cuomo grow up on a commune? Why did they name their albums after colors? See how well you know your Weezer in this Fact or Fiction.

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.

Mark Arm of Mudhoney

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Female Singers Of The 90s

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

The ladies who ruled the '90s in this quiz.