Pain

Album: Cold World (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This blistering track was released as the lead single from Of Mice And Men's Cold World album. The band performed the tune live for the first time on June 28, 2016 at the opening show of the group's tour with Slipknot and Marilyn Manson in Nashville, Tennessee.
  • Frontman Austin Carlile told the story behind the song to Alternative Press:

    "It's called 'Pain' because that is what it's about: It talks about my personal journey of the last few years and how I relate that to the current state of the world that we live in now. People face pain every day, whether it be physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, metaphysically, metaphorically—everything. It's something we wanted to touch on because it's been such a big part of my life and pain in general has been something I have been living and breathing for the past 12, 15 years."
  • Carlile suffers from Marfan syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects the connective tissue of the body. This song is about his struggles with the condition. He told TeamRock:

    "I wake up every day in pain. All my joints get swollen, and sometimes I can't feel my legs or different parts of my body, and sometimes I can't function in the morning unless I take a hot shower and do all my exercises. It's a constant struggle for me.

    With the band, through St. Jude [Children's Research Hospital] or The Marfan Foundation or Living The Dream Foundation, we've met a lot of people that are in a lot of severe physical pain, and I wanted to write a song for myself and for them to embody what that feels like."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Colbie Caillat

Colbie CaillatSongwriter Interviews

Since emerging from MySpace with her hit "Bubbly," Colbie has become a top songwriter, even crafting a hit with Taylor Swift.

Colin Hay

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.