It Coulda Been Me

Album: Social Distortion (1990)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This punk-rock song is about recovery from drug addiction. Social Distortion singer Mike Ness told Rolling Stone it was inspired by "watching my friends die or go to prison." He added: "At that point, I was just really grateful to figure out that being a junkie was a horrible life and that nothing was gonna come of it but misery. So it was also a song of hope and gratitude. It could have been me. In the first six months [of recovery] I realized that I was lucky and that now I just had all this energy that can go to a positive thing: I could play music. But it's very important to remember where you come from and that you can easily go back."
  • This appears on Social Distortion's self-titled third album. Known for its singles "Story of My Life" and "Ball And Chain," which made the rounds on alt-rock radio and MTV, the album earned a Gold certification in the US for 500,000 copies sold.
  • This was the band's first album after signing with Epic. Their previous album, Prison Bound, was released via the California-based alternative label Reckless Records.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The Devil

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The DevilSong Writing

Just how much did these monsters of rock dabble in the occult?

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."

TV Theme Songs

TV Theme SongsFact or Fiction

Was a Beatles song a TV theme? And who came up with those Fresh Prince and Sopranos songs?

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Amy Lee of EvanescenceSongwriter Interviews

The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.