Evanescence
Reviewed by: Krystal Burns
Seemingly out of nowhere, Evanescence burst onto the airwaves in early 2003. Radio stations were bombarded by requests for “Bring Me to Life” and “My Immortal.” This small quartet from Little Rock, Arkansas has since hit triple platinum and been nominated for five Grammies, including best new artist. Lead vocalist Amy Lee and lead guitarist Ben Moody met in their early teens and soon began singing and songwriting together. It wasn’t until the late 90’s the band was complete and emerged as Evanescence.
Maybe some of you are like me, who didn’t even know evanescence is a real word, or like a little buddy here at Planetwisdom who can’t even pronounce it. But the word actually means to disappear like vapor, or to fade until no longer visible. Let’s hope that’s not foreshadowing their careers.
Not everything is in a name, but it does seem to fit the overall tone of the album, with songs like “Haunted,” “Imaginary,” and “My Last Breath.” There are various allusions to spiritual themes, which is why many Christians believe them to be a Christian band, or at the very least Christians themselves. Christian bookstores stocked their shelves with the album, and Christian radio stations played their tunes.
The song they are best known for is “Bring Me To Life” which has repeatedly made the top ten charts. According to Moody, “[It’s] about discovering something or someone that awakens a feeling inside them that they’ve never had before… You discover a world that is bigger than yourself.” This heavy, passionate song is about a spiritual and emotional state in which one feels isolated and alone, “My spirit is sleeping somewhere cold/ Until you find it there and lead it home.”
To those of us who are Christians, we can easily relate to that type of language. We use it at church all the time. By words like “home” we mean heaven. “Life” means spiritual life in Christ, and “darkness” means sin. We’re so used to hearing these words in Christian circles, it’s easy to assume that’s how everyone uses them. But it’s important to understand that these words are shared by many, many different religions. Even words like “salvation” and “God” can have different meanings to different people.
We have to try not to read too much into what people are saying when they use words like that. For example, one line in the song reads, “Frozen inside without your touch… Darling only you are the life among the dead.” Who do you think “darling” is? Does the song ever say who the “you” is? According to the video (also available on their website), the darling is a guy on the floor above her—maybe a boyfriend. But the song itself doesn’t really say whom it’s being sung to, which leaves a lot of room for interpretation.
The point is that we can take a lot of songs that use “Christian” words and turn them into Christian songs. But that is not always what the songwriter intended. This summer Evanescence demanded their CD be pulled from Christian bookstores and Christian radio tracks. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, April 18, 2003, Moody said, “We’re actually high on Christian charts, and I’m like, what the [beep] are we doing there?”
Whether or not the particular band members of Evanescence are believers is not for us to judge; however, their statements concerning their songs speak for themselves.
So What Do You Think?
1. Who are some other music artists who use words that sound Christian?
2. Should crossover bands disguise their faith so they can play on secular
radio?
3. Do you judge music based on its sound or lyrics?
4. The Christian life is much about hope in Jesus Christ. Do any of the
songs on “Fallen” by Evanescence offer hope or resolution?
5. According to 2 Tim. 1:8-10 and John 10:7-10, what brings us life?