Weathered (song)

"Weathered"
Single by Creed
from the album Weathered
ReleasedNovember 6, 2002
Recorded2001
GenrePost-grunge
Length5:30
LabelWind-up
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)John Kurzweg
Creed singles chronology
"Don't Stop Dancing"
(2002)
"Weathered"
(2002)
"Overcome"
(2009)

"Weathered" is a song by American rock band Creed. It was released on November 6, 2002, as the last single from their album, Weathered. The song was the band's last single until “Overcome” in 2009.

Writing and recording

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Creed began writing sessions for the Weathered album following their tour in support of Human Clay, which, according to vocalist Scott Stapp, was done because "We wanted to live life and have experiences, and set aside a time later where we would write,". Prior to writing new songs, the band agreed not to listen to any music between the end of the tour and the beginning of the writing sessions, so as not to allow anything to subconsciously influence their writing process so that all the material would come from them. "Weathered" was written during a three-week period along with the rest of the album, with writing sessions mostly taking place in Stapp's living room over four-hour sessions, and later on from his Sea Ray cruiser.[1]

Recording sessions began on July 20, 2001, when the band entered J. Stanley Productions Inc. recording studio in Ocoee, Florida. The band worked alongside Jay Stanley, who would sporadically come and go throughout the sessions, Full Sail University graduate Shilpa Patel, who helped record and mix the album, and longtime producer John Kurzweg. The album was recorded and mixed in just four months using Pro Tools during the summer and early fall.[2][3]

Music and lyrics

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"Weathered" features elements of both post-grunge as well as blues.[4] It is written in the key of F major, with guitarist Mark Tremonti playing in open D5 tuning, which he cites as his favourite guitar tuning.[5][6][7] According to producer John Kurzweg, the song has a classic-rock vibe that reminds him of Bad Company or Lynyrd Skynyrd.[1] The lyrics, written by Stapp, address his feelings of sadness, bleakness and the pressures that came with living the rock star lifestyle while simultaneously having to conceal his rapidly deteriorating and unraveling mental state at the time from those around him.[8]

"Yeah, and I think you could see that clearly in the Weathered album. The title and the lyrics on that record absolutely relate to that - "I'm rusted and weathered, barely holding together, I'm covered with skin that peels and it just won't heal" - that was me sharing my heart and soul. I guess I'd learned how to flip the switch when I had to." — Stapp[8]

Release and reception

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Released on November 6, 2002, nearly an entire year after the album's release, "Weathered" became the band's 11th song to reach the top ten on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, peaking at number 7 on February 1, 2003. On the Modern Rock chart, the song didn't fare quite as well, where it only managed to peak at number 30. On the Active Rock chart, the song peaked at number 13, and finished at number 50 on the 2003 year-end chart.

Appearances in media

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Creed performed the song live on December 9, 2002, atop the 1,149 ft observation tower at The Strat (formerly the Stratosphere), at the 2002 Billboard Music Awards, where the band won four Billboard Music Awards.[9] "Weathered" was used in a WWE "Desire" tribute video entitled "Behind the Scenes" in 2002, as well as for the closing music video at the 1st annual WWE Tribute to the Troops professional wrestling event in 2003.[10]

Chart performance

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Chart (2002–2003) Peak
position
US Active Rock (Billboard)[11] 13
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[12] 30
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[13] 7

Year-end charts

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Chart (2003) Peak
position
US Active Rock (Billboard)[14] 50

References

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  1. ^ a b Eliscu, Jenny (November 2, 2001). "Creed Take You Higher". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  2. ^ Wind-up Records. "Creednet - The official website of Creed - Human Clay, My Own Prison, Creed Audio, Creed Tour Dates and more". Archived from the original on 2001-07-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ J. Stanley Productions Inc. "Clients". jstanleyproductions.com/. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  4. ^ Childers, Chad (February 11, 2021). "The 40 Best Rock Albums Of 2001". loudwire.com. Retrieved November 20, 2001.
  5. ^ "Weathered". inwhatkey.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  6. ^ Creed – Weathered: Authentic Guitar Tab. Alfred. 2008. ISBN 0739054058.
  7. ^ "Mark Tremonti Names Favorite Guitar Tuning: 'It's Impossible to Make Anything Sound Bad in It'". www.ultimate-guitar.com. November 12, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Brannigan, Paul (April 29, 2014). "EXCLUSIVE: Scott Stapp on drugs, God and near death experiences". loudersound.com. Louder Sound. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  9. ^ "2002 Billboard Music Awards". Billboard. December 9, 2002. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  10. ^ Cawthon, Graham. "Tribute to the Troops results". Retrieved 2009-01-24.
  11. ^ "Creed Chart History (Active Rock)". Billboard.
  12. ^ "Creed Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  13. ^ "Creed Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  14. ^ "Most Played Active Rock Songs" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 11, no. 51. December 19, 2003. p. 38. Retrieved August 20, 2021.