| "Bullets" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Creed | ||||
| from the album Weathered | ||||
| Released | February 23, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | 2001 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 3:49 | |||
| Label | Wind-up | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| Creed singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Bullets" on YouTube | ||||
"Bullets" is the second single from Creed's third album, Weathered . The song serves as the opening track to the album and is considered to be one of the band's heaviest songs.
Along with entirety of the Weathered album, "Bullets" was written during four-hour sessions in vocalist Scott Stapp's living room as well as on his Sea Ray cruiser over the course of a three-week period, with Stapp contributing the lyrics and guitarist Mark Tremonti composing the music. [1] The band recorded and mixed the song along with the album at J. Stanley Productions Inc. recording studio in Ocoee, Florida, over a four-month period in the summer and early fall of 2001. [2] [3]
"Bullets" is an anthemic and forceful heavy metal track that features some of Tremonti's fastest and most aggressive guitar work for Creed. Stapp described the song as "the heaviest, most intense music we've ever written." [4] [1] The lyrics were written by Stapp about what he felt were unjust criticisms that the band had received throughout their careers from critics and the press. In the song, Stapp asks of them to "At least look at me when you shoot a bullet through my head!", inferring that if someone has something negative to say about them to do it to their faces. [4]
A video was also released with the single which was also aired on MTV as a follow-up to Creed's first single, "My Sacrifice". Developed by Vision Scape Interactive, the team behind games such as Twisted Metal 4 , were responsible for characterizing and developing the storyline in the video with the band. The team spent $473,000, and dedicated 15 employees working more than 18 hours a day to complete the project, according to Matt McDonald, President of Vision Scape. [5] The roots for the video were laid a year prior, when McDonald and his wife Tammy saw the Creed Behind the Music episode. The McDonald's, intrigued with the energy and message of the band, contacted Creed, through Mark Tremonti's younger brother Daniel Tremonti, to see if they were interested in contributing music for an eventually canceled video game called "Revelations". Daniel would later call back, informing Vision Scape that the band wanted them to create a music video using the visuals from "Revelations". [6]
The video sees digitized versions of Stapp, Tremonti, and drummer Scott Philips do battle with legions of demons, metal-plated beasts and giant, saber-toothed spiders. Much of the imagery in the video is meant to reflect the way the band dealt with criticism, including the bullets Stapp is peppered with by demons meant to symbolize negative comments from critics and journalists directed at the band. According to Matt McDonald, it was very important to the band members that they were depicted accurately and to their liking, including their tattoos and the weapons they used. Tremonti's character was given a battle-axe to represent his guitar, while Philips was given two swords, with the designs on the swords inspired by his tattoos, to represent his drumsticks. Much of the footage was modeled after fight scenes from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Iron Monkey . Originally the character model for Stapp was designed more like an Archangel, featuring a very futuristic look and metallic wings. However, Stapp wanted the design to have more "earthy" look to it, feeling it would better fit the art style of the Weathered album, as well as bring attention to his Cherokee roots and heritage, so the team redesigned his model so his wings would appear more like those of an eagle or a hawk. [6]
The song was released as the second single to the Weathered album, and was the follow-up to the band's highly successful lead single "My Sacrifice". Stapp said the reasoning behind choosing "Bullets" as the follow-up single was that the band always looked to establish themselves as a rock band with a heavier side, and that the band would often go back to their heavier rock roots with the second single of an album as a tribute to the active rock and hard rock stations that gave them their big break. [7] Tremonti praised the single feeling it exhibited the diversity of the band's sound. He stated "It's great to show the range of our style because 'Bullets' is such a different sound than our first single." [7]
Although not as successful on the charts as its predecessor, "Bullets" managed to reach number 11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and 27 on the Modern Rock chart. The song was also released as a double A-side in the United Kingdom and Ireland, along with the band's next single "One Last Breath", where the latter would peak at number 47 on the UK Singles Chart and 41 on the Irish Singles Chart.
To promote the Weathered album Creed performed "Bullets", along "My Sacrifice", on the November 17, 2001, episode of Saturday Night Live, where they were featured as musical guests. [8] "Bullets" was also played as the opening song during the band's first show of the Weathered tour, an hour special VH1 "Opening Night Live" performance in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Philips Arena on January 16, 2002. [9] The song was once again played as the opener for the band's performance at the 2002 Winter Olympics closing ceremony in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 19, 2002. [10]
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Active Rock ( Billboard ) [11] | 10 |
| US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [12] | 27 |
| US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [13] | 11 |
| Chart (2002) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Active Rock (Billboard) [14] | 60 |
Creed is an American rock band from Tallahassee, Florida formed in 1994. Creed was prominent in the post-grunge movement of the late 1990s and early 2000s, releasing three consecutive multi-platinum albums; Human Clay (1999), the band's second studio album, received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Creed has sold over 28 million records in the United States, with one additional one being purchased by Andrea Rogers in late 2024, has sold over 53 million albums worldwide, and was the ninth best-selling musical act of the 2000s.
Weathered is the third studio album by American rock band Creed, released on November 20, 2001. It was the last Creed album to be released until Full Circle came out in October 2009, with Creed disbanding in June 2004. It is the only Creed album to be recorded as a three-member band, as bassist Brian Marshall departed in August 2000. Vocalist Scott Stapp and guitarist Mark Tremonti wrote most of the material for the album during a three-week period in late 2000, following their successful tour to support their second album, Human Clay. Manager Jeff Hanson once again paired the band with longtime producer John Kurzweg, who rented out a private residence/recording studio in Ocoee, Florida owned by Jay Stanley, where the band would set up their studio inside to record the album. Recording sessions for the album began in July 2001, with Tremonti taking on bass guitar duties in Marshall's absence, and would last four months to complete.
Scott Stapp is an American singer and the lead vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Creed. He has also fronted the band Art of Anarchy and has released four solo albums: The Great Divide (2005), Proof of Life (2013), The Space Between the Shadows (2019), and Higher Power (2024).
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Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American rock band Creed. It was released on November 22, 2004, soon after the announcement that the band had broken up in June, and that lead singer Scott Stapp and the other members of the band would go their separate ways. It consists of every one of Creed's U.S. singles from their first three albums: My Own Prison (1997), Human Clay (1999), and Weathered (2001), only leaving out their international single, "Hide"; the song "What's This Life For" has censored lyrics on this release, and is cut down to 3 minutes and 32 seconds in length. The album also includes a DVD that contains all of the band's music videos and several live performances.
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Mark Thomas Tremonti is an American guitarist and singer, best known for his tenures with the rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. He is a founding member of both bands, and has also collaborated with many other artists over the years. He formed his own band Tremonti in 2011 and has released five albums with them, including A Dying Machine, which was adapted by Tremonti and science fiction novelist John Shirley.
Brian Aubrey Marshall is an American musician best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge.
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"Higher" is a song by American rock band Creed. It was released on August 24, 1999, as the lead single from their second studio album, Human Clay. The song became the band's breakthrough hit as it was their first song to reach the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at number seven in July 2000. It spent a total of 57 weeks upon the survey, the longest stay for any Creed song on the Hot 100. "Higher" also became the band's second chart-topping hit on rock radio as it topped both the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts, for a then-record of 17 weeks.
"One Last Breath" is a power ballad by American rock band Creed. The band's lead vocalist, Scott Stapp, wrote the song over a period of three weeks and recorded at J. Stanley Productions Inc in Ocoee, Florida. The lyrics of the song are about reflecting on past mistakes and seeking comfort from friends who want to help. It was released in April 2002 as the third single from their third studio album, Weathered (2001).
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"My Sacrifice" is a song by American rock band Creed. It was released on October 16, 2001, as the lead single from their third studio album, Weathered. The song peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of February 9, 2002, and reached number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for nine consecutive weeks, beginning in December 2001. Worldwide, the song was a top-20 hit in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 2003 at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards.
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