"My Immortal" | ||||
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Single by Evanescence | ||||
from the album Daredevil: The Album and Fallen | ||||
Released | December 8, 2003 | |||
Recorded | 1997 (first demo) 2000 (Origin demo) 2002 ("band" version) | |||
Studio | NRG Recording (North Hollywood, California) | |||
Genre | Symphonic rock [1] | |||
Length | 4:33 ("band" version) 4:22 (album version) | |||
Label | Wind-up | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Evanescence singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"My Immortal" on YouTube |
"My Immortal" is a song by American rock band Evanescence from their debut studio album, Fallen (2003). It was released by Wind-up Records on December 8, 2003 as the album's third single, following its inclusion on the soundtrack to the film Daredevil . The song was written by singer and pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody when they were 15. Several versions were recorded, with the earliest in 1997. Wind-up used the recording from their 2000 demo CD on Fallen against Lee's wishes, which featured Lee's demo vocals and a MIDI keyboard. Strings from Daredevil composer Graeme Revell were added during the production of Fallen. The single, dubbed the "band version", is the re-recording Lee and Moody made for Fallen, featuring guitar, drums and bass after the bridge and a string arrangement by David Campbell. An alternative version of the song appears on the band's fourth studio album Synthesis (2017).
"My Immortal" is a piano power ballad, with fictional lyrics about a lingering spirit that haunts someone. The song received generally positive reviews. It was commercially successful, peaking within the top ten in over 10 countries. It charted at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in Canada, Greece and Portugal, as well as on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart. The single was certified gold in the US and platinum in Australia. In 2005, it received a nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 47th Grammy Awards. The music video directed by David Mould was filmed in black-and-white in Gothic Quarter, Barcelona. The video was nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video.
The song's words were originally written by Moody from fiction and the music written by Lee on piano when they were 15, after which Lee added the bridge. [8] The lyrics of the song refer to a spirit that haunts the memory of a grieving loved one, according to MTV. [2] Lee considered it Moody's song as he wrote the lyrics. [9] [2] She contributed "a little bit" to the lyrics, but does not connect with the song as it does not have personal meaning to her. [10] [11] [7]
The earliest known demo of the song was a home-recording by Lee and Moody that solely featured Lee's vocals and piano and slightly different lyrics. It was intended to be included on their 1998 Evanescence EP but was cut before the EP's release. [12] [4] The song was re-recorded for their 2000 demo album, Origin . [13] A version of the song is also featured on the 2003 EP, Mystary. [14]
"My Immortal" is a piano power ballad. [15] [16] [17] John Bean of The Providence Journal called it a "gothic ballad". [18] Michael Clark of the Houston Chronicle viewed it as "goth-meets-pop", [19] and MTV described it as a "delicate, heartfelt ballad". [20] A writer for IGN said "My Immortal" is thematically a song of pain and despair". [21] Lee's vocals on the album song are accompanied by a simple piano and some "symphonic dressings". [17] According to the sheet music published by Alfred Music Publishing on the website Musicnotes.com, the song is set in common time and performed in slow and free tempo of 80 beats per minute in the key of A major (F-sharp minor for the chorus). Lee's vocal range for the song runs from the low musical note of A3 to the high note of C♯5. [22]
The demo that Evanescence used on their 2000 demo CD was recorded at the radio station where Lee's father worked, after it was empty late at night. This recording, comprising a MIDI keyboard and Lee's demo vocal performance as a teen, is the version used on Fallen per the label's demand, to Lee's displeasure. [25] The label's head of A&R had said in an interview with HitQuarters that when she heard the song she "knew it was a hit". [26] Lee said that the label was "in love" with the song and, although Evanescence had other songs for the album, label executives had "listened to it too many times and they couldn't let it go so they had to put it on the album". [27] She added:
"It's really hard for me to listen to the album version because we did it two years ago — it was just me and guitarist Ben, and I've grown so much as a performer since then ... It's not even a real piano. And the sound quality is bad because we had to break into the studio to record it late at night when no one was around because we couldn't afford a real session." [2]
Lee later said she also dislikes it because she "sounds like a little kid" and the album version does not use David Campbell's orchestration. [24] When "My Immortal" became a single, Lee and Moody chose the recording they had made for Fallen that the label originally rejected. [2] This recording is dubbed the "band version", featuring guitar, drums and bass after the bridge and during the final chorus of the song, as well as Campbell's orchestration. It is the version used on the song's music video and for radio. [30] The later pressings of Fallen contain the single version (or "band version") of "My Immortal" as a hidden track. [28] Moody is credited on the album with producing the song, [31] while on the single's CD Dave Fortman and Moody are credited with production on both the album version and "band version" of the song. [32] The added strings on the album version were arranged by Graeme Revell for the Daredevil soundtrack. [34]
"My Immortal" received generally positive reviews. Kirk Miller of Rolling Stone said that the song "lets Lee wail about her personal demons over simple piano and some symphonic dressings". [17] Richard Harrington of The Washington Post called it a "majestic" song. [35] Blair R. Fischer from MTV News described "My Immortal" as a "delicate, heartfelt ballad". [20] Reviewing a live show, IGN's Ed Thompson regarded it "one of the first and best songs Evanescence ever wrote". [36] Blair R. Fischer of Chicago Tribune said that Lee sounds "simply heavenly on the aberrant, elegant strings-soaked ballad". [37] Jordan Reimer of The Daily Princetonian found a "haunting beauty" in the song. [38] Writing for The Guardian , Tom Reynolds deemed "My Immortal" a "whimpering post-breakup tune" and "overwrought", listing it as one of his top 25 "miserable" tracks. [39]
In 2005, the song received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. [40] [41] "My Immortal" has been considered by some media outlets as one of Evanescence's best songs, with Loudwire and Kerrang ranking it in the top five of their lists of best Evanescence songs. [42] [43]
"My Immortal" peaked within the top 20 of over 10 countries. On the chart issue dated April 10, 2004, the song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, [44] and at number two on the Pop Songs chart on March 27, 2004. [45] It also reached number 19 on the Adult Contemporary chart, [46] and topped Billboard's Adult Pop Songs chart. [47] [48] On the Billboard Radio Songs chart, the song peaked at number seven on April 10, 2004. [49] "My Immortal" was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 17, 2009, for selling more than 500,000 copies in the United States. [50] Its single release also helped Fallen move from number nine to number three on the Billboard 200 chart, selling another 69,000 copies. [51] [52] Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems placed the song at number six on the list of most played radio songs in 2004 with 317,577 spins. [53]
Internationally, the song topped the charts of Canada, Greece, and Portugal. [56] On the Australian Singles Chart, it debuted at number four on January 25, 2004, peaking at that position for three weeks. [57] The next eight weeks, it remained in the top ten of the chart, [58] and it last appeared at number 44 for the week of June 13, 2004. [59] The single was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 70,000 copies in that country. [60] On New Zealand's RIANZ chart, the song debuted at number 49 on December 19, 2003. On January 25, it climbed from number 34 to number seven. It fell to number eight the next week, then rose up to number two on February 8, blocked from the top position by Baby Bash's "Suga Suga". [61] The next week, it fell to number nine, then spent three more non-consecutive weeks in the top ten. May 10 was its last week inside the top 50, appearing at number 32. [62]
On December 14, 2003, "My Immortal" debuted at number seven on the UK Singles Chart which later also became its peak position. [63] On February 15, 2004 the song dropped out of the top 100. It later re-entered at number 84 on July 13, 2008. [64] After spending several weeks on different positions on the UK Rock Chart, on August 21, 2011, it peaked at number one. [65] The next week, "My Immortal" moved to number two after being replaced by the band's single "What You Want" (2011); [65] a week later, it returned to number one on the chart. [65] The song re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 81 on August 21, 2011 and at number 89 on October 16, 2011. [64] It also charted for six weeks on Ireland's IRMA chart, peaking at number 20. [66]
The music video directed by David Mould was filmed in black-and-white in Plaça de Sant Felip Neri, Gothic Quarter, Barcelona, on October 10, 2003. [2] [67] Lee said they filmed it in an "old area of town", with some of footage from a "scenic point, and there was a rooftop where you could see Barcelona below." [2]
Lee said the video "is all about separation" and she wanted it "to depict real human sadness." [2] [68] The video was filmed two weeks before Moody's departure from the band. [67] Lee admitted that the video's visuals were conspicuous in retrospect but the similarities between that and Moody's departure was coincidental. [69] [68]
According to Jon Wiederhorn from MTV News, the shots of the video are "evocative and artistic, resembling a cross between a foreign film and a Chanel advertisement." [2] Joe D'Angelo of MTV News said that Lee's disconnection in the video shows a "distressed and emotionally wrought heroine." [70] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone praised the video saying that Lee looked like a "teen-misery titan" and that she "tiptoed through a marble castle of pain". [71] The music video received an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Rock Video at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards. [72]
The music broke the one billion view milestone on October 2, 2024.
Evanescence performed the song on the Late Show with David Letterman in March 2004, [73] and at the 2004 Billboard Music Awards in December 2004. [74] A live performance of the song from their Le Zénith, Paris show is featured on their concert CD/DVD, Anywhere but Home (2004). [75] [76] Evanescence performed the song on their 2011 Rock in Rio festival show on October 2, 2011. [77]
"My Immortal" was featured on the soundtrack of the film Daredevil (2003) along with "Bring Me to Life". [78] [79] The song has been used in several television episodes. In 2003, it was featured in the Smallville season three episode "Memoria". [80] Lucy Walsh, a contestant of the 2008 show Rock the Cradle , covered the song in the fifth episode "Judge's Picks". [81] In 2012, Dancer Hampton Williams performed to this song during his audition for the season 9 premiere of So You Think You Can Dance . [82] In the show's eleventh season, the song accompanied a performance by the top seven women, choreographed by Mandy Moore. [83] In 2023, it was featured in the Twisted Metal season one episode "EV3L1N". [84]
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Fallen. [31]
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Weekly charts | Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [60] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [134] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [135] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI) [136] | Gold | 150,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [137] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [138] | Gold | 5,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI) [139] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [50] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | November 10, 2003 | Wind-up | [140] | |
United Kingdom | December 8, 2003 | CD |
| [141] |
Australia | January 12, 2004 | [142] | ||
Canada | January 20, 2004 | [143] | ||
Denmark | February 2, 2004 | [144] |
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in 1994 by singer and keyboardist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody in Little Rock, Arkansas. After releasing independent EPs as a duo in the late '90s and a demo CD, Evanescence released their debut studio album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. Propelled by the success of hit singles like "Bring Me to Life" and "My Immortal", Fallen sold more than four million copies in the US by January 2004, garnering Evanescence two Grammy Awards out of six nominations. They released their first live album and concert DVD, Anywhere but Home, in 2004, which sold over one million copies worldwide.
Fallen is the debut studio album by American rock band Evanescence, released on March 4, 2003 by Wind-up Records. Co-founders singer and pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody began writing and recording songs as Evanescence in 1994, and after releasing two EPs and a demo CD, they signed to Wind-up in January 2001. Several of the songs from their earlier independent releases feature on Fallen. The album was recorded between August and December 2002 in several studios in California. It is Evanescence's only studio album to feature Moody, who left the band in October 2003.
Origin is a demo album by American rock band Evanescence. A compilation of home-recorded demos from 1996-1999, the CD was self-released and sold at local shows, and then packaged to showcase to record labels. A total of 2,000 copies were made and sold by the Bigwig Enterprises website from November 4, 2000 to 2003. Origin contains demos written and recorded by co-founders Amy Lee and Ben Moody for their earlier independent EPs in the 1990s, including "Whisper", "Imaginary", and "My Immortal", which appear on their debut album Fallen (2003).
Benjamin Robert Moody II is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as a co-founder of rock band Evanescence, which formed in 1994 and which he departed in 2003 after the release of their 2003 album Fallen. After leaving Evanescence, Moody co-wrote and co-produced songs for Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Anastacia, Lindsay Lohan, Bo Bice, Daughtry, and Celine Dion.
"Bring Me to Life" is the debut single by American rock band Evanescence from their debut studio album, Fallen (2003). It was released by Wind-up as the album's lead single on January 13, 2003, following its inclusion in the soundtrack of the film Daredevil.
Anywhere but Home is the first live album and concert DVD release by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on November 23, 2004, by Wind-up Records. It includes a recording of a concert at Le Zénith in Paris, an hour of behind the scenes footage, three previously-unreleased songs, and all four of the Fallen music videos.
"Everybody's Fool" is a song by American rock band Evanescence from their debut studio album, Fallen. Wind-up Records released the song on May 31, 2004, as the album's fourth and final single. It was written by Amy Lee in 1999 about the promotion of unrealistic and hyper-sexualized ideals of perfection in the music industry, with detrimental influence on the youth's expectations and self-image. Guitarist Ben Moody and David Hodges also share songwriting credits on the song, which was produced by Dave Fortman.
"Going Under" is a song by American rock band Evanescence from their debut studio album, Fallen (2003). It was released by Wind-up Records as the album's second single on August 18, 2003. Lee wrote the song about coming out of a difficult relationship. Guitarist Ben Moody and David Hodges share songwriting credits on the song, produced by Dave Fortman. Musically, "Going Under" is primarily a nu metal song featuring electronic drum beats and a piano interlude.
Daredevil: The Album is the soundtrack album for the film Daredevil (2003), starring Ben Affleck. It was released on February 4, 2003 by Wind-up Records. Many of the songs on the album appeared in the film.
The Open Door is the second studio album by American rock band Evanescence, released on September 25, 2006, by Wind-up Records. Amy Lee had full creative control of the record, incorporating new elements into their previous musical styles, including her classical influences, homemade sounds, industrial rock, symphonic metal, progressive rock, electronica and the use of choirs on several songs. The album was written in the course of 18 months, and the recording process was delayed as a result of guitarist Terry Balsamo's stroke. Most of the songs were co-composed by Lee and Balsamo, with production handled by Dave Fortman.
American rock band Evanescence has released five studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, two demo albums, three extended plays, eighteen singles, nine promotional singles, two video albums, and eighteen music videos. Evanescence was founded in 1994 by Amy Lee and Ben Moody in Little Rock, Arkansas. The band's lineup comprises Lee, guitarist Troy McLawhorn, guitarist Tim McCord, drummer Will Hunt, and bassist Emma Anzai. As of 2022, the band has sold over 31.9 million albums.
"Call Me When You're Sober" is a song by American rock band Evanescence from their second studio album, The Open Door. It was released as the album's lead single on September 4, 2006. The track was written by Amy Lee and guitarist Terry Balsamo, and produced by Dave Fortman. A musical fusion of alternative metal, symphonic rock, and electropop, the song was inspired by the end of Lee's relationship with singer Shaun Morgan as well as Lee's other experiences at the time.
"Lithium" is a song by American rock band Evanescence from their second studio album, The Open Door. It was released by Wind-up Records on December 4, 2006 as the album's second single. "Lithium" was written by singer and pianist Amy Lee and produced by Dave Fortman. Lee initially wrote it on guitar when she was 16 years old, and later reworked it on piano, recording it with the band's performance. The song is a power ballad with lyrics about uncertainty between feelings of sorrow and happiness.
"Sweet Sacrifice" is a song by American rock band Evanescence from their second studio album, The Open Door. It was released on May 25, 2007, as the album's third single. The song was written by Amy Lee and Terry Balsamo, and produced by Dave Fortman. It is about coming out of the abusive relationship that inspired much of Lee's writing on the debut album. "Sweet Sacrifice" received generally positive reviews by critics, and was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 50th Grammy Awards. Its music video was directed by P.R. Brown.
Evanescence is the third studio album by American rock band Evanescence, released on October 7, 2011, by Wind-up Records. The band began writing the album in June 2009. Its release was delayed several times; on February 22, 2010, the band entered the studio with producer Steve Lillywhite but later stopped working with him because he "wasn't the right fit". At the time the album was scheduled for an August or September 2010 release, but Lee later announced that Evanescence had postponed recording to write more material. In April 2011, the band returned to the studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz. Evanescence is the first Evanescence album to be written as a band, with Lee, guitarist Terry Balsamo, guitarist Troy McLawhorn, bassist Tim McCord and drummer Will Hunt co-writing the music together.
"What You Want" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released as the lead single from the band's third eponymous album on August 9, 2011 through Wind-up Records. The song was written by Amy Lee, Terry Balsamo and Tim McCord and produced by Nick Raskulinecz. Lee described "What You Want" as a departure from the band's previous sound and said she was inspired to write the song by several experiences she had with her fans. Musically "What You Want" contains a variety of musical elements and it uses drums, guitars, synthesizers and a piano. Lyrically, the song has a theme of freedom.
"My Heart Is Broken" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on October 31, 2011, as the second single for their eponymous third studio album (2011). An alternative version appears on the band's fourth studio album Synthesis (2017). The track was written by Amy Lee, Terry Balsamo, Tim McCord, Will Hunt and Zach Williams, while production was handled by Nick Raskulinecz. Musically, "My Heart Is Broken" is an uptempo rock ballad, whose instrumentation consists of piano, guitars and drums. Lee revealed that the song was written after seeing victims of sex trafficking. The recording received favorable reviews from music critics, who praised the combination between Lee's vocals and piano playing, as well as its fellow instrumentation; several of them chose it as a highlight on the album. On music charts, "My Heart Is Broken" reached number 36 on the Austrian Singles Chart, number 92 on the German Singles Chart and number 34 on the US Adult Top 40.
"Lost in Paradise" is a song by American rock band Evanescence from their third self-titled studio album, Evanescence (2011). An alternative version appears on the band's fourth studio album, Synthesis (2017). Although initially penned by frontwoman Amy Lee as a personal song and anticipated to become a B-side, it was later recorded for the album. Wind-up Records released the song as the third single from the album on May 25, 2012. It was produced by Nick Raskulinecz. A snippet of the song premiered online on July 15, 2011, prior to its album's release in October. Musically, "Lost in Paradise" is a rock ballad that begins with piano, strings, and Lee's vocals before the band kicks in during the climax. Lyrically, it is inspired by the struggles in Lee's life during Evanescence's hiatus. The song was compared to Björk's song "Jóga" (1997) and the band's own "My Immortal" (2003).
[Moody:] Some of the songs on [Fallen] are six years old. They've been reworked over the years, but Whisper, Imaginary, My Immortal, those are songs that have been around since Amy and I first started writing music together.
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