My Own Prison is the debut studio album by American rock band Creed, released in 1997. The album was issued independently by the band's record label, Blue Collar Records, on April 14, 1997, and re-released by Wind-up Records on August 26, 1997. Manager Jeff Hanson matched Creed up with John Kurzweg, and My Own Prison was recorded for $6,000, funded by Hanson. The band wrote several songs, trying to discover their own identity, and in their early days, the members had jobs, while bassist Brian Marshall got a degree. Creed began recording music and released the album on their own, distributing it to radio stations in Florida. The band later got a record deal with Wind-up.
Creed released four singles from the album: the title track, "Torn", "What's This Life For", and "One". Despite only peaking at number 22 on the Billboard 200, strong radio airplay propelled My Own Prison to become a commercial success. All singles were successful on rock radio in the United States and, with the exception of "One", had music videos that received airplay on MTV. My Own Prison was eventually certified sextuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and, as of 2009, sold over 6,000,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album received reviews ranging from positive to negative, complimenting its guitar riffs and music but criticizing its similarity to 1990s grunge bands.
Background, writing, recording, and production
For the band's debut release, manager Jeff Hanson matched them up with John Kurzweg, a producer friend who, with his unobtrusive production style and talents as a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, he felt was a great fit.[1] The album, funded by Hanson, was recorded for $6,000. My Own Prison was originally released independently on the band's own label, Blue Collar Records, in 1997. It was distributed to Florida radio stations, and their enthusiasm for the record helped it sell 6,000 copies in the first two months in Florida alone.[1] Vocalist Scott Stapp said that even though the band was trying to find their creative stride, it took a while for them to discover their musical style. He said in August 2017: "I remember after Mark and I and the guys wrote our first five or seven songs and we hadn't found our identity yet. Then we wrote a song called 'Grip My Soul', which we never recorded or put out but I remember leaving band rehearsal and all of us felt the same way. Like, alright, we found ourselves. We found out who we are and then right after that is when 'My Own Prison' poured out of us". He added: "If I'm remembering correctly, those were essentially the next 10 out of 13 songs that we wrote after that initial 'find your identity' moment that I think every band has".[2] Guitarist Mark Tremonti said that in the band's early days, he was working as a cook at Chili's and Stapp was a cook at Ruby Tuesday's. Drummer Scott Phillips was managing a knife store at a mall and bassist Brian Marshall was the only one without a job, and, according to Tremonti, Marshall "was also the only one who ended up getting his degree before it was all said and done".[3] When Creed got a record deal, the band got an advance, and Tremonti quit his job and started working for about three weeks at the local guitar shop and then after that, Creed began touring.[3]My Own Prison was originally released through Blue Collar Records but was remixed by Wind-up Records and then reissued. Creed recorded the original version of the album in Kurzweg's house in Tallahassee, Florida. To record the rest of the album, they went to Long View Farm in North Brookfield, Massachusetts.[3]
Music and lyrics
Tremonti (pictured) cites thrash metal bands like Exodus, Metallica, Slayer, and Forbidden as influences.
My Own Prison is a lot heavier and more grunge-oriented than other Creed albums.[5] Its lyrical themes include self-identity, Christianity, faith, sinning, anti-abortion, and anti-affirmative action.[5][6] The music has been described as grunge,[7][6]post-grunge,[8][9]alternative metal,[10] and heavy metal.[11] Jon Parales of The New York Times compared the album to the Badmotorfinger era of Soundgarden. He also likened the music to Hootie & the Blowfish and the song "Unforgiven" to Metallica.[6]Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that "Creed don't have an original or distinctive sound—they basically fall into the category of post-Seattle bands who temper their grunge with a dose of Live earnestness".[8] In 1997, when My Own Prison first brought the band attention from the mainstream, Bradley Bambarger of Billboard wrote in December that Creed sound "disconcertingly reminiscent of Alice in Chains".[12] Justin Seremet of the Hartford Courant wrote in 1998 that Creed "is essentially Alice in Chains without the bite", comparing singer Stapp's vocals to that of the deceased AIC vocalist, Layne Staley.[7] He described the album as "scrunge", which he defined as "the adopted name for groups that rode the Seattle wave with a couple of hits and subsequently vanished—bands like Silverchair, Sponge, Candlebox, and so on."[7] In a review of My Own Prison from January 1998, The Spokesman-Review described Creed as "slightly heavy metal, slightly alternative".[10]The New Rolling Stone Album Guide described the record as being influenced by 1970s stadium rock and wrote that it includes "thundering metallic tracks and sweeping ballads".[13] In August 2017, Phil Freeman of Stereogum wrote:
"The music on My Own Prison took ideas from grunge, which had mostly come and gone by that point, and filtered them through more mainstream hard rock and arena metal. Creed weren't interested in the punk rock energy of Mudhoney or Nirvana, but they were borrowing heavily from Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, whose lugubrious style was a natural fit for Scott Stapp's baritone roar. Their tempos were slow and heavy, especially on the singles, but Mark Tremonti was a full-on shredder—the guitar solo on 'Pity for a Dime' could have come off a Dio album, and album tracks like 'Ode,' 'Unforgiven' and 'Sister' had a pleasingly thick-necked stomp. Lyrically, Creed were plainspoken—poetic, but free of abstraction, a legacy of Stapp's love of earnest frontmen like Jim Morrison and Bono."[3]
The vocals of Stapp (pictured) have often been compared to those of Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder.
Stapp was heavily influenced by U2's 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, as well as by the Doors and Led Zeppelin.[12] The band was frequently compared to Tool, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam, in response to which, Stapp said: "It could be worse. They could be comparing us to some shitty band that no one has ever heard of, rather than the biggest band of the decade."[5] Likewise, Tremonti stated, "It doesn't bother me so much. They're one of the best bands to come out in the past 10 years."[14][12]
The track "What's This Life For" is about a best friend of Tremonti's who committed suicide, and the guitarist has described it as "a song about suicide and kids searching for that meaning of life".[15] "One", a more catchy and upbeat-sounding track,[2] criticizes society's alleged lack of unity.[16] "Torn", written by Tremonti, is autobiographical. Prior to Creed's success, the guitarist held various jobs to pay for college, including washing cars and working as a cook. "One day, I came home from work at about 3 in the morning," he said. "I was all dirty and stinky and hating my life, so I just wrote a song about what it's like being a kid in between 18 and 23, when you haven't graduated from school yet and you don't know what you're doing with your life." He added: "It's about how hard that period of time is, when you're broke, you have to work two jobs to go to school. I was at a hard point in my life, so I wrote a song about it".[17][14]
Artwork and packaging
Prior to releasing the album on their own independent label, Creed recruited Daniel Tremonti, Mark's brother, to become their creative director. Stapp described Daniel as a "super soulful guy with the heart and talent of a true artist". They picked a photo that Daniel had taken for a photography class as the cover for the record. The image was of a man named Justin Brown, a friend of the band, depicting him kneeling shirtless in a corner with his hands on top of his head. Stapp claimed the artwork "captured him to the core" and that it reflected the isolation, conflict, and torture that was driving him as well as seeing hope and feeling that he was like the man in the artwork, "who had been beaten down but could now get up". Looking to have a professional-looking final product, the band acquired a loan from bassist Brian Marshall's father and went to a one-stop company to package and manufacture the record. They ordered five thousand copies and took them to major outlets in Tallahassee. All five thousand were sold within the first month.[18][19]
The original Blue Collar Records version featured the band's original logo, a wordmark inside a roundel, situated to the top right just over Justin Brown, with the album title at the bottom. The Wind-up version featured an updated band wordmark logo in a Mason Serif Regular font, now situated on the top left, with the album title just below that, to the right. The band's updated logo would go on to become their permanent logo, although the font would eventually become slightly more extended on future releases.
Promotion, release, and commercial performance
"It all came true in an instant. Within a year of that record coming out we were essentially playing arenas in some places. So that album will always have a special place in my heart because it changed my life forever and launched my life and career in the music business."
Stapp on Creed's sudden mainstream success with My Own Prison.[2]
Creed released four singles from My Own Prison: the title track in 1997, "Torn" in early 1998,[2] "What's This Life For" later that year, and "One" in early 1999.[20] All four singles had success on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, with all except "Torn" also performing well on Modern Rock Tracks.[20] Because they were not initially sold in the United States, the singles were ineligible for the US Billboard Hot 100. However, by the time "One" was released, that restriction was lifted, and the song became Creed's first to chart, reaching number seventy. "My Own Prison" and "One" also managed to peak at numbers 54 and 49 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay, respectively. The videos for the singles also received airplay on MTV.[21] The Blue Collar Records version of My Own Prison was released on April 14, 1997,[22] and the Wind-up reissue came out on August 26, 1997.[23] In October 2022, a remaster of My Own Prison on vinyl was announced in celebration of the album's 25th anniversary.[24][25] It was issued through Craft Recordings on December 2, 2022.[26]
My Own Prison peaked at number 22 on the Billboard 200 on May 2, 1998, staying on the chart for 112 weeks.[27] The album also peaked at number one on the Heatseekers Albums chart on November 8, 1997.[28] On January 22, 2000, the album reached number one on the Catalog Albums chart, remaining there for 157 weeks.[29]My Own Prison was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on August 25, 1998. It went triple platinum on February 26, 1999, 4× platinum on November 3, 1999, 5× platinum on December 4, 2000, and 6× platinum on August 26, 2002.[30] On January 2, 1998, MTV reported that the album had sold 175,000 copies in the United States.[5] On September 18, 1998, The New York Times stated that My Own Prison had sold 2,200,000 copies nationally.[6]Time reported on October 18, 1999, that the record had sold nearly 4,000,000 copies.[31] On January 3, 2002, Rolling Stone wrote that, according to Nielsen SoundScan, My Own Prison sold 5,700,000 copies in the US.[32]My Own Prison was certified sextuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on August 26, 2002, for selling 6,000,000 copies.[33] As of 2009, the album had sold more than 6,000,000 copies in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[34]My Own Prison sold 15,000,000 copies worldwide, making it one of the most successful debut albums of all time.[35]
My Own Prison received mixed reviews from critics. AllMusic wrote: "Creed don't have an original or distinctive sound—they basically fall into the category of post-Seattle bands who temper their grunge with a dose of Live earnestness—but they work well within their boundaries. At their best, they are a solid post-grunge band, grinding their riffs out with muscle; at their worst, they are simply faceless. The best moments of My Own Prison suggest they'll be able to leave post-grunge anonymity behind and develop their own signature sound."[8] Trevor Miller of Music Critic described the album as "overall, an excellent first album".[36]
Jon Pareles of The New York Times, with an article entitled "Grunge Gets Religion, and It's Not Pretty", criticized My Own Prison and wrote: "Convictions aside, Creed's weakness is its music. The band's imitation of Soundgarden circa 1991 is a clumsy one."[6]The Spokesman-Review wrote: "I like the CD. I like the band, but there is room for improvement."[10] Justin Seremet of the Hartford Courant panned My Own Prison, stating: "Just as the Warrants and Slaughters of the world hung around long after their brand of music had gone to the grave, so will Creed. Let's move on, folks."[7]
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, 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.
Alter Bridge is an American rock band from Orlando, Florida. The band was formed in 2004 by vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy, lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. After their former band Creed became inactive in 2003, Tremonti and Phillips formed a new band with former bandmate Marshall and new member Kennedy; Alter Bridge was formally unveiled in January 2004, months before Creed's official breakup in June.
Post-grunge is an offshoot of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s alternative rock bands such as Bush, Candlebox, Collective Soul, Live, Foo Fighters, and Silverchair, that emulated the original sound of grunge.
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, although the band would later reunite in 2009. 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.
Human Clay is the second studio album by American rock band Creed, released on September 28, 1999, through Wind-up Records. Produced by John Kurzweg, it was the band's last album to feature Brian Marshall, who left the band in August 2000, until 2009's Full Circle.
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.
"With Arms Wide Open" is a power ballad by American rock band Creed. It was released on April 18, 2000, as the third single from their second studio album, Human Clay. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 2000, becoming the band's first and only song to top the chart. The song also received honors at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2001, being nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, as well as Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti winning the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.
"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 7 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).
"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.
"One" is a song by American rock band Creed. It is the fourth single as well as the tenth and final track from the band's 1997 album My Own Prison. It was also included as a B-side on the maxi-single for "With Arms Wide Open" in 2000.
"What's This Life For" is a song by American rock band Creed. It is the third single and ninth track off their 1997 debut album, My Own Prison. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the U.S., becoming their first number one hit on this chart. It remained on top for six weeks.
"What If" is a song by Creed, released as the second single from their 1999 album Human Clay on January 31, 2000 and it was also the lead single for the soundtrack to Scream 3, for which the band helped to produce.
"My Own Prison" is a song by Creed and the titular lead single from their 1997 debut album of the same name. It first appeared on the WXSR-FM compilation album Locals Only and would prove to be the band's breakout hit. The single peaked at number one on both the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and the Modern Rock Tracks chart.
"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.
"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.
American post-grunge band Creed has released four studio albums, two compilation albums, one extended play (EP), eighteen singles, one video album, and sixteen music videos. Formed in Tallahassee, Florida in 1994, Creed consists of vocalist Scott Stapp, guitarist and vocalist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips. Signed to Wind-up Records, the band released its debut album My Own Prison in August 1997, which reached number 22 on the US Billboard 200. The album was certified six times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). All four singles from the album reached the top three of the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
Full Circle is the fourth studio album by American rock band Creed, released on October 27, 2009. It was Creed's first release since disbanding in June 2004, prior to the release of their Greatest Hits compilation album in November 2004, and was their first studio album since Weathered in November 2001, as well as their first with their original bass guitarist Brian Marshall since his departure in August 2000. The record was produced by Howard Benson. The album was completed on July 31, 2009, as announced by Scott Stapp. The album cover was revealed through the band's official e-news on August 4, 2009. A two-disc version of Full Circle was released and contained a DVD with bonus content. The album had three music videos created for it: "Overcome" and "Rain" in 2009, and "A Thousand Faces" in 2010.
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