"With Arms Wide Open" | ||||
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Single by Creed | ||||
from the album Human Clay | ||||
B-side |
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Written | Early 1998 | |||
Released | April 18, 2000 | |||
Length |
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Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
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Creed singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"With Arms Wide Open" on YouTube |
"With Arms Wide Open" is a song 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.
Scott Stapp began writing the lyrics to the song in early 1998 during the My Own Prison tour, when he found out that his then wife Hillaree Burns was pregnant with his first child, Jagger. According to Stapp the song was written in 15 minutes at soundcheck. Stapp overheard guitarist Mark Tremonti playing and loved what he heard so much that he ran in and told Tremonti to just keep playing as Stapp began singing his lyrics. [1]
Stapp wrote the lyrics when he found out, with great surprise, that he was going to be a father. The original lyrics to the song were written from the perspective of having a daughter, even though his wife was pregnant with a boy, as Stapp used "she" during early live performances. This would eventually be changed when Stapp found out he would be having a son. In later years Stapp would not use "he" or "she" in reference to the child but rather "they" to refer to both his sons and daughter. In a 2013 interview with Songfacts, Stapp said of the song:
"It continues to have relevant meaning in my life because as I sing it now, I think of my daughter who's now on this planet and alive. And then I think of my newest son, my three-year-old, Daniel. And then I think back to the spirit and the somewhat naiveté, just that brutal honesty that that song expressed as me being a young man and approaching fatherhood for the first time. Now I'm a full-fledged father with a 14-year-old, a daughter who's going to be 7 in June and my youngest, who's 3. So those are still my feelings. And as a human being and as a father, my feelings haven't changed one bit from those that are expressed in that song. Every time I sing it, I can connect with it again and again and again because I'm no longer expressing fears in my thoughts about being a father; I'm a full-fledged living-it-every-day father. So it just rings true to me." — Stapp [2]
Musically the song is a power ballad written in the key of C major, with Tremonti playing in drop D tuning and Stapp singing in his signature baritone singing voice. [3] [4] [5] According to Stapp, following the massive crossover success of the single which he felt led to the song being heavily overplayed, so much so that even his then-wife would turn away from it, and upon hearing impersonations of other people mimicking his vocal delivery in a dramatic, over-the-top fashion he purposely began to alter his vocal style which he feels has helped him grow as a vocalist. He states "I don't know where I picked up all the idiosyncrasies of how I enunciate and I've been called out on my vowels ... But it's actually helped me as a singer because I've heard that and I've intentionally enunciated differently on different words and syllables, so thank you world for pointing out a consistent pattern early in my 20s so I could evolve and grow as a singer. You made me better. Thank you." [5]
Three main versions of the song exist. One is the original album version. The second is the radio version, which adds additional hi-hat and drums, and also edits out the ending. The third is the video version (or "Strings Remix") which adds strings to the radio version.
"With Arms Wide Open" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for four weeks in July 2000 and is Creed's only track to appear on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, where it peaked at number 29 in March 2001. In October, the song entered the top 10 of Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart and later topped the listing for eight weeks. It also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on the issue dated November 11, 2000, for one week, becoming their first and only number one on the chart. The music video topped VH1's top ten countdown in 2000. On May 10, 2019, nearly 20 years after the release of Human Clay, the single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 digital units. On November 30, 2020, the certification was upgraded to double platinum for sales and streams of over two million units. [6]
The title became the name of a foundation set up by Stapp to help children and families. To launch the With Arms Wide Open Foundation, the band released a limited edition "enhanced-package single" in September 2000, with proceeds going to the charity to "promote healthy, loving relationships between children and their families". The single contained an orchestrated version, a rock version, an acoustic reading, and the music video. In February 2001, Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti were nominated for and won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song as the writers of "With Arms Wide Open". [7] The song was also nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal but lost to U2 for "Beautiful Day". [8] The music video for "With Arms Wide Open" was voted the 92nd best music video of all-time by VH1, who also ranked it number four on its "25 Greatest Power Ballads" list. [9]
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl described "With Arms Wide Open" as "one of the most amazing songs of all time". [10]
Creed performed the song live on the June 16, 2000, episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno , and on November 30, 2000, at the first annual My VH1 Music Awards. [11] [12] The song was made available as downloadable content for the video games Rocksmith 2014 on September 16, 2014, [13] and Rock Band 4 on May 21, 2020. [14] A cinematic cover version of the song, performed by Nicole Serrano and Tommee Profitt, was used in a February 2022 ad campaign to promote the 94th Academy Awards. [15]
US limited-edition minimax CD single (60150-18004-2) [16]
UK CD single (670695 2) [17]
UK limited-edition 7-inch single (670695 7) [18]
| European CD single (WIN 669643 1) [19]
Australian and New Zealand enhanced CD single (670739 2) [20]
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Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [58] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [6] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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United States | April 18, 2000 | Wind-up | [59] | |
April 24, 2000 | Minimax CD | [21] | ||
August 28, 2000 | Hot adult contemporary radio | [60] | ||
United Kingdom | January 8, 2001 |
|
| [61] |
Australia | April 9, 2001 | CD | Wind-up | [62] |
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, with their album, Human Clay (1999) earning diamond certification. 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, best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Creed. He has also fronted the band Art of Anarchy and has released three solo albums: The Great Divide (2005), Proof of Life (2013), and The Space Between the Shadows (2019).
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 June 24, 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 eventually got a record deal with Wind-up and began recording music. After its release, the album was distributed to Florida radio stations.
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 in 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.
"Higher" is a song by American rock band Creed. It was released on August 31, 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 song 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.
"It's My Life" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was released on May 8, 2000, as the lead single from their seventh studio album, Crush (2000). It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Max Martin, and co-produced by Luke Ebbin. The song peaked at number one in Austria, Flanders, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland while charting within the top 10 across several other countries and peaking at number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100. "It's My Life" is Bon Jovi's most well-known post-1980s hit single and helped introduce the band to a new, younger fanbase.
"Smooth" is a song performed by American rock band Santana and Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, who sings the lead vocals. It was released on June 15, 1999, as the lead single from Santana's 1999 studio album, Supernatural. It was written by Itaal Shur and Thomas, who re-wrote Shur's original melody and lyrics, and produced by Matt Serletic.
"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.
"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 two on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number seven on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.
"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.
"One Headlight" is a song by American rock band the Wallflowers. The song was written by lead singer Jakob Dylan, and produced by T Bone Burnett. It was released in January 1997 as the second single from the band's second studio album, Bringing Down the Horse (1996).
"Put Your Lights On" is a song by American rock band Santana and American musician Everlast from Santana's 18th studio album, Supernatural (1999). Released to US rock radio in August 1999, the song peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 and number eight on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. "Put Your Lights On" won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards.
"Again" is a song by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, being the only new song from his first Greatest Hits album, released in 2000. Written, arranged and produced by himself, "Again" was initially set to be on his sixth studio album; however, Kravitz found that the song didn't fit the tone of the album, releasing it instead as the lead single from the compilation on September 22, 2000, through Virgin Records. The mid-tempo rock ballad finds Kravitz wondering if he will ever see his former lover again and if they will reunite once more.
American post-grunge band Creed has released four studio albums, two compilation albums, one extended play (EP), eighteen singles, one video album, and fifteen 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.
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