Unstable

Album: Vital (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This track can be found on the iTunes exclusive version of Anberlin's sixth album, Vital. Frontman Stephen Christian told Artist Direct the song, "used to be just acoustic guitars," before the band decided to experiment and rework it. "We want to do what's best for the music or art," he explained. "It's not about what's getting the most 'hits' on YouTube or the most plays on 'Spotify.' It's about what feels the best for us as musicians and artists. For me, 'Unstable' was one of those moments of poetry."
  • Regarding the song's meaning, Christian said it "is a little more on the poetic side." He explained: "You're watching a life formulate opinions. We draw so much from other people - whether it's family, friends, or society that basically auto-corrects us through words. It's that moment of coming out into your own person. For some people, that takes longer than others. Sometimes, it happens right out of high school. For others, it's mid-twenties. For everyone, it's different. It's watching the progression of a life come into its own. Each of us writes his or her own coming-of-age novel. The novel is completed at different stages of life. It's about coming into one zone, and that's 'Unstable.'"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Early Days of MTV

Early Days of MTVFact or Fiction

If you can recall the days when MTV played videos, you know that there are lots of stories to tell. See if you can spot the real ones.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

U2 Lyrics

U2 LyricsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the lyrics of U2?

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The Remasters

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The RemastersSong Writing

Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.