Tear It Down

Album: Up From The Ashes (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Burn Halo is a hard rock band originating from Orange County, California and Tulsa, Oklahoma. They comprise lead vocalist James Hart, lead guitarist Joey Cuhna, rhythm guitarist Brandon Lynn, bassist Aaron Boehler and drummer Dillon Ray. Their second album, Up From The Ashes, was the group's first effort written and recorded as a band, as their self-titled debut set was all written by frontman James Hart himself with outside writers, and recorded by the singer with session musicians. It was released on June 28, 2011, through Rawkhead Records.
  • This is the lead single, which was released on iTunes on April 19, 2011. Hart told the story of the song in an interview with AntiMusic: "'Tear It Down' was one of the last songs that was brought to the table when we were finishing writing the album. Aaron had been working on it in Tulsa, OK with Brandon and Dillon. On the first day of our pre-production sessions they played the song for Roxx and me and we were immediately blown away. I knew this had the impact, energy and aggression we were looking for in a first track on the album. The intro to the song had been around for quite a while. It was a piece that Brandon had for a song he'd written that just wasn't as far along as the other songs. We scrapped the song along with quite a few more, but I was in love with the intro bit. We had talked about trying to work it into a song and onto the album and it just so happened to work with 'Tear It Down.' I feel it gives the drama and anticipation you look for when kicking off an album."
  • Hart explained the song's meaning to AntiMusic: "Lyrically, the song is about breaking free from the expectations and standards that can hold a person back from becoming their true selves and reaching their full potential. We waste too much precious time trying to work our way up the social or industrial ladder that we lose sight of who we really are."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"They're Playing My Song

When Dave recorded the first version of the song with his group the Blasters, producer Nick Lowe gave him some life-changing advice.

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Tanita Tikaram

Tanita TikaramSongwriter Interviews

When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.