Shine
by Cold

Album: The Things We Can't Stop (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Shine" finds Cold frontman Scooter Ward reflecting on the effects of bullying as he sings about triumphing over physical abuse at home.

    I wanna see you shine
    I wanna see you go for the win
    I wanna see you move
    I wanna see you love your life again
    For you
  • Ward personally experienced bullying throughout his early formative years. More recently he has watched his young daughter and stepdaughter deal with it at their schools. "Nobody wants to have their kids come home bawling and having a hard time," the singer told Billboard. "Just to know it still existed was heartbreaking."

    Upset at what his children were going through, Ward went online and started looking up the topic, which inspired this track. "Like most Cold songs, I wanted to give people an outlet, make them feel like there's a way out, that this isn't going to last forever and it might - that's a 'might' - get better," he said. "That's why the chorus is so uplifting. I'm trying to say that you feel alone when it's happening, but nothing lasts forever."
  • The Things We Can't Stop was Cold's first album since Superfiction in 2011. It starts with a 53-second intro that leads into "Shine." In the intro, a string section plays as a young girl talks about her bout with depression. It was taken from an interview from decades earlier at a time when children were plied with pills to treat this "sickness."

    In a Songfacts interview with Scooter Ward, he explained: "The song 'Shine' is about bullying, which leads to depression, and the string section, we were like, 'Let's put that in as the intro. Let's put her voice on top of it, because it's impactful.' I wanted the record to start off with holy s--t, here we go. It's not Superfiction [Cold's 2011 album]. This is going to hurt, but hopefully it helps."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

Zakk Wylde

Zakk WyldeSongwriter Interviews

When he was playing Ozzfest with Black Label Society, a kid told Zakk he was the best Ozzy guitarist - Zakk had to correct him.

70s Music Quiz 1

70s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

The '70s gave us Muppets, disco and Van Halen, all which show up in this groovy quiz.

Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum

Dave Pirner of Soul AsylumSongwriter Interviews

Dave explains how the video appropriated the meaning of "Runaway Train," and what he thought of getting parodied by Weird Al.

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy TalentSongwriter Interviews

The frontman for one of Canada's most well-known punk rock bands talks about his Eddie Vedder encounter, Billy Talent's new album, and the importance of rock and roll.