Songfacts®:

• Fight or Flight is a band founded by Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan. When Disturbed announced a hiatus in 2011, he began writing songs on his own, and the following year Donegan connected with Evans Blue frontman Dan Chandler, about a possible collaboration. The pair emailed each other songs back and forth and met in person whenever Chandler was in Donegan's hometown of Chicago. When they had enough material to record, Donegan turned to his Disturbed colleague, drummer Mike Wengren, and the trio entered the studio. RA's bassist Sean Corcoran and second guitarist Jeremy Jayson completed the lineup.
• This driving, energetic anthem was released as the band's first single hitting radio on May 21, 2013. "It's got my signature style," said Donegan. "Lyrically, it's more cryptic. Dan and I spent a lot of time discussing conspiracy theories, and those conversations inspired the song."
• The song's music video features footage of the band performing spliced with a storyline that details such social issues as childhood vaccinations and gun control as well as questioning authority. "It is our right to stand up and ask questions," Donegan told Revolver magazine. "That is the only way to get to the truth! We shouldn't go through life being spoon fed by the media or our government and accept everything we are told. The more we educate ourselves, the better we are at understanding what the future holds for us and our children."
• Chandler explained the main concept behind the video to Cryptic Rock: "The bottom line is all about the conspiracy theories that go around and have been around," he said. "You may or may not have heard of a few of them. We tried to incorporate a lot, just to kind of raise the awareness. It's not about convincing someone of our opinion of something. Saying you need to believe this or government is against you, it's not about that. It's just simply asking questions to get the truth instead of just believing everything you're told. If you're aware of everything going on, and you ask questions, then you probably can form your opinion opposed to having someone just shoving it down your throat and say this is what's happening. Basically, the video is just open your eyes and give a different opinion to see what's going on out there and ask some questions and be aware."
• So why Fight Or Flight? Donegan explained to Zoiks! Online: "I was just thinking about it one day... actually my wife suggested it to me. She said, 'What about Fight Or Flight?' And then like two days later I was watching an episode of Dexter and Dexter had said it in there. I got all superstitious because I get crazy like that and thought it was a sign because I heard it twice in a matter of days." [laughs]
  
  "And tying that in," he continued, "most bands out there know that you have to be a fighter in this industry. Bands are driven out of passion and they go out there even if it's only to make enough money to make it to the next town. You just continue fighting; you never give up on that."
• Donegan told Sludge Factory the story of the song: This was a riff and structure I threw at DC and he came up with a great melody. It was different and fresh. We started talking about conspiracies and certain topics that we questioned. Some we believed and some we laughed at. We wanted a song that was gonna get people to open their minds and their eyes and raise some questions. Are vaccines doing more harm than good? Why are there some many kids these days with Autism, ADD, ADHD, and different new forms of cancers? Genetically Modified Foods? Chemtrails? Not forcing our opinion, it's just trying to get to the answers."