Anywhere But Here

Album: The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The female vocals on this song are by Maria Brink from In This Moment. It was guitarist Zoltan Bathory's idea to bring in a dirty but sexy feminine voice on the breakdown of the track. He told Metal Covenant: "We just needed a female voice for our low piece and we thought 'Just get Maria.' She's a friend and she can do it, but then she came to the studio and we said 'Sing these parts too.' She ended up singing more parts than what we actually wanted and it then became a duet instead of the low parts we wanted, because it was so good and we wanted to keep it."
  • The musicians in Five Finger Death Punch work up the tracks and then bring them to lead singer Ivan Moody, who writes the lyrics. Moody, as his name suggests, is prone to bouts of anger and loathing, which he'll sometimes release in his songs. In "Anywhere But Here" he's particularly despondent:

    All I know is, if the world stops spinning tomorrow
    I'd never shed a tear


    Around this time, he was battling an addiction to alcohol and dealing with all the pressures of fronting the band, which had became very popular. Moody reached a breaking point in 2017 when he nearly died; a year later he got sober.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Charlie Daniels

Charlie DanielsSongwriter Interviews

Charlie discusses the songs that made him a Southern Rock icon, and settles the Devil vs. Johnny argument once and for all.

Supertramp founder Roger Hodgson

Supertramp founder Roger HodgsonSongwriter Interviews

Roger tells the stories behind some of his biggest hits, including "Give a Little Bit," "Take the Long Way Home" and "The Logical Song."