Better Off Dead

Album: Weapons (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is a track from Weapons, the fifth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Lostprophets, their first release with drummer Luke Johnson. The song was made available as a free download from the band's Facebook page as of January 6, 2012.
  • The song sees vocalist Ian Watkins getting things off his chest. Keyboardist Jamie Oliver told Kerrang! magazine: "The lyrics deal with current events, which in 2011 - what with the riots and the uprising in the Middle East - were things that no-one could ignore."
  • Weapons was the first Lostprophets record to feature Luke Johnson on drums, following the band's two previous drummers Mike Chiplin and Ilan Rubin. Watkins penned this song with Johnson and the singer told Kerrang! magazine: "This started off as an idea that Luke had, I had the chorus and the melody, and we came up with this cool verse. The only thing we could think to do was this urgent, not-quite-rapping delivery. We toyed with the idea of getting someone else to do it, but then one day I just have it a go."

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.