Stay Awake

Album: Not Included on an Album (2007)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • MCR frontman Gerard Way married LynZ of Mindless Self Indulgence on September 3, 2007 after the final date of Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution tour in Colorado, and the low key ceremony was performed backstage with the help of a member of Live Nation's touring staff, who was also an ordained minister. Tying the knot has influenced Way's songwriting and he told the NME January 19 2008 how this tune, which was premiered a couple of months later on MCR's November 2007 UK tour, reflected a more optimistic view on life. Said Way: "It's one of those songs that just spills out of you and you're very inspired. It's nice because it's a return to punk rock music. It feels like a rock song."

    He added: "It's letting somebody know something and it's knowing that yourself, and it's a great thing to know. It's a completely different direction, thematically, than what we're used to. We have stuff with a lot of hope in it but not like that. It's written from a different kind of place. It's not written from a place of skepticism at all."

    Way continued that this new outlook was a consequence of his marriage to Lyn-Z: "It's a direct result of learning something; learning something really amazing. That's what's supposed to happen to you as an artist and that's what supposed to happen in your life. It's one of the benefits of being a songwriter, you can show all your colors as they come out. It's really a special song to me."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Graduation Songs

Graduation SongsFact or Fiction

Have you got the smarts to know which of these graduation song stories are real?

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")Song Writing

Nick made some of the biggest videos on MTV, including "The Final Countdown," "Heaven" and "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)."

Dan Reed

Dan ReedSongwriter Interviews

Dan cracked the Top 40 with "Ritual," then went to India and spent 2 hours with the Dalai Lama.

Julian Lennon

Julian LennonSongwriter Interviews

Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.

Matt Sorum

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."