Public Service Announcement

Album: Restoring Force (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the opening track on Of Mice & Men's Restoring Force album. Frontman Austin Carlile told Kerrang! magazine: "The first line of the album is 'These are the hardest four years of my life.' That could be taken as the four years of high school, or four years of service, or who knows what."
  • Carlile was arrested and charged with leading an assault in late March 2013. However, when it came to the hearing the judge lowered these charges to a misdemeanor offense, of which the singer was found guilty. He sings here about feeling like a wild animal in a cage, prodded and poked at by the band's critics but unable to react:

    "I'm well aware that I did three days alone in a cell.
    A simple easy price to pay for something that I felt."

    Carlile told Kerrang! magazine: "People know what happened, they don't know my story – so why are they talking about it. Who the f--k are you? That hurts me, because if you don't know about something, you don't talk about it."

Comments: 1

  • Adelaide from Canada'These are the hardest four years of my life.' are not the opening lyrics from the song Public Service Announcement. However, they are the opening lyrics in the song "Glass Hearts".
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Yacht Rock Quiz

Yacht Rock QuizFact or Fiction

Christopher Cross with Deep Purple? Kenny Loggins in Caddyshack? A Fact or Fiction all about yacht rock and those who made it.

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.