Stitches
by Orgy

Album: Candyass (1998)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Stitches" tells the story of a thrilling but perilous love affair. Orgy lead singer Jay Gordon hit on an intriguing metaphor with the line:

    Tying yourself to me stitch up my emptiness

    In a Songfacts interview, Gordon explained: "It was based on some relationship drama. A lot of my songs have to do with stuff that I see or stuff that I think is important."
  • This was Orgy's first single, released in the spring of 1998 on Elementree Records, the label run by the group Korn. It didn't get much attention, but the next single did: Orgy's cover of "Blue Monday." That song got a lot of airplay early in 1999, prompting Elementree to re-release "Stitches." The Candyass album ended up going Platinum.
  • Jay Gordon told Songfacts that he wrote "Stiches" for the band Sugar Ray, known for their hit "Fly."

    "They were looking for some material, and I wrote it for them," Gordon said. "It was a little late when I submitted it, so I ended up just using it myself. But I'm glad that happened."

    Gordon and Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath were part of a collective called The Wonder Girls that also included Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots.
  • The music video envisions Orgy as an interactive museum exhibit, with a look at the treatments and editing equipment (an early AVID non-linear system), as the band do their "perfunctory performance" in a glass case. There's also the scantily clad "obligatory female."

    Directed by Rocky Morton, the video was made for the song's re-release.
  • After the Candyass album was released, Orgy hit the road with Limp Bizkit, Korn and Ice Cube on the Family Values tour. Months later, they toured as the opener for Love And Rockets, at which point music writers stared describing them as goth.

    They released albums in 2000 and 2004 with diminishing returns, and they split in 2005. In 2011, Gordon revived Orgy with a new lineup. They released EPs in 2015 and 2023.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Boz Scaggs

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

Richie McDonald of Lonestar

Richie McDonald of LonestarSongwriter Interviews

Richie talks about the impact of "Amazed," and how his 4-year-old son inspired another Lonestar hit.

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?

History Of Rock

History Of RockSong Writing

An interview with Dr. John Covach, music professor at the University of Rochester whose free online courses have become wildly popular.

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And Scandals

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.