Dead Don't Die

Album: Planet Zero (2022)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Showcasing powerful drums and scorching, unbridled guitar solos, "Dead Don't Die" is a stirring tribute to resilience in the face of adversity.

    I'm never running, so try it again
    Started me over right back at the end
    "When's the last time you were afraid?"
    "I haven't been afraid a day in my life"


    The song celebrates the defiant, unbreakable spirit of humanity during challenging times.
  • Shinedown vocalist Brent Smith, bassist Eric Bass, and guitarist Zach Myers wrote "Dead Don't Die" alongside Nashville-based songwriters Blair Daly and Zac Maloy. Myers penned the original demo. "'Dead Don't Die' is the first song I think any of us had ever brought in completed that really didn't go through some sort of major change," he said. "Truly one of the greatest feelings I've had in this band."
  • Myers wrote the rousing, stomping anthem about Brent Smith and people like him. "The strong-willed, refuse to give up, bend but never break human spirit," he explained. "I've seen this man be at the bottom before, and pick himself up, and never stop trying to be better. I hope everyone feels something when they listen to it. I hope it makes you feel like you can run through a brick wall."
  • Shinedown released "Dead Don't Die" as the third single from Planet Zero on January 17, 2023. The band composed and recorded the album at Big Animal Studio in Charleston, South Carolina. Eric Bass produced and mixed it, just as he had done with their previous release, Attention Attention, which came out in 2018.
  • Director Lewis Cater shot the song's music video at The Crossness Pumping Station in London. It's the first Shinedown visual shot outside the US.

    The video conveys the song's message using visuals reminiscent of an action movie. 'Almost an homage to John Wick," Smith commented to Under The Radar. Smith also admired London's stunning architecture, praising it in glowing terms.

Comments: 1

  • Aj from OhioWho voices the "When was the last time you were afraid?" and the "I haven't been afraid a day in my life"? To me, it sounds like a movie quote that they sampled. Is it?
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.