Going To Hell

Album: Going To Hell (2013)
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Songfacts®:

  • The title track of Pretty Reckless' sophomore album references the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, which swept through the north eastern United States in the fall of 2012 . The storm ravaged their studio, wiping out the majority of the band's gear as well as a batch of demos and near-completed recordings for their second set. "We had to rebuild," frontwoman Taylor Momsen recalled to Rolling Stone.

    Momsen wrote this tune during the band's downtime as they struggled to regain their footing. "Out of tragedy came that song," the vocalist said. "It pretty much summed everything up [about the album]."
  • The song's music visual was directed by Tim Mattia (Biffy Clyro, Cage The Elephant, Young Guns). "The new video for 'Going To Hell' captures the right look for the sound of the band," said Taylor Momsen. "It's a subtle blast of sins and rock and roll meant to be watched over and over until the real meaning of the song sinks in. We're psyched for it to come out and for the fans to see it."
  • Several of The Pretty Reckless' tracks have religious overtones. Momsen admitted to Kerrang! that she suffers from "Catholic guilt" due to her upbringing but insisted anyone who thinks the record has a basis in religion isn''t listening properly. "I''m not a Satanist. It''s not what I''m saying at all, so it gets a little daunting when people take it so... over the top," she explained. "They''re thinking of a shallow level of Hell. It means that they aren''t getting the point of the record."

    "Touring the world changed my perspective," Momsen continued. "There are so many problems and it doesn''t seem like anyone''s talking or writing about it. From equality and the imbalance of power to [the way] we don''t treat the Earth right and we don''t treat each other right."
  • The image on the album cover of a naked Momsen, facing away from the camera with the band's cross logo stretching down her back towards her butt, raised some eyebrows. The singer told Kerrang! the picture has been misconstrued. "The nudity came into play as a homage," she said. "But there's a lot of metaphor happening. We're saying, 'You come into this world with nothing but your soul, and you leave with nothing but your soul.'"

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