Brace Yourself

Album: The Emergency EP (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Speaking about this song on News 4 in Jacksonville, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus frontman Ronnie Winter said the lyric was inspired by Linda, the mother of the band's guitarist, Josh Burke, who had battled cancer.

    "After she finished her treatments, rang the bell and defeated cancer, she had a long conversation with me and showed me a slideshow of all the things she had gone through," Winter said. "It was really crazy to watch. It was really a struggle for the family but it had a happy ending. It impacted me greatly and that's where the lyrics for the song came from."
  • Ronnie Winter's Christian faith informs many of his lyrics, so in these lines he could be indicating how embracing God was the key to Linda's fight with cancer:

    Break the glass in case of emergency
    Open your arms to me
  • The song was released on March 31, 2020, just weeks into the Coronavirus pandemic. There is a lot of pandemic imagery in the song, particularly the line "Take caution when breathing in," but that was coincidental - the song was written before lockdown.

    The band, though, decided to embrace this interpretation with a lyric video filled with microbial visuals and this message:

    "There's no doubt about synergy with the lyrics of this song and current events. Many people are still in denial of the current Global Pandemic and we implore them to follow instructions on social space and personal safety measures."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"They're Playing My Song

When a waitress wouldn't take him home, Jack wrote what would become one of the Eagles most enduring hits.

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Bryan Adams

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?