Shinedown have had amazing success since their debut album Leave a Whisper came out in 2003. They've had a number of hit singles on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock tracks chart. According to wikipedia they've sold over 6 million albums worldwide, a significant accomplishment in an environment where CD sales are steadily declining.

They've hit #1 on the Maintream Rock Tracks charts with "Second Chance." Let's see what makes this song tick!

Second Chance by Shinedown
Producer: R.Cavallo
Writers: B.Smith (former member of Shinedown), D.Bassett

Facts

• Title: appears in the chorus
• Structure: Verse/PreChorus/Chorus/Verse/PreChorus/Chorus/Bridge/Chorus
• Tempo: 100 bpm
• #1 Mainstream Rock Tracks
• Intro: 14 seconds

[VERSE 1]
My eyes are open wide
By the way, I made it through the day
I watch the world outside
By the way, I'm leaving out today

It isn't obvious what this means. In the Mainstream Rock format, however, lyrics don't have to be as clear as they do in Country. That said, I think we can infer from "open eyes" that he knows what he's getting ready to do, which is leave. I think "he's leaving out today" means he's departing, maybe leaving home. It's a peculiar way to say it, though. It's the "out" that throws me.

Phrasing: First line comes in on beat 3, and then the "by" and "made" hit on the 1, which emphasis those words. This happens again with line three coming in on the 3rd beat and then the "by" and "leaving" both landing on the 1.

Rhyme: wide/outside/ and day/today . . . uh, the second one is lame, but rhyme isn't as critical in this kind of music.

[PRE]
I just saw Halley's Comet, she waved
Said "why you always running in place?
Even the man in the moon disappeared
Somewhere in the stratosphere"

How radio loves pre-choruses! Bam! All the sudden his voice goes up a big interval, with a more intense delivery. The whole beginning of this song is a study in increasing tension. The first lines of verse 1 have no drums, then drums on second two lines, then into the prechorus with higher melody and intensity, then the final line "somewhere in the stratosphere" actually launches us into the stratosphere!

Lyrically, I don't know. I'm not sure if he's talking to Hayley's comet or if the comet is talking to him. Doesn't matter, because it sounds cool. And the idea of running in place brings up a feeling that many people can relate to. It's like "yeah, why am I always running in place. Something needs to change."

[CHORUS]
Tell my mother, tell my father
I've done the best I can
To make them realize
This is my life
I hope they understand
I'm not angry, I'm just saying
Sometimes goodbye is a second chance

The lyrics are clearer in the chorus. In verse 1 he's saying he's leaving and now he's saying "tell my parents that I've done the best I can, but this is my life and I hope you understand that I'm getting a second chance at life by getting out of here." At least that's how I interpret it. Any 13 to 23 year old can totally understand that feeling and identify with it.

The "I'm just saying" line is an interesting and common technique. Anytime the lyric in the chorus has "that's why I'm saying" or "I just want to say" or "listen to what I'm saying" etc, it creates a huge expectation in the brain. It primes the lthe listener to expect something important: for instance, the hook of the song!

I also really like the conversational quality of the chorus lyric. You believe that this guy is making this up right when he's saying it.

The first line does not come in on the first beat! This is very representative of how line starts work on radio right now. "Tell" is on the 2nd beat. Robin Frederick is the guru of this kind of analysis. I learned to look for this stuff from her.

The build: this chorus is an excellent payoff from the prechorus build-up. The vocal intensity goes up a notch from the prechorus, guitar power chords come in and the drummer bashes the crash cymbal in almost every bar. But that's not all. On the last lines of the chorus, the drum pattern changes: the kick hits on 8th notes, the snare hits on the and-of-2 and on the 4, which is totally wierd! But it works to build the tension and intensity. It increases the velocity of the song without changing the tempo. Meanwhile, the melody on "I'm just saying" hits the highest note with a very interesting melodic twist. Then release: the tension is mostly relieved as the drums stop and the powerchord fades into the hook line, "sometimes goodbye is a second chance."

[VERSE 2]
Please don't cry one tear for me
I'm not afraid of what I have to say
This is my one and only voice
So listen close, it's only for today

It's not clear who he's talking to in this song. I'm guessing it's a friend. Not sure what he's saying about his "one and only voice" or that's it's "only for today." A clearer second verse would be better. They could have moved the song forward more.  It's as if we're overhearing a conversation where we don't know the whole story, so what we hear doesn't make sense. They missed an opportunity for this verse to shed new light on the chorus.

Musically, the second verse has a bit more instrumentation. Then from the pre-chorus into the chorus the strings come in to add another level of drama. Pretty standard production technique, but it works great. This song rocks.

[PRE]
I just saw Halley's Comet, she waved
Said "why you always running in place?
Even the man in the moon disappeared
Somewhere in the stratosphere"

Maybe Halley's comet is a metaphor for people that are on a long adventure. The real Halley's Comet only comes around every 75 years. So maybe by saying she waved, he's seeing that there is a different kind of life to be lead that can take you far, far from home. And then he compares it to the moon, which is closer to the Earth, but notes that it has it's cycles where it disappears from view for a while. What poetry! Of course, I don't really have any idea if this is what was meant.

It isn't conversational, which is a bit of a risk. On the other hand, it sounds cool.

[CHORUS]
Tell my mother, tell my father
I've done the best I can
To make them realize
This is my life
I hope they understand
I'm not angry, I'm just saying
Sometimes goodbye is a second chance

I love that great big note on the last "chance" of this chorus. It amps us up to another level of intensity, and this time it doesn't release, but holds right through the bridge and into the final chorus. I love it when singers get to do their "Star Search" note on songs. (Does anyone remember Star Search?)

[BRIDGE]
Here is my chance
This is my chance

At first I was going to flame this bridge, but on a fourth listen I see that it does add to the song. This is the first time in the song that he says it's his second chance. And the performance on these two lines conveys a lot of emotional fire, which is what the band's audience wants. By this point in the song, a long bridge with lots of words would just slow things down, so they combined a kind of instrumental break with an angsty vocal delivery for good effect. The bridge's function here is to break up the monotony a bit and prepare our ears for another repeat of the chorus.

[CHORUS]
Tell my mother, tell my father
I've done the best I can
To make them realize
This is my life
I hope they understand
I'm not angry, I'm just saying
Sometimes goodbye is a second chance

Sometimes goodbye
Is a second chance [x2]

I really like this song. The singer is great and the production is an awesome study of how to build, build, build intensity. No drums, then drums, light guitar, then heavy, low melody, then high melody, faster, faster, harder, more intense. Then release just a little into the second verse, building higher than ever by the end of the second chorus into the bridge. Perfection!

The question I have is this: does this song have clear enough meaning to break out as a Hot AC hit? Nickelback does it, so we know it's possible.

What do you think?