For the music video for this song, see: Going Under (music video)
|
|---|
Going Under is the first track from Fallen. It serves as the second single for the album.
Background and Development
"Going Under" was written by Amy Lee, David Hodges and Ben Moody, while production for the song was handled by Dave Fortman. It was the last song written for Fallen although a demo version was recorded before the release of Fallen, and it featured a slightly different sound in the music and Lee's vocals. An acoustic version was recorded shortly after the release of Fallen, along with several other songs. According to Amy Lee, "Going Under" is about recovering from an abusive relationship, which she has stated in a number of interviews. In an interview with MTV News, Lee further explained the meaning and the inspiration behind the song,
The UK single of "Going Under" contains the album version of the song and a live version recorded at WNOR in Norfolk, Virginia. An acoustic radio version of "Going Under" and an acoustic version of Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box," recorded at WXDX-FM in Pittsburgh are placed on the single as well. The fourth track is the music video for the song.
Composition
According to the sheet music published by Alfred Music Publishing on the website Musicnotes.com, "Going Under" is set in common time and performed in slow and free tempo of 84 beats per minute. It is written in the key of B minor and Lee's vocal range for the song runs from the musical note of E3 to D♯5. Associated with the nu metal genre, the song features several guitars and drum machine as Lee sings the lines "fifty thousand tears I’ve cried". A writer for The Boston Globe said that the song is "a mix of Lee's ethereal soprano, piano interludes, and layers of serrated guitar crunch that conjure visions of Sarah McLachlan fronting Godsmack."
Mikel Toombs of Seattle Post-Intelligencer found a Wagnerian arrangement and metal and classic rock influences in the song. Joe D'Angelo from MTV News wrote that the "toothy riffs" of songs like "Going Under" and "Bring Me to Life" might suggest that "Nobody's Home" (2005) from Avril Lavigne's second studio album Under My Skin will sound like "an Evanescence song with Avril, not Amy Lee, on vocals."[11] It was also described as a "goth-meets pop" song by Michael D. Clark of The Houston Chronicle.[12] Tim Sendra of Allmusic said that the "tinkling pianos and hip-hop-inspired backing vocals, [are] making the song perfect for those who find the male histrionics of Limp Bizkit and their ilk too oppressive." Vik Bansal of MusicOMH compared the song with Evanescence's previous single, "Bring Me to Life" saying that it contained "Amy Lee's temptress vocals, pseudo-electronic beats à la Linkin Park, understated but menacing metallic riffs in the background, and a ripping, radio-friendly rock chorus."
Reception
Tim Sendra of Allmusic called the song "one of the harder tracks" on Fallen. Sendra also praised the acoustic version of the song placed on UK single saying that Lee's vocals are "free rein to soar." He wasn't satisfied with the cover of Nirvana which appeared on the single, saying that Lee's vocals are on the "overly dramatic side here and serve to make the song into a bad joke.". Johnny Loftus of the same publication wrote that the song "surges nicely into its anthemic chorus, and when the guitars do show up (like on 'Everybody's Fool'), Lee matches their power easily." While reviewing Evanescence's second studio album, The Open Door, Brendan Butler of Cinema Blend compared the song with "Sweet Sacrifice" (2007) calling it the most "radio-friendly" song. Joe D'Angelo of MTV News wrote that the song "should be as omnipresent as 'Bring Me to Life". Vik Bansal of MusicOMH praised the song stating that the band "have poured bits of metal and goth into the cauldron, and by using a smattering of pop, produced a mix that makes those two musical genres more palatable to the general public." It was nominated for the Kerrang! Award for Best Single.
Although "Going Under" failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at number 4 and 5 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles and on the Alternative Songs chart respectively. The song achieved its highest chart position in New Zealand where it peaked at number 4. It debuted at number 14 on the Australian Singles Chart on August 31, 2003 which later became the song's peak position on that chart. It was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in 2003. In Italy, "Going Under" debuted at number 16 on October 16, 2003 and it later peaked at number 9 on January 1, 2004. On the year-end chart in the same country, "Going Under" was placed at number 56. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 8 on October 4, 2011 which later became its peak position. On November 8, the song charted at number 53 and it fell out of the chart the next week.
Lyrics
(Official)
Now I will tell you what I've done for you
Fifty thousand tears I've cried
Screaming deceiving and bleeding for you
And you still won't hear me
[going under]
Don't want your hand this time, I'll save myself
Maybe I'll wake up for once
Not tormented daily defeated by you
Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom
I'm dying again
I'm going under [going under]
Drowning in you [drowning in you]
I'm falling forever [falling forever]
I've got to break through
I'm going under
Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies
[So I don't know what's real and what's not]
So I don't know what's real and what's not
[So I don't know what's real and what's not]
Always confusing the thoughts in my head
So I can't trust myself anymore
I'm dying again
I'm going under [going under]
Drowning in you [drowning in you]
I'm falling forever [falling forever]
I've got to break through
I'm [I'm]
So go on and scream
Scream at me, I'm so far away [so far away]
I won't be broken again [again]
I've got to breathe, I can't keep going under
I'm going under [going under]
Drowning in you [drowning in you]
I'm falling forever [falling forever]
I've got to break through
I'm going under [going under]
Going under [drowning in you]
I'm going under
Demo Version
Now I will tell you what I've done for you
Fifty thousand tears I've cried
Screaming deceiving and bleeding for you
And you still won't hear me
[going under]
Don't want your hand this time, I'll save myself
Maybe I'll wake up for once
Not tormented daily defeated by you
Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom
I'm dying again [I'm dying again]
I'm going under [going under]
Drowning in you [drowning in you]
I'm falling forever [falling forever]
I've got to break through
I'm [I'm] going under
Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies
[So I don't know what's real and what's not]
So I don't know what's real and what's not
[So I don't know what's real and what's not]
Always confusing the thoughts in my head
So I can't trust myself anymore
I'm dying again [I'm dying again]
I'm going under [going under]
Drowning in you [drowning in you]
I'm falling forever [falling forever]
I've got to break through
I'm [I'm]
So go on and scream
Scream at me I'm so far away [so far away]
I won't be broken again [again]
I've got to breathe, I can't keep going under
Drowning in you [drowning in you]
I'm falling forever [falling forever]
I've got to break through
I'm [I'm]
Going under [going under]
Drowning in you [drowning in you]
I'm falling forever [falling forever]
I've got to break through
I'm [I'm] going under [going under]
I'm going under [drowning in you]
I'm going under [falling forever]