Amy Lee recently sat down with Metal Hammer and disclosed why a single element of Evanescence’s timeless hit, ‘Bring Me To Life,’ bothered her so much.
‘Bring Me To Life’ was a sensation from its release, and I bet even hearing the track’s name might take your average rock fan into a nostalgic ride. It became a pleasant commercial success for Evanescence, though it seemed that frontwoman Lee wasn’t as pleased with a particular element.
You might remember the featuring rapping part of ‘Bring Me To Life,’ recorded by a guest musician, 12 Stones vocalist Paul McCoy. Well, it seemed that adding a rap section into the track wasn’t Amy’s or Evanescence’s idea. Their record company thought it would bring a different dimension to the sound, and since nu-metal was quite popular among the audiences, the label decided to go with it.
Lee recalled how they didn’t wish to feature the part and now rarely performed it in live gigs. However, on the seldom occasions, they did feature the section on stage, the act would have different musicians on stage, and they also wouldn’t miss a chance to invite McCoy to perform with them whenever he was in town for a nostalgic show.
Still, the singer pointed out how rap wasn’t her style, and that section bothered her for a while before she got used to the idea. She also noted how, against all her concerns, the track became a success as its leading rock sound helped turn the track into a hit piece, establishing its cult status.
The rocker’s words on featuring the rapping in live shows and her concerns about the section at first:
“I stopped performing it a long time ago. We never really did perform it. When we’re on tour, and we have somebody that fits into that spot, they jump up on the song. We were on tour with P.O.D., and we had Sonny [Sandoval, vocalist] get up a few times.
And obviously, if we’re ever in the same town as Paul [McCoy], who originally did the part, we will have him come up because it’s fun and it’s cool and nostalgic. But that part, that sound, that’s not my style. That’s why it was such a difficult pill to swallow, even on one song. But we won because we didn’t have to change our whole sound.”
.Although adding a rapping section wasn’t what Lee figured for her beloved track, she gave in to the label’s wish, and luckily, the section complimented the song nicely. So, in the end, it was all good, though she and her bandmates rarely performed the part in live shows and always gave it a call to McCoy if he was in town for a nostalgia ride.
