Alive (P.O.D. song)

"Alive" is a song by American nu metal band P.O.D. It was released in July 2001 as the lead single from their second major label studio album Satellite. It is one of the band's most popular songs. The "Alive" CD single was first released in 2001 and then again in 2002 with alternative cover art and tracks. A semi-acoustic remix was included as a bonus track on the special edition re-release of Satellite available August 27, 2002.

"Alive"
Single by P.O.D.
from the album Satellite
ReleasedJuly 4, 2001 (2001-07-04)
Recorded2001
Studio
GenreNu metal[1]
Length3:23
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
P.O.D. singles chronology
"School of Hard Knocks"
(2000)		 "Alive"
(2001)		 "Youth of the Nation"
(2001)

Background

The lyrics to the track were written by vocalist Sonny Sandoval and were inspired by a moment when he recognised his own features in those of his young daughter for the first time.[2]

The song debuted just prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks and benefited by offering a positive message during hard times.[3] As such, "Alive" went on to become one of MTV's and MTV2's most played videos of 2001 and became a huge pop hit. Guitarist Marcos Curiel mentioned the song's relevance in a 2008 interview: "There's just way too much negativity going on in our everyday lives. When you can hear something that's going to uplift you like 'Alive' or something that's going to bring out knowledge like 'Youth of the Nation,' we've done our jobs as an artist. We're trying to be relevant with the people."[4]

Sonny Sandoval stated, "We didn't have a name for it, but we were calling it 'Beautiful' because it made us feel beautiful. And that drove the direction of the lyrical content, because we wanted people to go, 'Hey, this makes me feel good.' We recorded the chorus I don't know how many times, because it was like, 'Let's take it up a notch. Let's take it higher.'"[5]

Music video

Directed by Francis Lawrence with special effects by Pixel Envy, the "Alive" video made its television debut on August 20, 2001. It boasts a massive car wreck filmed under a freeway intersection in the San Fernando Valley in the summer of 2001. Lawrence had conceived the idea years prior but was unsuccessful in pitching it to bands. Upon filming "Alive," Lawrence stated "I'm so glad I didn't get those jobs, because this was so perfect." His idea developed further upon shooting the video by focusing on a wild day in the life of a teenager. Lawrence elaborate:

"I've done emotional videos before, but having kid stuff like – surfing, skating, making out – plus the visual punch of the car accident. It packs it all."

Lawrence also modified scenes from his original concept; the boy is shown emerging from the demolished car unscathed rather than not appearing at all, and he makes out with his girlfriend in a train tunnel rather than implying sex in a bedroom as Lawrence previously envisioned. All of the effects and work behind "Alive" were detailed in a retrospective MTV article in August 2002.[6][7]

While it did not win any, "Alive" was one of the most nominated videos at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony. However, it did win two other awards in addition to the five VMA nominations. The video was also No. 2 on TVU's 50 Best Videos of All Time list.[8]

Performances

When the song became the most requested video on TRL in September 2001, rather than simply having the video aired, P.O.D. performed a live, hour-long set at Battery Park. This was despite Sandoval battling a severe cold.[9]

The song was performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on October 5, 2001. It was originally planned for the prior month but rescheduled due to the September 11 attacks.[10]

Not including encores, "Alive" typically ends P.O.D.'s concert setlist.[11]

Track listing

First edition

  1. "Alive"
  2. "Lie Down" (demo)
  3. "Sabbath" (bonus track)

Second edition

  1. "Alive" (album version)
  2. "School of Hard Knocks" (non-LP)
  3. "Lie Down" (demo-non-LP)
  4. "Alive" (video)

Charts

Awards

2001 San Diego Music Awards
  • Song of the Year

2002 Grammy Awards
  • Best Hard Rock Performance (nomination)

2002 MTV Video Music Awards
  • Video of the Year (nomination)
  • Best Group Video (nomination)
  • Best Direction in a Video – Francis Lawrence (nomination)
  • Best Special Effects in a Video – Pixel Envy (nomination)
  • Viewer's Choice (nomination)

2002 MVPA Awards
  • Rock Video of the Year

References
  1. Hill, Stephen (July 4, 2017). "The Top 40 nu-metal songs of all time". Metal Hammer. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  2. MacIntosh, Dan "Songwriter Interviews - Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D." Songfacts.com (July 2012). Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  3. Weiss, Neal "Singles By P.O.D., Dave Matthews, Others Affected By Terrorist Attacks?" Yahoo! Music (September 17, 2001). Retrieved on April 6, 2008.
  4. Blatt, Mitchell "P.O.D. Interview: Back Together, New Album in April" Archived April 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine JuicedSportsBlog.com (2008). Retrieved on April 5, 2008.
  5. P.O.D. Profile BreatheCast.com. Retrieved on April 6, 2008.
  6. Moss, Corey and Wiederhorn, Jon "VMA Lens Recap: The Story Behind P.O.D.'s 'Alive'" MTV.com (August 20, 2002). Retrieved on June 19, 2008.
  7. Rosen, Craig "P.O.D. Warriors Are 'Alive' In Force For Video Clip" Yahoo! Music (August 30, 2001). Retrieved on April 5, 2008.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 6, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. Wiederhorn, Jon "P.O.D. Set New York Alive With Free VMA Show" MTV.com (September 6, 2001). Retrieved on April 6, 2008.
  10. Music News Archive – Thursday, September 27, 2001 JesusFreakHideout.com (September 27, 2001). Retrieved on April 6, 2008.
  11. "P.O.D. / Blindside / Lacuna Coil / Hazen ST. May 4th, 2004" Archived May 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Epinions.com (January 3, 2005). Retrieved on April 6, 2008.
  12. "Australian-charts.com – P.O.D. – Alive". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  13. "Austriancharts.at – P.O.D. – Alive" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  14. "Ultratop.be – P.O.D. – Alive" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  15. "Danishcharts.com – P.O.D. – Alive". Tracklisten. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  16. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20 no. 9. February 23, 2002. p. 11. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  17. "P.O.D.: Alive" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  18. "Offiziellecharts.de – P.O.D. – Alive". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  19. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – P.O.D.". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  20. "Nederlandse Top 40 – P.O.D." (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  21. "Dutchcharts.nl – P.O.D. – Alive" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  22. "Charts.nz – P.O.D. – Alive". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  23. "Norwegiancharts.com – P.O.D. – Alive". VG-lista. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  24. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  25. "Swedishcharts.com – P.O.D. – Alive". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  26. "Swisscharts.com – P.O.D. – Alive". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  27. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  28. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  29. "P.O.D. Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  30. "P.O.D. Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  31. "P.O.D. Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  32. "ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  33. "Årslista Singlar, 2002" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
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