STACK #229 November 2023

THIS MONTH at

MUSIC NEWS

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WAKE UP INSIDE WITH A GUITAR SIGNED BY EVANESCENCE

Lee was strong-armed into including the male rap In 2003, the nu-metal landscape (and rock arena in general) was very male heavy. In fact, you’d come up with a crater looking for a female presence at all amongst the bands that ruled it. Therefore, Evanescence’s label decided that for Bring Me to Life to do well, Lee’s ethereal vocal needed a shouty male part to counter it. Lee wasn’t jazzed. Earlier this year the musician said: ”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.” The label gets told Evanescence’s label had more Negative Nancy opinions on Lee’s instant classic, but there was one they couldn’t make stick. The honchos considered Lee’s ideas for a string section too whimsical and otherworldly (read: exquisite!) for the genre, but Lee put her foot down – both in having the strings present at all, and in pushing for them to be real instruments, ”an expense I fought hard for over a less expensive synthetic probably could not have envisioned; the parts were eventually arranged by Canadian conductor David Campbell (whose son is – nepo baby alert – Loser singer-songwriter Beck). Campbell has worked on albums by Michael Jackson, Ariana Grande, Beyonce, and Harry Styles, and his first ever musical job was playing viola on Carole King’s seminal album Tapestry (1971), at 23 years old. alternative,” she said last year. And less expensive, the label

W e were feeling the femme in nu-metal this time 20 years ago, when Amy Lee and her band Evanescence blew the reigning boys (Linkin Park, Korn, Limp

Amy Lee married the track’s muse (and they’re still together) Amy Lee wrote Bring Me to Life when she was just 19, while suffering through an abusive relationship. When a then

Bizkit) out of the water with debut single Bring Me to Life. In celebration of the two decades since Lee pleaded with us to save her from the nothing she’d become – and the release of the belter debut album from which it came, Fallen – JB have whipped up a stunner of a comp. Pre-order the 20th anniversary edition of Fallen on any format, answer the question ’What is your favourite song from Fallen and why?’ in 25 words or less, and you’ll go in the running to win an Ibanez guitar signed by all current members of Evanescence! You can enter online (www. jbhifi.com.au/blogs/competitions/evanescence competition) or at any JB Hi-Fi store. While you’re deciding on your answer to the comp question, here are three cool facts about Fallen ’s lead single and standout gem, Bring Me to Life.

acquaintance asked her point blank if she was truly happy, she was amazed that her faux good spirits weren’t working on him – that he could ”see into [her] eyes, like open doors,” if you will. ”I felt like he could

just see straight into my soul - that inspired the whole song”, she explained upon the track’s release. That acquaintance was a psychology student named Josh Hartzler, and across the next four years, his connection with Lee would bloom into romance. When Lee was 26 years old, she married her muse, and the couple are still happily wedded (with an eight year-old son!).

The 20th anniversary editions of Evanescence’s Fallen include the deluxe JB-exclusive purple and white marbled vinyl.

MERCH MONT H M H of the Check out the cool new merchandise available in JB stores now!

Keep Billie close to your heart with this gorgeous HappierThan Ever poster.

COMING SOON: Get your pre order in for the coolest new Pop! Vinyl – the late songbird Amy Winehouse, in her Back to Black video clip ’fit.

Use your smarts to piece together this neat jigsaw puzzle featuring Gorillaz’ 2-D, Noodle, Murdoc, and Russell.

40 NOVEMBER 2023

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