ABC/Randy HolmesShinedown‘s song “MONSTERS,” a single from the band’s latest album, ATTENTION ATTENTION, has topped Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Songs chart, giving them 14 number-ones on the tally. The only artist with more is Three Days Grace, who have scored 15 number-ones over the chart’s 38-year history.
“MONSTERS” follows fellow ATTENTION ATTENTION single “GET UP,” which also hit number one on Mainstream Rock Songs. Much like “GET UP,” which was written about bassist Eric Bass‘ battle with depression, “MONSTERS” also tackles a band member’s personal struggle: frontman Brent Smith‘s history of drug addiction.
“I think that ‘MONSTERS’ is a song that allows people to understand that their monsters are gonna be specific to them,” Smith tells ABC Radio. “For me, it was substance abuse, and I deal with that on a daily basis.”
Smith describes ATTENTION ATTENTION as a “reflection” of all four Shinedown members, and feels that songs like “MONSTERS” and “GET UP” describe personal stories of their own lives, but might also show fans that they’re not alone in whatever they’re dealing with.
“There is a triumph inside of ‘GET UP’ — there is a tomorrow,” Smith says. “There is a moment where you can look at yourself in the mirror and go, ‘It’s gonna be hard, it’s gonna be tough, but it’s gonna be OK.'”
“And inside of ‘MONSTERS,’ we wanted to make sure that the audience understood that sometimes you have to deal with scary things inside your own head,” he continues.
Overall, Smith believes that “MONSTERS” and “GET UP” demonstrate who Shinedown is as a band and as artists.
“The biggest part of what we do as a band is, we’re honest,” Smith says.
“Both of these songs are very, very poignant, to the point, and real,” he adds. “Just like our monsters.”
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