Away from the Sun (song)
"Away from the Sun" is a song by American rock band 3 Doors Down. It was released in October 2003 as the fourth single from their second studio album of the same name. It topped the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart in March 2004[1] and peaked at No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August of the same year.[2]
"Away from the Sun" | ||||
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Single by 3 Doors Down | ||||
from the album Away from the Sun | ||||
Released | October 20, 2003 | |||
Recorded | 2001–2002 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 3:53 | |||
Label | Republic | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Rick Parashar | |||
3 Doors Down singles chronology | ||||
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Composition
In an interview with SongFacts, lead singer Brad Arnold spoke about the song's meaning:
"'Away from the Sun' is just about those days. A really important little phrase is at the beginning of the chorus, it says, 'Now again I found myself so far down.' It's like, yet again I've fallen. It's not like just once you're in a hole, it's like, here I am again. You watch the kid in the [music] video, it's over and over he's at the bottom again. It's like every time he crawls back up someone just pushes him down. And for about a two-to-three year period in my life, I really felt like that. I didn't even feel like climbing up the hill anymore, because every time I climbed up somebody was gonna push me back down it. That song is a reflection of that time period in my life. And thank God it's over. But I just felt away from the sun."[3]
Music video
The music video for "Away from the Sun" was directed by Noble Jones.[4]
The video begins with a young boy (played by Brad Arnold's nephew)[3] attempting to climb a mountain with boulders strapped to his ankles with ropes. As he climbs, a man rushes up to him and begins scolding the boy. The boy then falls down the mountain. As he falls, a group of schoolgirls look on. Most of them laugh at him, with the exception of one girl who silently stares with a blank expression on her face. Afterwards, the boy tries to climb the mountain again. This time, however, a group of men begin throwing stones at the boy, except for one man who stares blankly at the boy and drops his stone. The boy then sees a woman dressed in white ahead of him, but the man from earlier in the video reappears and pushes him down to the base of the mountain. As he reflects on the events that had transpired, the sun begins to rise over the mountain range on the horizon. Finally, the boy once again attempts to scale the mountain. He again sees the woman dressed in white, and he continues to climb to the top of the mountain. The scene cuts to the boy climbing the mountain from afar before the sunlight consumes the screen and the video ends.
Track listing
EU version
- "Away from the Sun" – 3:51
- "Away from the Sun (acoustic)" – 3:45
- "Kryptonite (live)" – 4:14
Chart history
Chart (2003–2004) | Peak position |
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US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 62 |
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[6] | 33 |
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[7] | 20 |
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[8] | 29 |
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[9] | 5 |
US Radio Songs (Billboard)[10] | 65 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] | 44 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] | 41 |
Chart (2004–2005) | Peak position |
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US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[8] | 29 |
References
- "3 Doors Down Away From The Sun Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- "3 Doors Down Away From The Sun Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- "Brad Arnold from 3 Doors Down : Songwriter Interviews". SongFacts. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- "3 Doors Down - Away From The Sun (2004)". IMVDb. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- "3 Doors Down Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- "3 Doors Down Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
- "3 Doors Down Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
- "3 Doors Down Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- "3 Doors Down Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
- "3 Doors Down Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard.
- "Charts.nz – 3 Doors Down – Away from the Sun". Top 40 Singles.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – 3 Doors Down – Away from the Sun" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.