Save Yourself (song)
"Save Yourself" is a song by American industrial rock band Stabbing Westward. The song was released as the second single from the band's 1998 album Darkest Days. The track is one of the band's most well known songs.
| "Save Yourself" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Stabbing Westward | ||||
| from the album Darkest Days | ||||
| Released | August 25, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997 at Eldorado Studios and NRG Recording Studios, North Hollywood | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:13 (album version) 3:50 (edit) | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mark Eliopulos, Walter Flakus, Christopher Hall, Andy Kubiszewski, Jim Sellers | |||
| Producer(s) | Stabbing Westward, Dave Jerden, Ulrich Wild | |||
| Stabbing Westward singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Composition
In a 2020 interview with Songfacts, lead singer Christopher Hall said:
We had a song on our record called "Sleep," which was a song about a girl who had been molested, and what she did to try and deal with it on a nightly basis. That song touched a lot of people that had similar experiences. They all reached out to me at shows, in letters, and in email, which was just starting to become a thing back then. They all had these tragic stories.
I just felt like everyone was looking to me for some sort of answer, because not only did we have "Sleep," but we had songs about mental illness and depression and dealing with hard times and loss and things like that, and everyone thought that since I had written these songs that I had found the answer. I hadn't. That's what "Save Yourself" is about. I know nothing. I'm right there with you, feeling the same things you're feeling. You have to figure it out for yourself.
At the time, it felt like a selfish song, like, "I can't help you, sorry." But I was trying to help them by saying only you can help yourself.[2]
Music video
The song's music video shows the band performing the song in a rundown house inhabited by strange people.
Track listing
- Promo single
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Save Yourself" (radio edit) | 3:50 |
| 2. | "Save Yourself" (LP version) | 4:13 |
| Total length: | 8:03 | |
- EP single
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Save Yourself" (radio edit) | 3:50 |
| 2. | "Save This" (remix) | 6:35 |
| 3. | "P.O.M.F. Dispossessed" ("The Thing I Hate" remix) | 6:24 |
| 4. | "On Your Way Down" (Down and Out Remix) | 6:08 |
| Total length: | 22:47 | |
Appearances in other media
- The song was featured in the trailers for the films The Mod Squad and Fatal Error in 1999, and The Covenant in 2006.
- The song was featured on the soundtracks for Tekken: The Motion Picture in 1998 and Shaun White Snowboarding in 2008.
- The song played during the end credits to the True Blood Season 5 finale of the same name.
- The song was featured in the 1998 film Urban Legend.
Chart positions
| Chart (1998) | Peak positions |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[3] | 64 |
| US Billboard Alternative Songs[4] | 20 |
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs[5] | 4 |
Personnel
- Christopher Hall – vocals, guitar
- Marcus Eliopulos – guitar
- Jim Sellers – bass
- Walter Flakus – keyboards
- Andy Kubiszewski – drums
References
- "Paolo Gregoletto: Nu-Metal - Revered or Reviled? The Top Ten". All Axess. (January 5th, 2015). Retrieved on January 6th, 2019
- "Christopher Hall of Stabbing Westward". Songfacts. June 1, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 04 Oct 1998". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved October 20, 2016.
- "Stabbing Westward - Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
- "Stabbing Westward - Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
