"Gone Away" is a song by American
punk rock band
the Offspring
The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guita ...
. Written by the band's singer,
Dexter Holland
Bryan Keith "Dexter" Holland (born December 29, 1965) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter and last remaining original member of the American rock band the Offspring. He is also the creator of th ...
, it is the seventh track on the band's fourth studio album, ''
Ixnay on the Hombre
''Ixnay on the Hombre'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Offspring, released on February 4, 1997, by Columbia Records. After the massive commercial success of their previous album, '' Smash'' (1994), the band entered the stud ...
'' (1997), and was released as its second single. It also appears as the sixth track on ''
Greatest Hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
'' (2005). A piano version of the song features as the eleventh track on the group's tenth studio album
''Let The Bad Times Roll'' (2021).
The song became the Offspring's first No. 1 on the
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...
, while reaching No. 4 on the
Hot Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart. Through 2009, the band played "Gone Away" with Holland performing on piano throughout Europe and the United States. Two of the tracks from this single ("D.U.I." and "
Hey Joe
"Hey Joe" is an American song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and has been performed in many musical styles by hundreds of different artists. The lyrics tell of a man who is on the run and planning to head to Mexico after shooting ...
") appear on the band's 2010 compilation album, ''
Happy Hour!
''Happy Hour!'' is a Japanese exclusive compilation album by the American punk rock band The Offspring. It was released on August 4, 2010. The album chronicles tracks from approximately 15 years of the band's career. It is the first album by t ...
''.
Track listing
CD single
7" black vinyl
Promo CD
Sales
![The Offspring performing at Caesars Windsor, 2022-11-15 03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/The_Offspring_performing_at_Caesars_Windsor%2C_2022-11-15_03.jpg)
The single reached Gold in Australia, selling 35,000 copies.
Music video
The music video, shot in grainy quality, was directed by
Nigel Dick
Nigel Dick (born 21 March 1953) is a British music video and film director, writer and musician from Catterick, England, now based in Los Angeles, California. He directed the Britney Spears videos " ...Baby One More Time" and " Oops!... I Did I ...
and was filmed on February 11, 1997 at the Morrell Meat Building in Los Angeles. It shows the band playing in a dark, and apparently abandoned
slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility.
Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...
.
Dexter Holland
Bryan Keith "Dexter" Holland (born December 29, 1965) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter and last remaining original member of the American rock band the Offspring. He is also the creator of th ...
, for most of the video, sings to a shining hanging light bulb. He is the only band member to interact with this bulb, though other lightbulbs are shown in each band member's respective rooms. Dexter also sings into a suspended microphone which is also used in the video; it swings back and forth as the video fades to black.
DVD appearances
The music video appears on the ''
Complete Music Video Collection
''Complete Music Video Collection'' is an extensive video album (released in DVD and UMD formats) by the American punk rock band The Offspring. It was released to accompany the ''Greatest Hits'' CD, which arrived a month earlier, and shows all ...
'' DVD, released in 2005. The DVD also contains a
storyboard
A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, i ...
version of the video (with the storyboard playing over top the music video).
''Rock Band''
The song was made available as downloadable content in the ''Rock Band'' series on October 7, 2008. It appeared in the first Offspring pack along with "
Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)
"Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" is a song by American punk-rock band the Offspring. It is the fourth track from the band's fifth studio album, ''Americana'' (1998), and was released as its first single in November 1998. The song peaked at number ...
" and "
Self Esteem
Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth or abilities. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Mackie (2007) d ...
".
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Notable cover versions
*
Five Finger Death Punch
Five Finger Death Punch, also abbreviated as 5FDP or FFDP, is an American heavy metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2005. The band originally consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Ivan Moody, rhythm guitarist Zoltan Bathory, lead gui ...
covered the song on their 2017 compilation album, ''
A Decade of Destruction
''A Decade of Destruction'' is the first compilation album by American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. It was released on December 1, 2017, by Prospect Park. On October 27, 2017, the band issued "Trouble", the first of two new songs in ...
'', and on their 2018 studio album, ''
And Justice for None
''And Justice for None'' is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. It was released on May 18, 2018, and was preceded by two singles released in December 2017 on their first greatest hits record. It is t ...
''. Their version peaked at No. 2 on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''s
Mainstream Rock Airplay
Mainstream Rock is a music chart in '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in ...
chart in April 2018.
*
Midwife
A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery.
The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; co ...
covered a version of the song named 2020 on her 2021 studio album, ''
Luminol
Luminol (C8H7N3O2) is a chemical that exhibits chemiluminescence, with a blue glow, when mixed with an appropriate oxidizing agent. Luminol is a white-to-pale-yellow crystalline solid that is soluble in most polar organic solvents, but insolub ...
'', which borrows the same chords and mainly consists of the chorus of the song.
References
External links
*
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The Offspring songs
1997 singles
1990s ballads
Music videos directed by Nigel Dick
Rock ballads
Songs written by Dexter Holland
1997 songs
Epitaph Records singles
Columbia Records singles
Songs about death