"Serenity" is a single by the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Godsmack Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna, bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin. Since its forma ...

from the album '' Faceless''. It reached number seven on the ''Mainstream Rock'' chart and number ten on the ''Modern Rock'' chart.

Song origin

The song was written by Godsmack frontman

Sully Erna Salvatore Paul Erna Jr. (born February 7, 1968) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter, best known as the vocalist and rhythm guitarist for rock band Godsmack. He is also a harmonica player, drummer, and percussionist, performing these o ...

in tribute to one of his childhood heroes,

Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

drummer

Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart OC (; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian-American musician, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an ...

. He wrote the song after reading the book '' Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road'', penned by Peart about his motorcycle trip along the

Pan-American Highway The Pan-American Highway (french: (Auto)route panaméricaine/transaméricaine; pt, Rodovia/Auto-estrada Pan-americana; es, Autopista/Carretera/Ruta Panamericana) is a network of roads stretching across the Americas and measuring about in to ...

that he took to cope with the deaths of his daughter and wife one year apart from another. "The book is so amazing," Erna told

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

.com. "He jumped on his motorcycle and within 14 months, drove 55,000 miles across the world. His experience about healing himself on the road inspired me to write this dark, tribal song," Erna says. Originally, Erna had hoped Peart would play on the track so he sent the drummer a demo version of the song along with his request. Peart sent a note back saying he was unable to appear on the record because of touring commitments, but he gave Godsmack his blessings and complimented the group on its song.

Critical reception

Bram Teitelman of ''

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 ...

'' was surprised by the unplugged approach the band took with the song, praising the use of congas and acoustic guitars to put together a "trancelike" sound for the listeners and the "wider vocal range" that Sully Erna displays more than usual, concluding that "it serves as a good balance record at modern and album rock, and it won't disappoint the band's platinum-plus fan base."

Music video

A music video was released for this song, showing the band performing during their appearance on Pepsi Smash in 2003.

Track listing

Chart positions

Singles U.S. ''Billboard''

References

External links

* {{Godsmack 2003 singles Godsmack songs Songs written by Sully Erna Songs written by Tony Rombola 2002 songs Republic Records singles Song recordings produced by David Bottrill