"Shine Down" is a single by the 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 ...

. It was featured on the band's fourth studio album, '' IV''. The song landed a spot on the

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 ...

at number four.

Writing

According to Shannon Larkin, the song was written by Sully Erna: "I played no role in Shine Down. Sully came in with that song. It is one of the ones on the album where he had it and brought it in. He simply said, 'Give me the " When the Levee Breaks" type drum beat.' Then he played the riff, and we had the song and it was rock. We didn't even know about the harmonica part."

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 ...

is heard playing the

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

during the bridge of the song. In an interview with Shannon Larkin, he said that Sully Erna threw in the harmonica solo because he would sit around the studio and jam on his harmonica. Also, it might have been Andy Johns’ idea, he's the one who said, "You should put the harp in the song."

Song meaning

According to Shannon Larkin, the song is about the band's continued belief in a higher power. "The song is about knowing there's something out there, whatever God you believe in. But some kind of power that shines down on you and helps you face the next day or whatever." Shannon Larkin said. Later Sully Erna added that the song is not about the God that religions talk about. Godsmack performed the song on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on September 5, 2006.

Personnel

Vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

Rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

Harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

Producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

* Tony Rombola -

Lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

* Robbie Merrill -

Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Shannon Larkin -

Drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Andy Johns -

Chart positions

Singles U.S. ''Billboard''

References

{{Godsmack 2006 singles Godsmack songs Post-grunge songs