"The Energy" is the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from the debut and only major

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

album ''

Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris ''Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris'' is the only major label album by alternative rock band Audiovent. It was released in 2002 on Atlantic Records. The album had two singles, "The Energy" and "Looking Down". Audiovent toured with Saliva and Theory of ...

'' by

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band

Audiovent Audiovent is an American alternative rock band from Calabasas, California. Initially forming as "Vent" in the early 1990s, the band changed their name to Audiovent upon signing with Atlantic Records in 2001. The band released their one and only a ...

. The song was a top ten hit on the

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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 ...

chart in 2002, and broke into the top 20 of the Billboard

Alternative Songs 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 as well.

Background

Majority of the band's major record label debut, ''

'', actually originates from the album ''Papa's Dojo'', the early material the band released in their early days under the moniker "

Vent Vent or vents may refer to: Science and technology Biology *Vent, the cloaca region of an animal *Vent DNA polymerase, a thermostable DNA polymerase Geology *Hydrothermal vent, a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water ...

". "The Energy" was one of only a few new tracks not originating from those sessions, but rather, written explicitly for the new album. The song was the band's first to be sent to rock radio, and the first single as well. It was also included on the soundtrack for the video games ''

Madden 2003 ''Madden NFL 2003'' is an American football simulation video game based on the NFL that was developed by EA Tiburon and Budcat Creations and published by EA Sports. The 14th installment of the ''Madden NFL series'', the game features former St. ...

'', ''

Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure ''Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure'' is a 2003 skateboarding video game developed by Toys for Bob and published by Activision for GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The Game Boy Advance version was ported by Vicarious Visions. The game uses the sa ...

'', '' Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild'', and ''

BMX XXX ''BMX XXX'' is a 2002 sports video game developed by Z-Axis and published by Acclaim Entertainment under their AKA Acclaim label for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube. While primarily a BMX-based action sports title, the game places a disti ...

''.

Themes and composition

Boyd states that the lyrics were inspired by a difficult break up he was going through upon recording the song. Boyd stated that writing the song helped him work through his emotions on the departure.

"'Energy' and a lot of the record was written during the breakup, and that song in particular is about my realization that I can't be dependent on any one person except myself. It's just a constant reminder of where I was at that point in my life and now the song just lets me know that I can't get back there again."

He explains that "The Energy" is in reference to having the energy to be self-sufficient, and not dependent on any one person.''Metal Masters'' (2003)
/ref>

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 ...

described the lyrics as " a misty reverie to a full-throttle venting session" while describing its sound as having "propulsive guitars, emotionally expressive vocals and galvanic rhythms".

Reception

Margo Whitmire of ''

'' magazine praised the track for its "deep lyrics and electric musical energy". Conversely,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

and

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criticized the track for a lack of perceived energy, especially considering the song's title.

Personnel

;Band *Jason Boyd - vocals *Benjamin Einziger - guitar, vocals *Paul Fried - bass, vocals *Jamin Wilcox - drums, vocals

Chart performance

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Energy 2002 singles 2002 songs Atlantic Records singles