It's Been Awhile
| "It's Been Awhile" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"It's Been Awhile" is a song recorded by American rock band Staind. It was released in March 2001 as the lead single from their album Break the Cycle.
The song is Staind's most successful and is their best-known song, becoming a No. 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2001,[2] their only song to reach the top 10. The song spent a second-best 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart[2] (behind only "Loser" by 3 Doors Down) and a then-record 16 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart,[2] beaten in 2007 by Foo Fighters with "The Pretender".
Content
The narrator takes stock of his life and refers to his addiction and failed relationships. Lewis called the song "an acknowledgement of the past."[3]
Reception
Eric Aiese of Billboard reviewed the song favourably, saying that the group handles the ballad well and packs "a lot of punch into the cut." Aiese said that the song "may be the group's greatest splash yet."[4]
Track listing
- "It's Been Awhile" (LP Clean Edit)
- "It's Been Awhile" (Acoustic Version)
- "Suffocate" (LP Version)
Music video
The music video begins with Aaron Lewis going through some old photographs, one of which happens to be the picture of his wife. The video then switches between him writing a letter to his wife and the band performing casually in a room full of candles. There are brief shots of Aaron alone in the streets and looking at himself in the mirror while having second thoughts. Throughout the video, Aaron is seen continuously smoking cigarettes. At the end of the video, one of those cigarettes falls onto the floor and burns down his apartment.
The video was directed by Limp Bizkit frontman, Fred Durst.
Charts
| Chart (2001–02) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[5] | 24 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6] | 54 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] | 46 |
| songid field is MANDATORY FOR GERMAN CHARTS | 43 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[8] | 18 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[9] | 7 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[10] | 23 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] | 79 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[12] | 15 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[13] | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[13] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks[13] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream[13] | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks[13] | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks[13] | 4 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2001) | Position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[14] | 50 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[15] | 14 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia[16] | Gold | 2002 | 35,000 + |
| United States[17] | Gold | 2001 | 500,000 + |
References
- ^ Geffen, Sasha (October 7, 2013). "In Defense of Post-Grunge Music". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 595.
- ^ Pesselnick, Jill (June 2, 2001). "The Modern Age". Google Books. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ Aiese, Eric (May 12, 2001). Google Books. Billboard Magazine https://books.google.com/books?id=FikEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA48&dq=staind+it%27s+been+awhile+review&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjLsNum4pLPAhVCGB4KHehdAVkQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=staind%20it's%20been%20awhile%20review&f=false. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Staind – It's Been Awhile". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
- ^ "Staind – It's Been Awhile" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
- ^ "Staind – It's Been Awhile" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
- ^ Search for Irish peak positions Archived 2011-10-12 at WebCite
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Staind" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
- ^ "Staind – It's Been Awhile". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
- ^ "Staind – It's Been Awhile". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
- ^ "Chart Stats - Staind (UK)". chartstats.com. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e f "Staind > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ "End of Year Charts 2001". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 2001". Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ^ "RIAA certifications". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2010-12-19.