Bring Me to Life

General Information

Written by: A. Lee, B. Moody, and D. Hodges

Amy Lee became inspired to write the song after an incident that occurred while she was sitting in a restaurant. "I was inspired to write it when someone said something to me — I didn’t know him, and I thought he might be clairvoyant," says Lee from a tour stop in Tulsa. "I was in a relationship and I was completely unhappy. But I was hiding it. I was being completely abused and I was trying to cover it up; I wouldn’t even admit it to myself. So then I had spoken maybe 10 or 15 words to this guy, who was a friend of a friend. We were waiting for everyone else to show up, and we went into a restaurant and got a table. And he looked at me and said, ‘Are you happy?’ And I felt my heart leap, and I was like, he totally knows what I’m thinking. And I lied, I said I was fine. Anyway, he’s not really clairvoyant. But he is a sociology major." The Boston Phoenix

Amy Lee’s quote about the song from MTV.com:

"Basically, we go through life every day, kind of doing the same thing, going through the motions, and nothing phases us for the most part, then one day something happens that wakes you up and makes you realize that there's more to life than just feeling nothing, feeling numb. It's as if you've never felt before and just realized there's this whole world of emotion or meaning that you've never seen before. It's just like, 'Wow, I've been asleep all this time.'"

In an interview titled "Amy Lee: Back In Black", she said she wrote "Bring Me To Life" about her long time friend (now boyfriend, apparently) Josh. Blender

It was the second single off of the Daredevil Soundtrack (Fuel’s Wont Back Down was first) and the first single off of Fallen. Bring Me to Life became the #1 pop song in the country the week of June 13th, 2003, only to be replaced a week later by Kelly Clarkson’s Miss Independent. The song features Paul McCoy, the lead singer of 12 Stones.

The song was originally intended to be without the male vocals when Wind-up felt that it was best to put a male vocalist into the song for the Daredevil soundtrack. The version that featured Paul McCoy stuck.

In a magazine interview, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park said that Mike Shinoda was originally asked to be featured on the song. Linkin Park was recording Meteora in the same studio that Evanescence was recording Fallen.

Versions

Studio versions:

Bring Me To Life [Fallen version]

• Recording date: August - November 2002
• Status: Released
• Released on:

Fallen (track #2) – the first single off the album

Daredevil: The Album (track #9) – the second single off the album

All Bring Me To Life singles and numerous compilation CDs

Bring Me To Life [bliss mix]

• Recording date: August - November 2002
• Status: Released
• Released on: most of Bring Me To Life singles
• Note: this version is like on Fallen, but without male vocals

Bring Me To Life [demo version #1]

• Recording date: 2001-2002
• Status: Unreleased

Bring Me To Life [demo version #2]

• Recording date: 2002
• Status: Unreleased

Note: has a scintillating solo by Ben Moody

In the Capital FM interview Amy mentioned there were a few more demo versions with different choruses, one of them included lyrics "wake me from dreaming, save me from nothing, bring me to life".

Live versions:

Bring Me To Life [Anywhere But Home DVD live]

• Performing period: 2004
• Status: Released
• Recording date: May 25, 2004
• Released on: Anywhere But Home (track #10)

Note: this live version has a breathtaking intro by Amy Lee

Bring Me To Life [acoustic]

• Performing period: 2003
• Status: Released
• Released on: Bring Me To Life DVD

Bring Me To Life [guitar intro]

• Performing period: 2003
• Status: Unreleased
• Example: Rock am Ring festival

Bring Me To Life [orchestra intro]

• Performing period: Autumn 2003
• Status: Unreleased
• Example: Live in Cologne

Bring Me To Life [original piano intro]

• Performing period: 2006-2007
• Status: Unreleased
• Example: Live @ KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2006

Note: no male vocals during the choruses, only during the bridge

Lyrics

Bring Me To Life - Fallen version
Paul McCoy's part is written in brackets

How can you see into my eyes like open doors
Leading you down into my core
Where I've become so numb without a soul
My spirit sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back home

(Wake me up) Wake me up inside
(I can't wake up) Wake me up inside
(Save me) Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run
(I can't wake up) Before I come undone
(Save me) Save me from the nothing I've become

Now that I know what I'm without
You can't just leave me
Breathe into me and make me real
Bring me to life

(Wake me up) Wake me up inside
(I can't wake up) Wake me up inside
(Save me) Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run
(I can't wake up) Before I come undone
(Save me) Save me from the nothing I've become
Bring me to life (I've been living a lie.There's nothing inside)
Bring me to life

Frozen inside without your touch
Without your love - darling - only you
Are the life among the dead

(All of this time I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me)
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems
Got to open my eyes to everything
(Without a thought without a voice without a soul)
Don't let me die here
(There must be something more)
Bring me to life

(Wake me up) Wake me up inside
(I can't wake up) Wake me up inside
(Save me) Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run
(I can't wake up) Before I come undone
(Save me) Save me from the nothing I've become
Bring me to life (I've been living a lie.There's nothing inside)
Bring me to life

Bring Me to Life - Demo versions

How can you see into my eyes like open doors?
Leading you down into my core
Where I've become so numb
Without a soul
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back home

Wake me up inside
Wake me up inside
Call my name and save me from the dark
Bid my blood to run
Before I come undone
Save me from the nothing I've become
Bring me to life

Now that I know what I'm without
You can't just leave me
Breathe into me and make me real
Bring me to life

Wake me up inside
Wake me up inside
Call my name and save me from the dark
Bid my blood to run
Before I come undone
Save me from the nothing I've become
Bring me to life

Frozen inside without your touch
Without your love - darling
Only you are the life among the dead

Bring me to life

Wake me up inside
Wake me up inside
Call my name and save me from the dark
Bid my blood to run
Before I come undone
Save me from the nothing I've become
Bring me to life
Bring me to life
Bring me to life

Bring Me To Life - Bliss Mix
This version has identical lyrics to the main single. There are no vocal effects on the first line. There are no secondary vocals from Paul McCoy.

How can you see into my eyes like open doors?
Leading you down into my core
Where I've become so numb
Without a soul
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back home

Wake me up inside
Wake me up inside
Call my name and save me from the dark
Bid my blood to run
Before I come undone
Save me from the nothing I've become
Bring me to life

Now that I know what I'm without
You can't just leave me
Breathe into me and make me real
Bring me to life

Wake me up inside
Wake me up inside
Call my name and save me from the dark
Bid my blood to run
Before I come undone
Save me from the nothing I've become
Bring me to life

Frozen inside without your touch
Without your love - darling
Only you are the life among the dead

I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems
Got to open my eyes to everything
Don't let me die here
Bring me to life

Wake me up inside
Wake me up inside
Call my name and save me from the dark
Bid my blood to run
Before I come undone
Save me from the nothing I've become
Bring me to life
Bring me to life
Bring me to life

Video

Video Directed by Philip Stolzl

The video is a live performance/action video and was directed by Philip Stolzl. The video was filmed in Romania in January 2003. It features Amy in a night gown and barefoot, in her room, inside a tall building in the city at night. The rest of the band, and Paul McCoy, are playing on a higher floor of the building. She climbs out of the window of her room and begins to climb the building, passing many windows while venturing to the window that featured the room with the band and McCoy. Right before the bridge of the song featuring a duet with both McCoy and Lee, Lee ends up falling off the building but managing to hang on to the ledge that she was standing on. McCoy pulls open the window and tries to save her, but can't, and amy falls off the building. At the very end of the video, we see Lee back in bed again: it was all a nightmare. This is symbolic because it features someone trying to find someone that will 'wake her and save her'.

The video gained huge popularity in 2003 and clips of it were featured everywhere, including MTV's Big Urban Myth Show where clips of amy waking up and walking around outside on the ledge were prominently featured on any and all sleep related myths.

Watch the video on evanescence.com

Commercial Release

Main Article: Bring Me To Life Single

The Bring Me To Life single was commercially released worldwide on April 22, 2003.

Tracks released with this single include:

1. Bring Me To Life [Album Version]
2. Bring Me To Life [Bliss Mix]
3. Farther Away [Album Version]
4. Bring Me To Life [Video]
5. Bring Me To Life [Live Acoustic Version]
6. My Immortal [Live Acoustic Version]
7. Interview footage
8. Missing

Guitar Tabs & Sheet Music

• Piano sheet music - arranged by Kyle Marcolini
• Piano sheet music with guitar tabs