Sweet Sacrifice

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General Information

Written by: A. Lee and T. Balsamo

Described as a song about "a post-relationship catharsis that head-dives from an otherworldly intro into a hard-driving thrash of hard rock guitars and soaring rock vocals" by Evanescence.com.

The listener is captivated by Amy's universe as the very first notes start off. Amy repeatedly takes a deep breath in order to absorb us for an hour. Terry's guitar part flirts with high notes, as Amy's voice follows the same tonality path.

In an interview, Amy was asked: "Which was the song on 'The Open Door' that gave more trouble to you? Which was the song that needed more adjustments to obtain 'the final cut'?"

She replied:

"Sweet Sacrifice took the longest to write. Terry and I began tracking it at the beginning of 2005, got stuck on it and sort of abandoned it, half-baked, for months. Then in September we pulled it out and finally had a breakthrough with it and it became one of our favorite songs on the album. Usually when I get stuck on a song like that it dies. If I can't get the idea out when its fresh and urgent, the feeling just goes away- but Sweet Sacrifice came back to life."

Additionally, Amy made known to the fans through EvThreads that John LeCompt didn't take part in the production of the song and he should not be given credit:

You all know that Terry suffered a stroke right after tracking the guitars for The Open Door, and how much strength he's had to have to overcome the effects its had on his performance. This is part of the reason the nomination was so touching to us. This award is for those who performed on the track, and I want to give credit where credit is due. Terry composed and performed ALL of the guitars on this song, Will played bass, Rocky played drums, and I sang vocals. Wind-up records made an error when they listed the performers on the album back in 2006, and now that error is being taken advantage of. You are the fans, you deserve to know who you're listening to, and Terry deserves full recognition for his performance.

Amy's description of the song:

"It's the one song on The Open Door that's about the same abusive relationship which was the source of all the songs on Fallen. It was appropriate to put this song at the beginning, but it comes from a much stronger standpoint than Fallen. It's not saying, 'I'm trapped in fear and somebody save me.' It's saying, 'Fear is only in our minds ... I'm not afraid anymore.'"

Officially chosen as the third single from The Open Door after requests from the band and fan reactions prompted the label to rethink ideas of releasing All That I'm Living For as the single.

The song was nominated for the Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy Award 0f 2008

Versions

Studio versions:

Sweet Sacrifice

• Recording date: September 2005 - March 2006
• Status: Released
• Released on:

The Open Door (track #1) - the third single off the album

All Sweet Sacrifice Singles

• Length: 3:03

Sweet Sacrifice (Radio Mix)

• Recording date: September 2005 - March 2006, processed during April 2007
• Status: Released
• Released on: Sweet Sacrifice Single (track #3) - Premium Maxi CD Single
• Length: 3:05

Live versions:

Sweet Sacrifice [live]

• Performing period: October 5, 2006 - December 7, 2007
• Status: Unreleased
• Example: Live @ KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2006

Lyrics

It's true, we're all a little insane
But it's so clear
Now that I'm unchained

Fear is only in our minds
Taking over all the time
Fear is only in our minds
but it's taking over all the time

You poor sweet innocent thing
Dry your eyes and testify
You know you live to break me - don't deny
Sweet sacrifice

One day I'm gonna forget your name
And one sweet day,
You're gonna drown in my lost pain

Fear is only in our minds
Taking over all the time
Fear is only in our minds
But it's taking over all the time

You poor sweet innocent thing
Dry your eyes and testify
And oh, you love to hate me
Don't you, honey?
I'm your sacrifice

I dream in darkness
I sleep to die
Erase the silence
Erase my life

Do you wonder [Our burning ashes]
Why you hate? [Blacken the day]
Are you still so weak [A world of nothingness]
To survive your mistakes? [Blow me away]

You poor sweet innocent thing
Dry your eyes and testify
You know you live to break me - don't deny
Sweet sacrifice

Video

Sweet Sacrifice Video

The video was filmed on March 9 and March 10, 2007 and was directed by Paul Brown. For each day of production, one lucky EvClub member was given the chance to visit the set and take pictures while they watched the video being made (see Contest Details).

CNN broadcast a segment featuring some behind-the-scenes footage of the video on March 16, 2007 (video).

"It's mostly live performance," singer Amy Lee said recently on the set of their "Sweet Sacrifice" video. "It's not so much fluff and flying and tricks and wolves and stuff. It's more really just about the song, and that is unique for us. We usually do crazy stuff." The video does have a "cool twist," which Lee refused to reveal, but it will mainly feature the band performing on a set inspired by 2000's psychotherapist thriller "The Cell." "Like we're in the walls of our minds, sort of," Lee said.

Paul Brown, who has directed videos for Audioslave and Matisyahu, helmed the project, which will feature scenes of the live footage projected onto a wall. "It's gonna be sort of like a video within the video," Lee said. "Since the song is our heaviest single, we really wanted to focus on mostly performance but still have something about it that's really unique. And I think [Paul] really hit the nail on the head."

Sweet Sacrifice Video

The video was officially released at launch.yahoo.com on April 5th, however iTunes North America had accidentally made it briefly available for purchase the day before.

• Watch the video on Evanescence.com

Commercial Release

Main Article: Sweet Sacrifice Single

The Sweet Sacrifice single was commercially released in the Germany on May 25, 2007.

Tracks released with the single include:

1. Sweet Sacrifice [Album Version]
2. Weight Of The World [Live in Tokyo]
3. Sweet Sacrifice [Radio Version]
4. Interwiew with Amy Lee and John LeCompt [Enhanced video]