Friday Song: "My Immortal"
Amy Lee's voice propels a love song to the level of "modern classic"
Evanescence lived up to their name — proving far too fleeting than we would have liked, the group burned through relationships and members even as they burst into the spotlight.
They marked a difference from the start. I remember how their first album’s cover seemed to represent an inflection point in music and culture — something new was here, and it was going to matter. It was like a blue version of Pearl Jam’s Ten, with a name and aesthetic that tickled the brain in novel ways.
Coming out of Little Rock, the group’s lead singer Amy Lee revealed a powerful and clear voice that rings with sincerity and emotion. Evanescence’s blend of acoustic instruments and touches with grinding guitars and roaring drums created a new and remarkable sound. They broke new ground.
Their first single, “Bring Me to Life,” rocketed up the charts, along with the 2003 album Fallen. After stumbling with their second single (“Hello”), they rebounded with “My Immortal,” a song they had started writing in 1998 and had planned to release on their first EP, but held back to rework, sensing there was more to it.
Written in A with a slow cadence of 79 bpm, the song is a singer’s playground, and Lee doesn’t hold back. It’s a wrenching song about love and loss, apparently completely fictional, created just to evoke a mood.
Boy, does it ever succeed. Grab a tissue if you plan to pay close attention.
And enjoy a musical catharsis.