#RMF2020: Shine

 

 

Day 29 of #RocktoberMusicFest2020


The Song choice for today: Shine
Artist: Collective Soul
Year Representing: 1994


Wikipedia tells us this about the song:

"Shine" is the debut single by American alternative rock band Collective Soul. It served as the lead single from their 1993–1994 debut album Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid. "Shine" would remain the band's most well known song and a hallmark of 1990s alternative rock. It became the number one Album Rock Song of 1994, and won a Billboard award for Top Rock Track. The song also reached the top of the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart for eight weeks. The song then went on to peak at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week. VH1 would later rank "Shine" at number 42 on their list of the "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s". 

In a December 2017 interview with Songfacts, lead singer Ed Roland explained the origin of "Shine":

I had riffs – this was the late '80s and I was writing a lot of songs. I called it "drone," where you either drone the A or the E, and play a melody under it. So, I had a bunch of them that the band I was in at the time were playing. But I always had the "Shine" riff, and I thought, "That's a cool riff." Then I came home and spent the night with my parents and Dean, who is 10 years younger than me – I didn't even know he played guitar. So he was playing guitar, and I joined in. I just showed him the riff, and I was like, "I need to finish this." So, I literally just wrote it right there, with Dean, sitting in my parents' living room. I didn't think anything about it. I probably wrote it in 1989, and it wasn't out until 1994.

Due to the song's lyrical themes, particularly the mention of "heaven", Collective Soul was often early on regarded as a Christian band. Ed Roland elaborated, "I remember around the time ["Shine" came out] getting into an argument with a writer who said, 'You're a Christian band.' I said, 'No, we're not.' 'Well, you have the word heaven in your song.' And I said, 'Well, so does Led Zeppelin. I don't remember anyone saying they were a Christian band.'" He went on to stress that such classification would unite the bandmates' beliefs and that a particular doctrine cannot speak for all its members. Roland did note, however, his religious background and the fact that his father is a Southern Baptist minister, but that this does not justify a Christian label.

Collective Soul rhythm guitarist Dean Roland has called the song's chorus "basically a prayer" and noted that the uplifting single was released during an odd time amidst heavy grunge. He noted that, despite the song's unique feel, this circumstance wrongfully pigeonholed the band as being grunge.

"Shine" features guitar with a slight distortion and mellow atmosphere throughout the verses. Its chorus pounds with staccato riffs before brightening up with the lyrics "Heaven let your light shine down." Later, the song's bridge modulates into double-time behind a hard rock guitar solo before returning to its previous state of calmness.





I’d love for you to join me in celebrating Rock Music this month. All you need to do is drop the link to your current Rock Music post in the comments. Be sure to code with html so the link is clickable.  And then visit everyone that has left their links.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for more #RMF2020 fun!