Released April 17, 1995 Length 5:51 | Format Promo-only CD single Writer(s) Raine Maida | |
Genre Post-grunge, alternative rock Label Sony Music, Epic, Relativity (US) | ||
Naveed is a single from Our Lady Peace's debut album of the same name, Naveed. It was released April 17, 1995 in the United States and in January 1996 in the United Kingdom as the fifth and final single from the album. The song performed well on the charts, and became a smash hit in Canada, although it was not officially released to radio there. The music video also climbed the charts on MuchMusic, and in 1998 was ranked the thirty-third favourite video of all time.
Contents
Since the album's release, Naveed has been a staple in the band's live performances. The song was also performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. It is also many times combined with another song, most notably "Life" from the album Spiritual Machines. This form of the song appeared on the band's 2003 album, Live.
Meaning
It's named after a friend of mine. His name is Naveed. He is Iranian and one day he told me the background (of the name) was a person referred to as a bearer of good news. The album title Naveed kind of ties in all the lyrics. 'Naveed' talks about someone scared to die, but at the same time interested in it. Naveed was playing with a gun and was unaware that one chamber within the gun contained a bullet. We took the concept of Naveed and placed it in the dark optimism of our music. We have forced Naveed to travel the distance between mysticism and bitter reality
Music video
The music video for Naveed, directed by George Vale, alternates between the band performing in front of a crowd, and children playing in an overly brightened salvage yard meant to represent a war-torn country. A large military tank and other war symbols play a role in the video.