Released April 2005 Label Geffen | Length 3:20 | |
Format CD single
digital download Recorded The Warehouse Studio, Vancouver, British Columbia Genre Acoustic rock, soft rock | ||
"Swing Life Away" is an acoustic rock song by punk rock band Rise Against, first released on the album Punk Goes Acoustic. The song is the second single and 11th track on their 2004 album Siren Song of the Counter Culture. Originally written by Tim McIlrath and Neil Hennessy, the song is distinguished from the majority of Rise Against's catalog because it is performed and recorded acoustically. The lyrics are optimistic and speak of contentment with a less-than-perfect life, although they maintain the band's characteristic themes of self-analysis and hope. At a show at Festival Hall in Melbourne, Australia, McIlrath stated the song was written about a good friend of the band who helped them whilst they were lesser known.
Contents
Composition
The song is an example of Rise Against's tendency to omit the third notes of their acoustic chords, using the resulting fifth chords with four or more strings to generate a raw-sounding guitar piece (as opposed to most other punk and alternative bands, which typically use full chords in their acoustic pieces).
Song overview
"Swing Life Away" was released to radio on April 26, 2005 and peaked at #12 on the Billboard Modern Rock charts. The first version was featured in 2003 on Punk Goes Acoustic with a duration of 2:26. In 2004, the song was released with an added guitar bridge on Siren Song of the Counter Culture, clocking in at 3:20.
The song is available as downloadable, additional content for the Lips series.
Reception and legacy
"Swing Life Away" received mostly positive reviews, and has appeared on multiple lists of the best Rise Against songs. Ultimate Guitar Archive praised nearly every aspect of the song, such as the "tear-inducing" lyrics, McIlrath's vocals, and its "sharp guitar sound". Davey Boy of Sputnikmusic characterized the lyrics as simple but effective, while Justin Donnelly of Blistering felt that "Swing Life Away" ended the album in "huge style". In his review of Punk Goes Acoustic, Aubin Paul of Punknews.org wrote that the song has an "amazingly catchy guitar line". Marc Hogan of Pitchfork Media gave a much more critical review, describing the song as a "drearily unpoetic acoustic weeper".
Commercially, the song reached multiple Billboard music charts, peaking at number twelve on the US Alternative Songs chart, number seventeen on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, and number ninety-five on the Pop 100 chart.
Machine Gun Kelly cover
On June 26, 2013, American rapper Machine Gun Kelly released the mixtape Black Flag, which included a cover of "Swing Life Away". The cover has new verses written by Kelly, and features guest vocals by Kellin Quinn of Sleeping with Sirens. Kelly stated that he "fucking love[s] Rise Against", and wanted to record a cover of the song with Quinn. Rise Against approved of the cover, after Kelly wrote a letter to the band explaining that he "wouldn’t do anything to make them or their song look corny". Originally, Quinn had recorded vocals for an acoustic rendition, but Kelly decided against this, insisting that the cover be more melodic rock.