If your spirit's sleeping somewhere cold until Evanescence finds it there and leads it back home, you're not special: the latest early-aughts anthem to eclipse one billion YouTube views is the 2003 emo masterpiece that is "Bring Me to Life."
"So very proud to have reached a billion views," bandleader Amy Lee wrote in a tweet. "What a crazy thing. Thank you for all the love, all the memories. I'm speechless."
"So very proud to have reached a billion views," bandleader Amy Lee wrote in a tweet. "What a crazy thing. Thank you for all the love, all the memories. I'm speechless."
"Bring Me to Life" is oft considered Evanescence's breakout hit and was likely the first introduction to the band for many fans. The single was featured on their debut 2003 LP Fallen (which also included "My Immortal") and won the Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy at the 46th iteration of the awards, as well as peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Philipp Stölzl-directed video — which features Paul McCoy of Louisiana-bred Christian band 12 Stones, who also contributed vocals — helped propel the song's success, with vampy cityscape visuals wherein Lee takes sleepwalking to new extremes by scaling an apartment building in a silk chiffon nightgown. Unless, of course, it was all a dream...
And no less than a billion have tried to discern, begging to be woken up inside.
If you too have become so numb, add to the view tally below.
In 2020, Evanescence reunited following an eight-year hiatus for a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain." They join Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" among the YouTube billionaires.
