Wake Me Up Inside: The True Story of Evanescence's 'Bring Me To Life'

As the ‘90s came to an end, rock music was in a very aggressive
state. Bands like Deftones, Korn and Limp Bizkit were reaching
the Billboard charts with their loud, angry and often rapped
vocals, leading the way for a new breed of heavy music that was
referred to as nu-metal. 


But there was one overwhelming observation with this type of
music: it was all just a bit too… bro-y. 


With the exception of Canada’s own Kittie, the nu-metal scene was
dominated by men in backwards baseball caps, dreadlocks and JNCO
jeans. It was time for a change, and in the early 2000s, one band
from Little Rock was on the verge of something.


As a teenager, Amy Lee was an aspiring songwriter. Music was in
the family. Her dad was in a rock band but gave it up to be a
radio disc jockey when Amy was born. Growing up in Chicago, Lee
was a happy kid, but then her family moved to Little Rock when
she was 13, and things changed. 


Amy described herself as “miserable,” and an outcast who couldn’t
fit in because she didn’t want to dress and act like everyone
else. She channeled these feelings, using them to write poetry
and music - something she would continue to do throughout the
years.


That summer in youth camp she met Ben Moody, a fellow teenager
who also felt like he didn’t belong. He and Amy hit it off
immediately and eventually they were an item. With Amy on piano
and Ben on acoustic guitar, the two began writing and recording
songs that reflected their feelings of teen angst. Amy would also
give him songs and ask Ben to make them sound “cool”. Soon,
Evanescence was born.


Evanescence released their first EP, titled Evanescence in 1998,
followed by the Sound Asleep EP in 1999. A local radio station
began to play some of their music, which helped them earn a
modest following and get some gigs in the area. When mastering
their demo tape 'Origin' - the band got the attention of label
Wind-Up Records, who didn't exactly know what to do with the
band.


As months and years went by. Evanescence were blindsided by their
label. As the album was coming together, the label threw them a
curveball: they wanted a male singer in the band to share vocals
with Amy.


This was an immediate no-go for Amy and Ben, and when they
refused to cooperate, the label pulled the plug on the album and
the record deal. So the two of them headed back to Little Rock.
And just like that, the dream was apparently over.


Flash forward a few weeks and Wind-up came back with a new offer:
if they hired a rapper to contribute vocals to their chosen first
single, “Bring Me To Life,” the label would honour their deal.


The band begrudgingly agreed to this compromise - they wanted
their album to see the light of day after all. But the
introduction wouldn’t be with the album, it would be through the
Marvel Universe.


This is the true story of Evanescence's smash hit - complete with
unearthed audio from Amy Lee.