“It’s Been a While” is the most successful single by rock band Staind released in March 2001. Seven months later, it peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It held the record for the second longest staying track on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks charts lasting for 20 consecutive weeks. It also became the most enduring number 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks charts for 16 weeks. This impressive record was finally broken by “The Pretender” in 2007.
Given the single’s success on charts, it attracted multiple singers to do their own covers. While there were promising versions, no one yet can outdo Aaron Lewis’ acoustic cover of his own song. He was the former front man of Staind who recently shifted his music to Country.
Not a Love Song
Written from the perspective of a recovering addict, Aaron Lewis was actually referring to the dopes he’s used before. After working to get cleaned and sober, Lewis had the most-healthy and stable relationship with his supportive wife, Vanessa. They had 3 children and their bond got stronger over the years.
Despite the success of their singles, Lewis said that the songs Staind produced had their share of controversies. Lewis realized the weight of his lyrics in his songs and how it’s affecting their loyal fans who were dealing with serious issues. One painful incident happened in 2001 when a fan killed himself after listening to the Staind‘s song, “Outside.”
The New “It’s Been a While”
Unlike the songs that he and his band Staind produced before, Aaron Lewis brought a different style and approach in his music as he shifted into country. But for heavy-themed songs like “It’s Been a While,” Lewis used a more mellow tune.
The original release by the Staind was labelled as a ballad though it was predominantly a rock song. In Aaron Lewis’ new version, he did an acoustic approach and added a new flavor of expression, allowing the song’s narrator’s emotion to freely flow. This, according to Lewis, is “an acknowledgement of the past,” and he’s right.
It may have taken a different form, but listening to “It’s Been a While” rekindles memory. It reminds us of the days when the song was played in almost all of the radio stations, played in every car, and people singing along to their hearts’ content. You might also remember your old flames and daredevil adventures with friends.
While it’s primarily about ditching narcotics, the application for “It’s Been a While” can also be extended to the overcoming of all forms of addictions like alcohol and other vices. This could also be one’s marching song or a wake-up call to sobriety from all the bad choices made.
Aaron Lewis’s Total Shift to Country
After his departure from Staind, Aaron Lewis has slowly built his brand in the country music industry. From 2011 – 2014, Lewis did not fail to release new songs which he, himself, wrote.
In March 2011, he released his first EP titled “Town Line” featuring seven tracks that included three versions of his first single, “Country Boy.”
In 2012, Lewis released his first studio album as a country artist. He wrote all of the 10 singles that were in it.
In 2013, Lewis again released another album. That marked his third followed by his fourth studio album the year after.
From his transition as a singer of a rock band group to becoming a country artist, Lewis was asked of his motivation. He said that country music was first introduced to him by his grandfather in his younger years. Though he was diverted into doing rock music, his interest and love for Country was renewed when he did a concert tour with Kid Rock. Like Aaron Lewis, Kid Rock was also rock singer who does occasional Country singing.
- 2Shares