It's Been Awhile

"It's Been Awhile" is a song recorded by American rock band Staind. It was released in March 2001 as the lead single from their album Break the Cycle.

"It's Been Awhile"
Single by Staind
from the album Break the Cycle
ReleasedMarch 20, 2001
Recorded2001
GenrePost-grunge[1]
Length4:25
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Josh Abraham
Staind singles chronology
"Home"
(2000)		 "It's Been Awhile"
(2001)		 "Outside"
(2001)

The song is Staind's most successful and is their best-known song, becoming a No. 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2001,[2] their only song to reach the top 10. The song spent a second-best 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart[2] (behind only "Loser" by 3 Doors Down) and a then-record 16 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart,[2] beaten in 2007 by Foo Fighters with "The Pretender".

The song was featured as a playable track on the Nintendo GameCube video game Donkey Konga 2. [3]

Content

The narrator takes stock of his life and refers to his addiction and failed relationships. Lewis called the song "an acknowledgement of the past."[4]

Reception

Eric Aiese of Billboard reviewed the song favourably, saying that the group handles the ballad well and packs "a lot of punch into the cut." Aiese said that the song "may be the group's greatest splash yet."[5]

Track listing
  1. "It's Been Awhile" (LP Clean Edit)
  2. "It's Been Awhile" (Acoustic Version)
  3. "Suffocate" (LP Version)

Music video

The music video begins with Aaron Lewis going through some old photographs, one of which is a picture of his wife. The video switches between him writing a letter to his wife and the band performing in a room full of candles. There are brief shots of Aaron alone in the streets and looking at himself in the mirror while having second thoughts. Throughout the video, Aaron is seen smoking cigarettes. At the end of the video, one of those cigarettes falls onto the floor and burns down his apartment.

The video was directed by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst.

Charts and certifications
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References
  1. Geffen, Sasha (October 7, 2013). "In Defense of Post-Grunge Music". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 595.
  3. "Donkey Konga 2 - Song List (U.S. Version)". IGN. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  4. Pesselnick, Jill (June 2, 2001). "The Modern Age". Google Books. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  5. Aiese, Eric (May 12, 2001). "Billboard". Google Books. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  6. "Australian-charts.com – Staind – It's Been Awhile". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  7. "Austriancharts.at – Staind – It's Been Awhile" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  8. "Ultratop.be – Staind – It's Been Awhile" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  9. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 19 no. 39. September 22, 2001. p. 11. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  10. "Offiziellecharts.de – Staind – It's Been Awhile". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  11. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – It's Been Awhile". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  12. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Staind" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Staind – It's Been Awhile" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  14. "Charts.nz – Staind – It's Been Awhile". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  15. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  16. "Swedishcharts.com – Staind – It's Been Awhile". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  17. "Swisscharts.com – Staind – It's Been Awhile". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  18. "Staind: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  19. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  20. "Staind Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  21. "Staind Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  22. "Staind Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  23. "Staind Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  24. "Staind Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  25. "Staind Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  26. "Staind Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 26, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  27. "End of Year Charts 2001". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  28. "Billboard Top 100 – 2001". Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  29. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  30. "British single certifications – Staind – It's Been Awhile". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  31. "American single certifications – Staind – It's Been Awhile". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 1, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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