Evanescence’s enduring nu metal-era hit Bring Me To Life has surpassed Diamond status in the United States.
The Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) now recognises the 2003 single, taken from the Arkansas five-piece’s debut album Fallen, as having gone Platinum 11 times over in the US, meaning it’s sold 11 million units or amassed an equivalent via streaming services. A song or album needs to ship 10 million units or equivalent to go Diamond.
The RIAA previously acknowledged the single as having gone three-times Platinum in 2019. The new recognition marks Evanescence’s second Diamond-seller, following Fallen itself, which received the honour in 2022.
A Platinum certification means an album or single has sold one million units, but streaming statistics are also taken into account. 10 permanent downloads via streaming services equal one physical “sale”. 150 streams of a song also equal a sale.
Released on January 13, 2003, Bring Me To Life was the lead single from Fallen and Evanescence’s first single overall. It topped charts in the UK, Italy, Australia, Chile and Colombia and reached number five on the US Billboard 200. Its popularity was boosted by its presence on the soundtrack to 2003 superhero blockbuster Daredevil, which came out on February 14, 2003: three weeks before Fallen.
In 2022, the music video surpassed one billion views on YouTube, and the song reached one billion streams on Spotify in 2024.
Bring Me To Life featured a vocal duet between frontwoman Amy Lee and guest singer Paul McCoy, of then-Wind-Up Records labelmates 12 Stones. McCoy’s rap section and backing vocals were not originally intended for the song, but were included as a compromise with Wind-Up, who wanted the band to have a full-time male co-vocalist.
Talking to The Forty-Five in 2020, Lee said that she was scared of being “dropped” from Wind-Up for turning the label down. She added that having McCoy on the track was “hard” because “I had to start out [Evanescence’s career] with our first song feeling like I made a sacrifice on my art”.
Evanescence released their sixth album, Sanctuary, via BMG and Columbia on June 5. It was met with positive reviews, including four stars from Metal Hammer. Writer Holly Wright called it “the most vital thing Amy Lee has made in decades”.
The band are currently touring North America and will play at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada tonight (June 30). They’ll hit Europe in September, starting with a run of UK shows from September 8 to 13. See the full list of upcoming dates and get tickets via their website.
Evanescence were the cover stars on Metal Hammer issue 414 last month. Inside, Lee spoke about Sanctuary as well as the band’s two-decade-plus career. Order your copy now and get it delivered to your door.
