"Bully" is the lead single from American rock band
Shinedown
Shinedown is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed by singer Brent Smith in 2001 after the dissolution of Dreve, his previous band. Smith, still under contract with record label Atlantic Records, recruited the band's original ...
's fourth studio album, ''
Amaryllis
''Amaryllis'' () is the only genus in the subtribe Amaryllidinae (tribe Amaryllideae). It is a small genus of flowering bulbs, with two species. The better known of the two, ''Amaryllis belladonna'', is a native of the Western Cape region of ...
''.
Meaning
Speaking to ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'', Shinedown front man
Brent Smith
Brent Stephen Smith (born January 10, 1978) is an American singer best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Shinedown.
Early life
Smith was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and is an only child.
Career
Prior to fronting the rock band ...
discussed the lyrics of the song as "about not feeling like you can't stand up for yourself and take back your self respect if you feel as if someone is belittling you or trying to push you around. The song is not condoning violence. What it is condoning is survival. I don't think that anyone should ever have their self-respect or their dignity taken from them."
He also mentioned that his father had instructed him on how to defend himself against bullies. "When I was ten years old, my dad took me to the garage and put a pair of boxing gloves on me and said, 'I don't ever want it to come to this, but you need to learn how to fight.' And I got my butt kicked sometimes, but I always stood up for myself. By nature I've just never backed down from what I believed in, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let someone push me around. It's the same thing with my family, too. I wouldn't let someone come into my house and mess with my girlfriend or my son."
Release
The song was released on January 3, 2012.
Music video
The official video premiered on the band's YouTube channel on March 6, 2012. The video was directed by
Darren Doane
Darren Doane (born September 20, 1972) is an American filmmaker, actor, and music video director.