Candlebox ‘Far Behind’ – Not a Love Song
The impact of Mother Love Bone and Andy Wood on the Seattle community cannot be overstated. Candlebox ‘Far Behind’ is an example of that impact. The song is written from a very unique perspective. The song is written from the view point of the drug that killed Andy: “I didn’t mean to treat you bad.” Candlebox ‘Far Behind’ is not a love song.
What Is The Candlebox Connection to Andy Wood?
Candlebox’ lead singer, Kevin Martin first met Andy Wood at his day job: working at Fluevog Shoe Store in Seattle with Susan Silver. Besides her job at the show store, Susan was also managing Soundgarden. (I feel like Seattle in this ’90s timeframe was Singles in real life.)
Kuriakon writes about Candlebox ‘Far Behind’. In the article, Kevin mentions, “I wrote ‘Far Behind’ for Andy Wood. I was a huge Malfunkshun fan and a huge Mother Love Bone fan.”
Kevin talks about Andy Wood on About.com saying, “Andy used to come in there with band flyers and stuff for shows and concerts. We just got to talking about music ever time he’d pop in. He asked me, ‘Are you a singer? What do you do?’ I said, ‘Well, I’m a singing in this band, doing my thing and whatnot.’ He said, ‘Man, just do it. There are gonna be haters and people that love you. If you’re meant to do it, you’re meant to do it. Regardless of what anyone says to you or about you – it’s what you’re supposed to do.’ And I never forgot that.”
Candlebox ‘Far Behind’ – The History
Kevin said on the Chris DeMakes Podcast that from the moment he heard the bassline, he thought of Andy Wood. The lyrics, “Now maybe, I didn’t mean to treat you bad,” were originally “Now Andy, I didn’t mean to treat you bad.” Kevin said he changed the lyrics so that the songs wasn’t as “obvious.” As a result, many people heard it as a love song, but it’s not.
Another quote from Kevin’s interview with About.com, “It was written from the perspective of the drug that destroyed him.” When the song was released, Kevin spoke about the song being about two people who had lost their lives to heroin, but it wasn’t until 2008 that her further elaborated that the song was specifically about Andy Wood. Of course, there’s a Reddit discussion on this fact.
Candlebox ‘Far Behind’ – The Official Video
Candlebox ‘Far Behind’ peaked at #3 on the rock charts back in 1994. For some reason, 30 years later, it saw a huge resurgence returning to #3, this time on the Billboard Hard Rock Digital Sales roster. Most likely, this boost came from Candlebox’s tour with Bush and Jerry Cantrell.
