"Face Down" is the first single by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus from their debut albumDon't You Fake It released in 2006. The song peaked at number 24 in the United States and number four in New Zealand. Four different versions, including an acoustic version, were released. It also tied 30 Seconds to Mars' "The Kill" as the longest running song on the Modern Tracks chart at 52 weeks without hitting number one. "Face Down" remains as their most successful single. It is also featured on Saints Row 2s soundtrack.
Lyrics and video
"Face Down" is "a song that details the experience of domestic abuse in a way that hadn't really happened in pop-punk in 2006." Written by lead singerRonnie Winter, the "lyrics are deeply personal" and he wanted to "help kids who are in similar situations cope." The music video for "Face Down" parallels the song in its treatment of violence in a relationship. After arriving home, a young woman examines a bruise on her lower back, and begins to look for and examine items that she associates with her boyfriend. As she does so, objects around her start to suddenly move as if thrown or destroyed by the unseen hand of an abuser. The level of damage done escalates throughout the video, though the young woman does not react or acknowledge the growing violence around her. After a chair flies through the living room window, she takes the pictures and letters and throws them into a garbage can outside her house. This unfolding scene is juxtaposed with shots of the band performing the song in a living room with lighting and decor which appear to be the young woman's.
Versions and samples
There are two edits of the Don't You Fake It version which are the album version and the radio edit. Although both edits are nearly identical, the album version had less screaming compared to the original version with only brief screaming during the bridge. However, the radio edit completely removes the screaming in the bridge. There is also a heavier version of the song that appears on their debut album. The lyrics are unchanged but the chorus is in a different spot. The most notable difference is how the lyrics are screamed, and it sounds very distinctive in comparison to the Don't You Fake It version with less screaming. An acoustic version of "Face Down" was released after the album version. The lyrics are unchanged, however, a previously unheard guitar part supplements the song.
