Simple Plan is a Canadian pop punk band from Montréal, Québec. The band has had no line up changes since its inception in 1999. Members are Pierre Bouvier (lead vocals), Jeff Stinco (lead guitar), Sébastien Lefebvre (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), David Desrosiers (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Chuck Comeau (drums and percussion). They have released three studio albums: No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls (2002), Still Not Getting Any... (2004), and Simple Plan (2008); as well as two widely marketed live albums: Live in Japan 2002 (2003) and MTV Hard Rock Live (2005).
History
Formation (1999–2002)
Simple Plan began in 1996 with the formation of a band named Reset by friends Pierre Bouvier, Charles-André "Chuck" Comeau, Philippe Jolicoeur, and Adrian White.[1] Reset toured around Canada with bands such as MXPX, Ten Foot Pole, and Face to Face, but only managed to gain modest popularity. The debut album, No Worries, was released in 1999, and Comeau left soon after to go to college. Two years later he met with high school friends Jean-François "Jeff" Stinco and Sébastien Lefebvre who were in separate bands of their own, and combined to create the band. Meanwhile, Reset released a second CD, No Limits (the two CDs would be re-released as a single CD in 2006, with liner note comments from Bouvier and Comeau). In late 1999, Comeau and Bouvier reacquainted at a Sugar Ray concert and Bouvier left Reset soon after to join Comeau. David Desrosiers replaced Bouvier in Reset, but he too left the band six months later. This allowed Bouvier, who had doubled as the band's front man and bassist, to concentrate on the singing.
The origin of the band's name is obscure. Band members have given various comical responses on this point, including that the band was their simple plan to avoid obtaining a job at McDonald's, or similar fast food restaurant chains. However, most likely, the name is derived from the 1998 drama flick "A Simple Plan", or the Piebald song "Just a Simple Plan".
No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls (2002–2004)
In 2002, Simple Plan released their first studio album, No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls which led to the subsequent singles: "I'm Just a Kid", "I'd Do Anything", "Addicted", and "Perfect". Simple Plan is noted as saying that they were aiming at a pure pop-punk record. The name of the CD echoes the popular tag line for the sport of rugby, "No pads, no helmets, just balls."
The record was originally released in the United States with twelve tracks, ending with "Perfect". Enhanced and foreign editions came in several different versions with up to two additional tracks in addition to the original twelve. For example, the U.S. release contained the extra songs "Grow Up", and "My Christmas List", while the UK release contained the extra songs "One By One" and "American Jesus" (a live version of a cover of a Bad Religion song), as well as the two music videos, "I'd Do Anything" and "I'm Just a Kid".
The record also contained vocals from singers from two other pop-punk bands as "I'd Do Anything" included vocals by Mark Hoppus from Blink-182, and "You Don't Mean Anything" included vocals by Joel Madden from Good Charlotte.
In support of the album in 2002, the year it was released, Simple Plan played more than 300 shows, topped the Alternative New Artist Chart, and played a sold out tour in Japan. In 2003, the band played as a headliner on the Vans Warped Tour — an appearance memorialized in the comedy slasher film, Punk Rock Holocaust, in which four of the five band members are killed. They would also play short stints on the Warped Tour in 2004 and 2005. Also in 2003, they opened for Avril Lavigne on her "Try To Shut Me Up" Tour. In addition to several headlining tours, they have also opened for Green Day and Good Charlotte. The album sold 1 million copies in early 2003 but the album sold 4 million copies worldwide making them the best selling album to date.
Still Not Getting Any... (2004–2006)
In 2004, Simple Plan released their second album, Still Not Getting Any... which led to the subsequent singles, "Welcome to My Life", "Shut Up!", "Untitled (How Could This Happen to Me?)", "Crazy", and (in some markets) "Perfect World".
As mentioned before, when writing "No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls", the members of Simple Plan were aiming at a pure pop-punk record. This time however, when writing "Still Not Getting Any...", the members of Simple Plan were noted as saying that they were not limiting themselves to the punk genre, but rather letting themselves write "good music".
According to the bonus DVD of Still Not Getting Any..., while making the CD the members of Simple Plan thought of many names including "Get Rich or Die Trying" and "In The Zone". They decided on the name Still Not Getting Any... for a list of explained reasons. The most popular and most likely reason is that the members of Simple Plan thought that they weren't getting any good reviews, Bouvier once noting that they only had one recent good review in Alternative Press. Another reason may be because they were still not getting any respect. There are many more variations the band members have given, as anything can really be put after the ellipsis, including "better", "smarter", "funnier", and the obvious sexual connotation. Comeau once described the name of the album as "versatile".
"Still Not Getting Any..." showed a dramatic change in Simple Plan's style as well. They still kept their style of downbeat lyrics matched to upbeat music, but managed to transcend from the standard pop-punk genre. Although many of the tracks on this CD still carry the feeling of teen angst that is probably most noticeable in the song "I'm Just a Kid" from the first album No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls, the general slant of this album tends toward slightly deeper and more mature lyrical themes, as well as a more mainstream sound that edges away from the pure pop-punk style of their last album. Some critics have pointed towards the inclusion of 'classic' or 'mainstream' rock elements, claiming the album 'de-emphasizes punk-pop hyperactivity in favor of straightforward, well-crafted modern rock'.
Self-titled album (2006–2009)
After nearly a year and a half in support of "Still Not Getting Any...", the band ended most touring in February 2006, giving only a few shows, taking some time off, and beginning work on their third CD. As announced in Bouvier's official MySpace blog, Bouvier headed to Miami as on about 21 March 2007 to work with an unnamed producer, who later proved to be Dave Fortman. The band entered the studio for pre-production in Los Angeles on 29 June. On 15 July they returned to Montreal, to record at Studio Piccolo, the same studio at which they had recorded "Still Not Getting Any...." They finished recording and headed back to Miami and LA to mix the album. The final part of making their record was done in New York and it was officially completed on 21 October, though they later re-entered the studio to re-record some of the lyrics to the song "Generation."
"When I'm Gone", the first single from Simple Plan was released on 29 October when the band held a fan webcast. Simple Plan was produced by Dave Fortman (Evanescence, Mudvayne), Danjahandz (Timbaland, Justin Timberlake) and Max Martin known for his work with Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson. On 17 February 2008, Simple Plan achieved their highest charting single in the UK. After the first two albums just missed the UK top 40, "When I'm Gone" gave the band their best chart position in the UK, coming in at number 26. On 29 November 2007, the band announced that the CD release would be postponed from the originally-scheduled 29 January 2008 date to what proved to be the actual release date of 12 February 2008. The Japan version, with two bonus tracks, was released on 6 February 2008. It has been their least successful album to date, and the record ended up only spawning one single.
After completing an around-the-world promotional tour, Simple Plan played several December 2007 holiday shows. After continued promotional tours in January, Simple Plan played a triple bill in Camden Town, London on 27 January 2008, with the first show featuring songs from the band's first CD, the second from the second, and the third from the new release. The band played four U.S. shows in late February, and completed a European tour running until late April. The band played four Japan dates, followed by several European festivals and headlining dates. On 1 July 2008, the band gave a free concert on Quebec City's Plains of Abraham, attracting a crowd of 150,000 to the Canada Day show. After a return to the Far East in late July and early August, the band played a Cross Canada Tour with Faber Drive, Cute is What We Aim For and Metro Station (The All-American Rejects were originally announced for the tour, but canceled due to other commitments). After dates in Germany, Mexico, and Australia, the band played its second full European tour of the year from 28 October to 29 November, playing Estonia and Poland for the first time. The band also played Tel Aviv and Dubai in early December—shows at which the band played as a four-piece, with Desrosiers absent due to a family emergency and Lefebvre on bass. The band played an eight-show South American tour in March, and are playing various festivals and individual shows in cities ranging from Calgary to Moscow.
Get Your Heart On! (2009-present)
Get Your Heart On! was released on 21 June 2011. In some countries such as Australia and the Netherlands, the album was released on 17 June 2011.
Prior to the release of the album, the band started playing the song "You Suck at Love" live during the Bamboozle Roadshow Tour in June 2010, and on 11 February 2011 the band released a snippet preview of the studio version of the song on their website and YouTube channel. The song was speculated to be the first single of the album.
The album marks Simple Plan's second time sincie their debut "No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls"—which featured Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte—to feature collaborations with other artists, including Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, Natasha Bedingfield, K'naan and Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low.
On 30 March, the band launched a new official website to hold over until the "actual new website" was launched, with a new video talking about the first listen of their new song "Can't Keep My Hands Off You" (feat. Rivers Cuomo) which is available to stream on their website and to purchase on iTunes. On 20 April the band announced that "Jet Lag" would be the first single from the album, and would feature Natasha Bedingfield. To promote the song, a service called "JetLag Airlines" was set up on the website, releasing news, lyrics, tracklists and videos regarding the album. "Jet Lag" premiered on 25 April. On 6 May the band released the song "You Suck at Love" for free download for those who pre-ordered the album. The video for "Jet Lag", featuring Natasha Bedingfield, was released on 4 May, and the video featuring Marie-Mai was released on 16 May.
Fans who pre-ordered the album were given access to several other songs from the album prior to the actual release date. Three tracks were released for those who pre-ordered, including "You Suck at Love", "Loser of the Year" and "Freaking Me Out" (feat. Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low).
The album was leaked entirely onto YouTube just days before its release. The cause was mainly due to fans who had pre-ordered, uploading their exclusive files, thus making the album available for other fans to hear, regardless of if they pre-ordered it or not.
"Get Your Heart On!" was officially released in the US and Canada on 21 June 2011, with other country having release dates before or after this.
The band is currently on tour with the 2011 Vans Warped Tour.
Musical style
Simple Plan's style of music has been described as pop punk by the Calgary Herald, The Torontoist, Channel News Asia, Allmusic, NME, MTV, The Guardian, the BBC, Rocklouder About.com, Entertainment Weekly[23] and VH1 punk rock revivalist by The New York Times, "Dude Rock" by Digital Spy with Rolling Stone reviews describing No Helmets No Pads... Just Balls as "new-punk". Atlantic Records marketing material has described the band's style as having "classic punk energy and modern pop sonics".
Simple Plan Foundation
The members of Simple Plan have helped nonprofit and advocacy groups by donating to many established organizations such as the MTV Asia Aid benefit, MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), RADD (Recording Artists, Actors, and Athletes against Drunk Driving), and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. However, after being frustrated because the members did not know exactly where their money was going to, the Simple Plan members created the Simple Plan Foundation, a foundation that focuses on teen problems ranging from suicide to poverty to drug addiction. As of 9 December 2005, the Simple Plan Foundation had raised more than $100,000. The list of donors included venues on their November–December 2005 Canadian tour.
In June 2008, Bouvier announced plans for the foundation to distribute $100,000 to organizations that aid children or families experiencing difficulties due to handicaps or illness. Selected organizations included Children's Wish Foundation, Kids Help Phone, and War Child Canada, as well as College Beaubois (the high school alma mater of all band members except Desrosiers).
In addition, the members held a benefit for the Foundation in August. While the band's January show in Montreal had been to benefit the Foundation, this was described as the first fundraising event. It consisted of brunch and an acoustic performance. An additional fundraising event was held on September 2009 in Montreal. In October 2008, the band announced a special release, on iTunes, of the single Save You, to benefit the Foundation, with a special composite video featuring cancer survivors. The song was inspired by the struggle with cancer of Bouvier's brother Jay.
On 15 March 2011, as a result of Japan's 8.9 Richter scale earthquake, the Simple Plan Foundation stated it would be donating $10,000.00 to the Japan Red Cross Relief Efforts, and that fans could help donate by purchasing a "Simple Plan Help Japan" t-shirt for $20.00, making clear that all proceeds are going towards the fund from the t-shirts.
Band members
- Pierre Bouvier - lead vocals (1999-present)
- Chuck Comeau - drums, percussion (1999-present)
- Sébastien Lefebvre - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1999-present)
- Jeff Stinco - lead guitar (1999-present)
- David Desrosiers - bass guitar, backing vocals (2000-present)
Discography
No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls
No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls is the debut album by Canadian pop punk band, Simple Plan. It was released on March 19, 2002.The band released four singles from the album. The album peaked at No.35 in the US, and No.29 in Australia, receiving a Platinum status, and received a 2x Platinum status in the US. It peaked at No.2 on the US catalog albums chart. It was released under Atlantic Records. The album has two collaborating artists, Joel Madden of Good Charlotte, and Mark Hoppus of Blink-182.
Track listing
1. "I'd Do Anything" (feat. Mark Hoppus)2. "The Worst Day Ever"
3. "You Don't Mean Anything" (feat. Joel Madden)
4. "I'm Just a Kid"
5. "When I'm With You"
6. "Meet You There"
7. "Addicted"
8. "My Alien"
9. "God Must Hate Me"
10. "I Won't Be There"
11. "One Day"
12. "Perfect"
Still Not Getting Any...
Still Not Getting Any... is the second studio album by Simple Plan. It was released on October 26, 2004.
Track listing
1. "Shut Up!"2. "Welcome to My Life"
3. "Perfect World"
4. "Thank You"
5. "Me Against the World"
6. "Crazy"
7. "Jump"
8. "Everytime"
9. "Promise"
10. "One"
11. "Untitled (How Could This Happen to Me?)"
12. "Perfect (Live, Australian and Japanese Bonus Track)"
Simple Plan is the third studio album by Simple Plan, released on February 12, 2008.
Having finished most touring in support of Still Not Getting Any... in March 2006, Simple Plan took some time off and then began work on writing new material with Arnold Lanni, who had produced their first album. On July 1, 2007, they hit the studio and they began tracking. They started with drum tracking in Los Angeles after pre-production, then went back to Montreal to finish the rest of the recording process. During September 2007, the band had finished recording and went back to L.A. to mix the album with Chris Lord-Alge. After mixing, the band went to New York to master the album, thus finishing the building of the album. This was announced on October 21.
The CD was originally set for release on January 29, 2008. However, on November 29, 2007, the band announced a two weeks' delay due to production difficulties, and the need to re-record some lyrics from the song "Generation". The released version of "Generation" would be considerably different from that distributed on the review copies of the CD, with the latter beginning "This world's so sad and lonely/Won't you come and spend some time with me?"
An album cover was released in early December 2007. Soon afterwards, in his MySpace blog, band frontman Pierre Bouvier responded to fan concerns about the cover, defending the artwork. However, on December 12, the band released a second proposed album cover, and invited fan views by email about each, indicating (despite Bouvier's earlier comments) that they were fine with either cover. On December 14, 2007, the alternative cover depicted above was announced as selected over the original one depicted below. In April 2008, the rejected CD was released as a limited-edition CD cover in Australia. This album marks a shift from simple plan's trademark pop punk sound.
"Your Love Is a Lie" was first publicly performed at a taping for YouTube on December 18, 2007. All the songs on the CD, except "Holding On" were played at a small show in Montreal on January 11, 2008.
The album debuted at No.14 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
The album would also be nominated for the 2008 Juno Awards in the "Best Album" category, but lost to Nickelback's Dark Horse.
The album took more of an alternative rock sound than their previous albums, which usually feature a pop punk style. However pop punk influences are present in the tracks, 'When I'm Gone', 'Take My Hand', 'Generation' and 'Time to Say Goodbye'.
Track listing
| 1. | "When I'm Gone" (music | Nate Hills, Arnold Lanni) |
| 2. | "Take My Hand" | (music Lanni) |
| 3. | "The End" (music | Hills, Lanni) |
| 4. | "Your Love Is a Lie" | (music Lanni) |
| 5. | "Save You" (music | Lanni) |
| 6. | "Generation" (music | Hills, Lanni, Max Martin) |
| 7. "Time to Say Goodbye" |
| 8. "I Can Wait Forever" |
11. "What If" Get Your Heart On! Get Your Heart On! is the fourth studio album by Simple Plan, released on 21 June 2011. In some countries such as Australia and the Netherlands, the album was released on 17 June 2011. Track listing 1. "You Suck at Love" |
| 2. "Can't Keep My Hands Off You" (feat. Rivers Cuomo) |
| 3. "Jet Lag" (feat. Natasha Bedingfield) 4. "Astronaut" (co-written by Jim Irvin & Julian Emery) 5. "Loser of the Year" (co-written by Claude Kelly) 6. "Anywhere Else But Here" 7. "Freaking Me Out" (feat. Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low, co-written by Jim Irvin & Julian Emery)8. "Summer Paradise" (feat. K'naan) 9. "Gone Too Soon" 10. "Last One Standing" 10. "Last One Standing" |
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