Sometimes

Template:Song }} "Sometimes" is the sixth track on the album Wake Me and seventh track on the album ...No Sun Today. It is one of Sean Dowdell's favorite Grey Daze songs^[1] and received local radio airplay.

Background

Jason Barnes came up with the musical idea for "Sometimes" and Chester Bennington wrote all the lyrics. Regarding its meaning, Chester said, "Basically it's just about, I don't know. It's kind of self explanatory. It's just basically about just somebody realizing that, you know, sometimes things just don't happen to work out the way you always plan them to work out. And it's kind of hard to think straight when that happens."^[2] In a statement about the song, Sean said, "Chester was already a masterful lyricist at the age of 18, when he wrote this song (which was initially recorded when he was 21). I've said this in prior interviews but this is one of those songs that when I hear it now, I recognize the pain Chester was living with even more acutely now that I'm an adult. As so many of Chester’s lyrics do, this message in this song, that bad things happen and that things will get better, resonates in an entirely different way with the current crisis we are all living through, and brings a message of hope."^[3]^[4]

On October 6, 1994, the very first day of working on Wake Me, the album's producer David Knauer recorded Grey Daze playing live in his studio to see what they had in store for their debut album. He recorded their performance straight to DAT tape and had Chester say the name of every song so it was documented on tape as well.^[5] "Sometimes" was among the songs that made the album.

Under a new lineup consisting of Chester Bennington, Bobby Benish, Mace Beyers and Sean Dowdell, the band had their first pre-production sessions for their second studio album in February 1996 with David Knauer. There, they recorded a new version of "Sometimes". The album version, however, was recorded by Michael Jones during their pre-production session for ...No Sun Today in December.^[2]

Amends Version (2020)

Grey Daze included "Sometimes" on their 2020 album Amends, with re-recorded instrumentals and using older takes of Chester's vocals. The song features guests Chris Traynor of Bush and Jamie Muhoberac. It was produced by Chris Traynor and Kyle Hoffman.

In the Amends track-by-track with Apple Music, Sean said, "Chris Traynor from Bush is playing guitar on this song with Cristin. Lyrically, Chester wrote this song all about himself. I think he had just broken up with a girlfriend because he had found out that she was cheating on him with one of his best friends at the time. He was just really disappointed in the way it turned out, because he felt like he lost a really good friend *and* his girlfriend. I remember he just walked into the studio, grabbed the microphone and started screaming the chorus of what would become Sometimes. It came together so quickly."^[6]

Amends... Stripped Version (2021)

A stripped-down, full-band acoustic version of "Sometimes" was released on Amends as a bonus track for Japan, Target and Saturn.

In January 2021, this version of "Sometimes" was released on the Amends... Stripped EP with slightly different production and a different mix.

In the Amends... Stripped track-by-track with Revolver, Sean said, "Easily my favorite song on this EP. Hearing Chester stripped down gives me chills every time I listen to this song. This is one of the few Grey Daze songs about "hope." It is meant to be uplifting lyrics that give the listener a chance to see the bright side in a bad situation. We love how emotional this track is and the strings lend themselves beautifully to Chester's voice. Mace delivers one of the coolest bridges on the album utilizing a 12-string bass that producer Billy Bush brought to the session and it sounds so unique."^[7]

Versions

Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Sometimes	Wake Me	3:34	1994	1994
Sometimes	...No Sun Today	3:42	1996-1997	May 23, 1997
Sometimes	...No Sun Today	3:47	2002		Re-mixed by Sean Dowdell. Released on LPAssociation for free download in M4A format on July 2, 2007.
Sometimes	"Wake Me" Pre-Production Live Session	3:43	October 06, 1994		Recorded live at David Knauer's studio. Released on LPLive for free download on October 31, 2015.
Sometimes	Album Pre-Production Live Session		February 18, 1996		Unreleased. Recorded live at David Knauer's studio.
Sometimes	"No Sun Today" Pre-Production Live Session		December 03, 1996		Unreleased. Recorded live at the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences.
Sometimes	Amends	3:26	2017-2020	June 26, 2020	Featuring Chris Traynor of Bush and Jamie Muhoberac. Produced by Chris Traynor and Kyle Hoffman.

Live

"Sometimes" was performed by both Wake Me-era and ...No Sun Today-era incarnations of Grey Daze. According to Jonathan Krause, the song was a crowd favorite.^[2]

Personnel

Grey Daze

Jason Barnes - Guitar
Chester Bennington - Vocals
Sean Dowdell - Drums
Jonathan Krause - Bass

Production

Recorded and Mixed by: David Knauer
Produced by: David Knauer and Grey Daze
Mixed at Anthem Recording
Assisted by: Billy Spoon and Dan Manriquez
Mastered at - SAE by Roger Siedel

Lyrics

Wake Me Version

Sometimes,
Things just seem to fall apart
When you least expect them to

Sometimes,
You want to pack up and leave behind
All of them and all their smiles

I don't know
What to think any more
Maybe things will get better
Maybe things will look brighter
Maybe, maybe

Sometimes,
People surprise you
And people surprise me

But I guess that's the price we pay
For wanting, so badly

I don't know
What to think any more
Maybe things will get better
Maybe things will look brighter
Maybe, maybe

I don't know
What to think any more
Maybe things will get better
Maybe things will look brighter
Maybe, maybe

Sometimes...
Sometimes...
Sometimes...

...No Sun Today Version

Sometimes, things just seem to fall apart
When you least expect them to
Sometimes you want to pack up and leave behind
All of them and their smiles

I don't know, what to think anymore
Maybe things will get better
Maybe things will look brighter
Maybe, maybe...

Sometimes, people surprise you
And people surprise me
Well I guess that's the price we pay
For wanting so badly

I don't know, what to think anymore
Maybe things will get better
Maybe things will look brighter
Maybe, maybe...

I don't know, what to think anymore
Maybe things will get better
Maybe things will look brighter
Maybe, maybe
Maybe, yeah...

Sometimes
Sometimes
Sometimes