Evanescence's debut album, Fallen, turns 20 Saturday.
Released on March 4, 2003, Fallen made stars out of Amy Lee and company thanks to the lead single "Bring Me to Life," which was memorably featured in the film Daredevil. The success of Fallen and "Bring Me to Life" propelled Evanescence to win Best New Artist at the 2004 Grammys.
Though "Bring Me to Life" became Evanescence's signature song, it arose complicated feelings within the band. Its rapping backup vocals, performed by Paul McCoy, were imposed on the song by Evanescence's record label, purportedly to make it fit into the male-dominated, nu metal playlists of rock radio at the time.
"God bless the rap, it's part of what got us on the radio I guess," Lee told News.com.au in 2017. "At least according to all the rules of radio that I don't agree with or understand. The rap wasn’t part of our original idea or sound, it was a compromise in many ways."
Lee added that including the rap was a "big issue" for her at the time, though she no longer feels that way.
"If we only had the one hit, if no one ever heard from us again then nobody would understand who we were," she said. "We've made it past that point so the rap doesn't make me angry anymore."
Along with "Bring Me to Life," Fallen spawned the singles "Going Under," "My Immortal" and "Everybody's Fool."
Leading up to the Fallen anniversary, Evanescence hit two major milestones in 2022: the "Bring Me to Life" video reached 1 billion views on YouTube, while Fallen was certified Diamond by the RIAA.
In an interview with Rock Sound last November, Lee teased that she had an "idea" to mark Fallen's 20th anniversary, adding, "It probably won't be what everybody expects."
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