People Who Inspired Me To Be A Writer: Creed (Rock band)

I will never forget the first time I heard the voice of Scott Stapp and the lyrics of the songs he wrote with his band mate Mark Tremonti. It was in late July in the summer of 2000, which was the first time I had ever went to California to visit my family for our yearly family reunion which lasts for three days. When I first made it to California the first place I went was the city of Hercules in the Bay Area, where my grandparents lived. When we arrived at their house, which was the most beautiful home I had ever seen, I went upstairs to my mother’s old bedroom with some of my cousins who I had just met for the first time. My grandparents were big movie buffs and kept a thousand movies just like me, my mom and my sisters. Playing on the tv in my mom’s room was the horror/slasher film Scream 3 from Wes Craven. It was playing in the VCR and we just happened to catch it from the beginning. Inside the first ten minutes of the film the song titled “What If” from the band known as Creed started playing. It caught my attention because it carried a very unique tune. It would be five months before I heard the song again and little did I know at the time, Creed would become my top favorite rock band ever.

Creed is a post-grunge hard rock band from Florida who rose to prominence in the late 90s and soared to massive heights of success in the early 2000s with their music that captivated the ears of millions. Creed has an enjoyable melody in their sound, like all great music, but what really stuck out about them was their lyrical themes of Christian theology, struggles with faith, and the bonds of interpersonal relationships. My introduction to Creed started with their 1999 second full length album Human Clay. In addition to the soundtrack to Scream 3 this is where I also heard the song “What If” from them, along with what is perhaps their most popular song ever, “With Arms Wide Open”.

The music of Creed inspired me because I could really relate to their songs about personal struggles with faith and looking to God for help when I was in my darkest moments. Songs from Creed like “Don’t Stop Dancing” really pushed me to keep going whenever the struggles of life seem unbearable. Hearing the lyrics “Children, don’t stop dancing, believe you can fly away” is like a lightening rod to me telling me that though life is hard and comes with many struggles, I have to stay in faith and believe that better things are coming and that I will rise above all my adversity. With songs from Creed like “What’s This Life For” and “One Last Breath” I felt like I was having a good venting session. With the lyrics of these songs I felt someone telling me they know how it feels to be overwhelmed by life’s circumstances and wondering what is it all for and feeling like I have nothing left. For me these lyrics are great examples of what makes a great writer, having a way with words that is not only enjoyable to the ears, but also speaks to the heart and soul.

More than anything else I am thankful to say that Creed’s music has helped me cope with life’s struggles and the loss of my loved ones. Music always captures the essence of everything taking place in my life and when my mother died when I was 17 years old the biggest song that got me through that ordeal was “Is This The End” by Creed, which was also on the Scream 3 soundtrack. We had my mother’s funeral in her birthplace of California, which was also the first place I had ever heard Creed’s music. It really had homegoing feeling to it, as well as a nostalgic spirit lifting tone that spoke volumes to me. To this day, whenever I go through the loss of a loved one I turn on Creed’s music because it speaks to me and tells me that my pain is understood and that everything will be ok in the end.

Creed has been a voice to my very real life journey and their lyrics have inspired me to not only be a writer of great subject matter, but one who carries a positive message with what I talk about and to make sure I speak to the soul of the people who actually care to listen to me. For this reason is Creed not only my top favorite rock band ever, but also one of my biggest inspirations as a writer.