With Arms Wide Open

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This article is about the song by Creed. For the compilation album, see With Arms Wide Open: A Retrospective.

"With Arms Wide Open"
Single by Creed
from the album Human Clay
B-side
  • "Wash Away Those Years"
  • "One"
WrittenEarly 1998
ReleasedApril 18, 2000 (2000-04-18)
Length
  • 4:36 (album version)
  • 3:53 (radio version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Ron Saint Germain
  • John Kurzweg
Creed singles chronology
"What If"
(2000) 		"With Arms Wide Open"
(2000) 		"Are You Ready?"
(2000)
Music video
"With Arms Wide Open" on YouTube

"With Arms Wide Open" is a song by American rock band Creed. It was released on April 18, 2000, as the third single from their second studio album, Human Clay. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 2000, becoming the band's first and only song to top the chart. The song also received honors at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2001, being nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, as well as Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti winning the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.

Writing and recording[edit]

Scott Stapp began writing the lyrics to the song in early 1998 during the My Own Prison tour, when he found out that his then wife Hillaree Burns was pregnant with his first child, Jagger. According to Stapp the song was written in 15 minutes at soundcheck. Stapp overheard guitarist Mark Tremonti playing and loved what he heard so much that he ran in and told Tremonti to just keep playing as Stapp began singing his lyrics.[1]

Music and lyrics[edit]

Stapp wrote the lyrics when he found out, with great surprise, that he was going to be a father. The original lyrics to the song were written from the perspective of having a daughter, even though his wife was pregnant with a boy, as Stapp used "she" during early live performances. This would eventually be changed when Stapp found out he would be having a son. In later years Stapp would not use "he" or "she" in reference to the child but rather "they" to refer to both his sons and daughter. In a 2013 interview with Songfacts, Stapp said of the song:

"It continues to have relevant meaning in my life because as I sing it now, I think of my daughter who's now on this planet and alive. And then I think of my newest son, my three-year-old, Daniel. And then I think back to the spirit and the somewhat naiveté, just that brutal honesty that that song expressed as me being a young man and approaching fatherhood for the first time. Now I'm a full-fledged father with a 14-year-old, a daughter who's going to be 7 in June and my youngest, who's 3. So those are still my feelings. And as a human being and as a father, my feelings haven't changed one bit from those that are expressed in that song. Every time I sing it, I can connect with it again and again and again because I'm no longer expressing fears in my thoughts about being a father; I'm a full-fledged living-it-every-day father. So it just rings true to me." — Stapp[2]

Musically the song is a power ballad written in the key of C major, with Tremonti playing in drop D tuning and Stapp singing in his signature baritone singing voice.[3][4][5] According to Stapp, following the massive crossover success of the single which he felt led to the song being heavily overplayed, so much so that even his then-wife would turn away from it, and upon hearing impersonations of other people mimicking his vocal delivery in a dramatic, over-the-top fashion he purposely began to alter his vocal style which he feels has helped him grow as a vocalist. He states "I don't know where I picked up all the idiosyncrasies of how I enunciate and I've been called out on my vowels ... But it's actually helped me as a singer because I've heard that and I've intentionally enunciated differently on different words and syllables, so thank you world for pointing out a consistent pattern early in my 20s so I could evolve and grow as a singer. You made me better. Thank you."[5]

Three main versions of the song exist. One is the original album version. The second is the radio version, which adds additional hi-hat and drums, and also edits out the ending. The third is the video version (or "Strings Remix") which adds strings to the radio version.

Release and reception[edit]

"With Arms Wide Open" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for four weeks in July 2000 and is Creed's only track to appear on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, where it peaked at number 29 in March 2001. In October, the song entered the top 10 of Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart and later topped the listing for eight weeks. It also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on the issue dated November 11, 2000, for one week, becoming their first and only number one on the chart. The music video topped VH1's top ten countdown in 2000. On May 10, 2019, nearly 20 years after the release of Human Clay, the single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 digital units. On November 30, 2020, the certification was upgraded to double platinum for sales and streams of over two million units.[6]

The title became the name of a foundation set up by Stapp to help children and families. To launch the With Arms Wide Open Foundation, the band released a limited edition "enhanced-package single" in September 2000, with proceeds going to the charity to "promote healthy, loving relationships between children and their families". The single contained an orchestrated version, a rock version, an acoustic reading, and the music video. In February 2001, Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti were nominated for and won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song as the writers of "With Arms Wide Open".[7] The song was also nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal but lost to U2 for "Beautiful Day".[8] The music video for "With Arms Wide Open" was voted the 92nd best music video of all-time by VH1, who also ranked it number four on its "25 Greatest Power Ballads" list.[9]

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl described "With Arms Wide Open" as "one of the most amazing songs of all time".[10]

Appearances in media[edit]

Creed performed the song live on the June 16, 2000, episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and on November 30, 2000, at the first annual My VH1 Music Awards.[11][12] The song was made available as downloadable content for the video games Rocksmith 2014 on September 16, 2014,[13] and Rock Band 4 on May 21, 2020.[14] A cinematic cover version of the song, performed by Nicole Serrano and Tommee Profitt, was used in a February 2022 ad campaign to promote the 94th Academy Awards.[15]

Track listings[edit]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[58] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[59] Gold 30,000‡
United States (RIAA)[6] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States April 18, 2000 (2000-04-18)
Wind-up [60]
April 24, 2000 (2000-04-24) Minimax CD [21]
August 28, 2000 (2000-08-28) Hot adult contemporary radio [61]
United Kingdom January 8, 2001 (2001-01-08)
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
[62]
Australia April 9, 2001 (2001-04-09) CD Wind-up [63]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "With Arms Wide Open" reached number 2 when RPM ceased publication in November 2000.
  2. ^ "With Arms Wide Open" reached number 33 when RPM ceased publication in November 2000.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Buchanan, Brett (April 18, 2019). "Creed Reveal How "Higher" Was Written, Did Grunge Play Role?". www.alternativenation.net. AlternativeNation. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  2. ^ MacIntosh, Dan (November 6, 2013). "Scott Stapp". www.songfacts.net. Songfacts. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  3. ^ "With Arms Wide Open". www.musicnotes.com. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  4. ^ "With Arms Wide Open". inwhatkey.com. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Childers, Chad (November 25, 2020). "Scott Stapp: 'With Arms Wide Open' Mimicry Made Me A Better Singer". loudwire.com. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "American single certifications – Creed – With Arms Wide Open". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  7. ^ "2000 Grammy Winners". Grammy Awards. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  8. ^ "Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal". Grammy Awards. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  9. ^ "Creed: "With Arms Wide Open" (25 Greatest Power Ballads)". YouTube. Retrieved February 22, 2012.[dead YouTube link]
  10. ^ Trapp, Philip (January 21, 2020). "Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl: Creed's 'With Arms Wide Open' One of 'Most Amazing Songs of All Time'". www.loudwire.com. Vanity. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  11. ^ "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Episode #8.209". www.imdb.com. IMBb. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  12. ^ "Scott Stapp, lead signer of the group "Creed," performs "With Arms Wide Open" at the first My VH1 Awards November 30, 2000 in Los Angeles. VH1 viewers voted for their favorite singers and groups via the Internet during the awards show which was telecast live on the VH1 cable network. "Creed" won two awards, Song of the Year for "Higher," and the Welcome to the Big Time award". www.alamy.com. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  13. ^ "Rocksmith® 2014 – Creed Song Pack". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  14. ^ "Rock Band 4 DLC (21st May) – Bush, Creed". gamingaudionews.com. May 19, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  15. ^ Longs, Herb (February 17, 2022). "ABC OSCARS Campaign Features "Arms Wide Open" Shining Spotlight On Nicole Serrano". www.thechristianbeat.org. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  16. ^ With Arms Wide Open (US limited-edition minimax CD single liner notes). Creed. Wind-up Records. 2000. 60150-18004-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ With Arms Wide Open (UK CD single liner notes). Creed. Wind-up Records, Epic Records. 2000. 670695 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ With Arms Wide Open (UK limited 7-inch single sleve). Creed. Wind-up Records, Epic Records. 2000. 670695 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ With Arms Wide Open (European CD single liner notes). Creed. Wind-up Records, Epic Records. 2000. 670695 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ With Arms Wide Open (Australian and New Zealand enhanced CD single liner notes). Creed. Wind-up Records. 2000. 670739 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ a b "Creed – With Arms Wide Open". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  22. ^ "Creed – With Arms Wide Open" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  23. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7292." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  24. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 7262." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  25. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9941." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  26. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 18, no. 5. January 27, 2001. p. 34. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  27. ^ "Creed – With Arms Wide Open" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  28. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 20 (22.12–29.12 2000)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). December 22, 2000. p. 10. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  29. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Creed". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  30. ^ "Latvian Airplay Top 500 of 2001" (in Latvian). Lanet.lv. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  31. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 50, 2000". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
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  33. ^ "Creed – With Arms Wide Open". Top 40 Singles.
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  35. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 44. October 28, 2000. p. 17. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  36. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
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  38. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  39. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  40. ^ "Creed Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  41. ^ "Creed Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  42. ^ "Creed Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  43. ^ "Creed Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  44. ^ "Creed Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  45. ^ "Creed Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  46. ^ "Creed Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  47. ^ "End of Year Charts 2000". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
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  50. ^ "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 2000" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 8, no. 51. December 22, 2000. p. 54. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  51. ^ "Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 2000" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 8, no. 51. December 22, 2000. p. 38. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  52. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2000". ARIA. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  53. ^ "BDS CHART : Top 100 of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 1, 2002. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  54. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 2001". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  55. ^ "Most Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 2001" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 9, no. 51. December 21, 2001. p. 54. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  56. ^ "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 2000" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 9, no. 51. December 21, 2001. p. 60. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  57. ^ "The Decade in Music – Hot 100 Songs" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 121, no. 50. December 19, 2009. p. 158. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  58. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  59. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Creed – With Arms Wide Open" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  60. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1346. April 14, 2000. pp. 90, 94. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  61. ^ "Hot AC: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1365. August 25, 2000. p. 94. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  62. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. December 23, 2000. p. 32. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  63. ^ "The ARIA Report: ARIA New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 9th April 2001" (PDF). ARIA. April 9, 2001. p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2002. Retrieved April 19, 2021.

External links[edit]

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