"It's Been Awhile" is a song by American rock band Staind, released on March 27, 2001, as the lead single from their third studio album, Break the Cycle (2001). The song is Staind's most successful, becoming a number-five hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in October 2001. It spent a second-best 20 weeks at number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart (behind "Loser" by 3 Doors Down) and a then-record 16 weeks at number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 595. It was certified eight-times platinum in their home country by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Worldwide, the single became a number-one airplay hit in Canada and entered the top 20 in Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Background and composition Aaron Lewis originally wrote this song around 1996 along with "Outside" slightly prior to the release of Dysfunction and performed it with a short-lived acoustic side project called J-CAT, before abruptly shelving it until 2000 during the recording sessions of Break the Cycle. Since its release, "It's Been Awhile" has been described as a post-grunge and nu metal song.
Reception and legacy "It's Been Awhile" is one of Staind's most well-known tracks, and has been cited as one of the best rock songs of the twenty-first century. Eric Aiese of Billboard reviewed the song favorably, saying that the group handles the ballad well and packs "a lot of punch into the cut." Aiese said that the song "may be the group's greatest splash yet."
Music video The music video was directed by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst. It had its world premiere on MTV's Total Request Live program on April 13, 2001. The music video begins with Aaron Lewis going through some old photographs, one of which is a picture of his wife. The video switches between him writing a letter to his wife and the band performing in a room full of candles. There are brief shots of Lewis alone in the streets and looking at himself in the mirror while having second thoughts. Throughout the video, Lewis is seen smoking cigarettes. At the end of the video, one of those cigarettes falls onto the floor and burns down his apartment.
Track listings
UK CD1 "It's Been Awhile" (clean edit) – 3:51 "Suffocate" – 3:17 "It's Been Awhile" (album version) – 4:25 "It's Been Awhile" (enhanced video)
UK CD2 "It's Been Awhile" (live version) – 4:40 "Spleen" – 4:40 "It's Been Awhile" (acoustic version) – 4:31
European CD single "It's Been Awhile" (edit) – 3:56 "It's Been Awhile" (acoustic version) – 4:31
Australian maxi-CD single "It's Been Awhile" (edit) – 3:56 "It's Been Awhile" (acoustic version) – 4:31 "Suffocate" – 3:17
Charts
Weekly charts +Chart (2001–2002)Peakpositionscope="row"scope="row"scope="row"Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS) 1Canada CHR (Nielsen BDS)4Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)39scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"Quebec Airplay (ADISQ)1scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"US Top 40 Tracks (Billboard)4
Year-end charts +Chart (2001)PositionCanada Radio (Nielsen BDS)6New Zealand (RIANZ)50US Billboard Hot 10014US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)22US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)1US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)13US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)2US Top 40 Tracks (Billboard)23 +Chart (2002)PositionCanada Radio (Nielsen BDS)80US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)28
Decade-end charts +Chart (2000–2009)PositionUS Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)6
Certifications
Release history +RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United StatesMarch 27, 2001May 22, 2001Contemporary hit radioAustraliaJune 18, 2001CDUnited KingdomSeptember 3, 2001
References