Staind’s Most Emotionally Powerful Ballads

Staind, of course, is one of the defining bands of post-grunge movement. They're known for their hard rock numbers but also for their heartfelt ballads, and that's a beautiful thing.

Who says that the post-grunge and nu-metal genres don't have heart? Even though these rock genres are known for having heavy riffing, drop D tuning, loud beats and an overall angry vibe, that doesn't mean some of these bands, and their songs, don't have heart. Not every emotional song can be just about love. There are so many human emotions to explore, and many of these bands do just that.

Staind got their start in the 1990s and had some help from one of the pioneers of nu-metal. "After a volatile disagreement with Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst over some of Staind's early cover art, it seemed their big break had walked out the door," the band explains on their website. "Fortunately, by the time Durst had witnessed Staind's intense live show, he was ready to exchange phone numbers." It's a crazy story and very rock 'n' roll.

The rest is history, and Staind quickly became a huge success. While Staind is all about the heavy, their Break the Cycle album showed that they have a few soft spots. Massive hits like "It's Been a While" and "Epiphany" were ballads but topped the rock charts.

Post-grunge, as a genre, doesn't get enough attention when it comes to its ballads. Instead, the genre has topped the charts for decades with its aggression and angsty mood. As Yellow Brick says of the style of post-grunge music, "The genre often features powerful guitar riffs, catchy hooks, and introspective lyrics that touch on themes of personal struggle, introspection, and emotional vulnerability. The music tends to be more radio-friendly compared to its grunge predecessor, with a focus on melodic choruses and relatable songwriting."

But let's get into the genre's softer music with Staind's greatest ballads of all time.

"It's Been a While"

"It's Been a While" is the song that made Staind a household name. Sure, the band had "Mudshovel" before it, but "It's Been a While" was a ballad that shot to the top of the rock charts when it was released in 2001.

"It’s Been a While" was first released in March 2001, so the song is almost 25 years old. It was the lead single from Staind’s album Break the Cycle, and it was really an instant hit. The song even entered the top five on the Hot 100, which is super rare for any hard rock band, especially one in the early 2000s. It was more common in the 1980s, but not in more recent history. The song also ranked on multiple formats.

"The most successful tune in Staind’s discography still performs well to this day, as it stands out as a marker of that time in American history," Forbes noted of the blockbuster song in a March 2025 piece. In that story, Forbes explained that the song was back on top of the charts earlier this year. "As it breaks back onto the Hard Rock Streaming Songs list at No. 19, 'It's Been a While' reaches a new peak," they said, adding that the "position now stands as the highest that the decades-old cut has ever climbed on the streaming-only roster in America."

"Epiphany"

"Epiphany" was another massive hit for Staind that wasn't a hard rock number. According to Genius, lead vocalist Aaron Lewis has "explained that this song is about Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)," adding that "he has suffers from it but has never really done anything about it and chose to just allow it to manifest. The song tries to capture what it is like for Aaron with this disorder."

Songfacts adds that Lewis explained, "'Epiphany' is just kind of another realization type of song, kind of an explanation" and that "it was an epiphany in the fact that I had heard the whole song in my head and just had to keep doing things until it was complete." Songfacts also says that Lewis did "everything" on the track. "I programmed the drums, I did the keyboards for the strings of the chorus, played the guitar, played the bass and did the vocals," Lewis added.

In a Facebook group, one fan of the band shared a story about the music video, noting, "Aaron Lewis said this was the most expensive video they ever did, and it makes him sick because it basically didn't do (as well as) he had hoped." The fan added that he's "always found it to be one of their better songs, though."

"So Far Away"

After the success of "It's Been a While," Staind repeated that run with "So Far Away" off 2003's 14 Shades of Grey. The song marked the second single from their 14 Shades Of Grey album, following "Price To Play," which is actually one of my favorite Staind songs of all time when it comes to their heavier numbers.

But, back to "So Far Away." According to Songfacts, the song has Lewis "taking a step back to evaluate his life. All the struggles he went through and everything that seemed so important is now so far away."

Genius adds that "So Far Away" is a track "of hope and uncertainty with beating addiction" and is "a song about moving on and not wanting to go back to that former life." It's so relatable, and that's one reason why people love this song and Staind's ballads, in general.

The song, according to Genius, was also the band's second Top 40 hit and climbed to No. 24 on the Billboard 100. It crossed genres on the radio, too, and was played not just on rock and alternative stations but also on Top 40 and Hot AC, since it had such a widespread appeal.

I've interviewed both Aaron Lewis and Mike Mushok of Staind, and they're both delightful people. It's great to see them have this kind of success, and they keep going with more tour dates and new music. Staind's most recent album in 2023's Confessions of the Fallen, and they don't show signs of slowing down.