The Fight That Almost Cost Evanescence Their 1st Record Deal—The Daily Earworm

Evanescence scored a massive hit with their debut single “Bring Me to Life” in January of 2003. However, the band was not happy with the song that they recorded. What about the band’s first and biggest hit, and their debut album as a whole, was such a bone of contention that it almost cost them their record deal? Find out in today’s Daily Earworm.

The Fight Over Fallen

Evanescence got its start on the indies in the late 1990s, but got their big break when the band signed with Wind-Up Records in 2001. The label set the band up in Los Angeles to start working on recording material for an album, and set lead singer Amy Lee up with an acting coach to help her conquer her stage fright. The band had half their album done when Wind-Up threw them a curveball. They said that they would not release the album unless the band added a male co-vocalist. Worse, they wanted that male vocalist to rap on at least eight of the album’s songs.

Evanescence refused. Lee and the band packed up and headed back home to Little Rock, Arkansas. The band’s career seemed over before it even started. However, after a few weeks, the label called. They were willing to put out the album, but only if the band added a male rap part in their debut single, “Bring Me to Life.” The label had secured a spot for that song on the soundtrack for the “Daredevil” movie. The band agreed, and an unhappy Lee wrote a male vocal part for the song.

Wind-Up had argued that DJs would not play a female-led rock band on the radio. Luckily for Evanescence, the soundtrack ended up giving the upstart band the exposure they needed to get people calling radio stations to request the song, and soon it was a hit. The rest of the album sold well without a male co-vocalist, and both sides ended up getting what they wanted, for the most part…

The Success of Fallen

Fallen was a massive success for Evanescence. The album reached diamond status in the United States and has sold over 17 million copies worldwide. The album debuted at #7 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at #3. Oddly enough, it also topped the Christian chart in the U.S. and reached #2 on the Hard Rock chart. The album found the Top 10 on 35 different charts worldwide.

“Bring Me to Life” had a lot to do with the success of Fallen. The single was what broke the band in all those countries, reaching the Top 10 on 32 international charts. The track topped Billboard’s Pop and Alternative Airplay charts, reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at #11 on the Mainstream Rock chart. It was certified triple-platinum in the U.S. and reached gold, platinum, or multiplatinum status in 17 countries overall.

Fallen earned the band a number of honors, as well. Evanescence was nominated for 39 awards worldwide. They took home two Grammy Awards (out of six nominations), two Billboard Music Awards, two Echo Awards (Germany), two Teen Choice Awards, a Danish Music Award, a Kerrang! Award (UK), an MTV Latin America Award, an NRJ Music Award (France), and a World Music Award.

Evanescence Today

While Evanescence never saw that kind of success again after their debut, the band is still making records today, though their lineup has varied greatly through the years. They released their most recent studio album, The Bitter Truth, in 2021. The album reached #11 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Hard Rock chart. The band is still massively popular internationally. In 2025, Evanescence placed songs in the soundtracks of the John Wick spinoff “Ballerina” and the Netflix fantasy action series “Devil May Cry,” based on the popular video game.

After more than 30 years, the band still seems to be trucking along just fine without a male vocalist…and also without Wind-Up Records, with whom they split in 2014 after a lawsuit for unpaid royalties.

The Daily Earworm is a daily column that tells the stories, from the historic to the lesser-known, of some of the music industry’s greatest songs, albums, and artists. Here are some other music tales that you may find interesting:

Tom Morello: Legendary Renegade of Rock Guitar

“Hurt”: Who Did It Better, Nine Inch Nails Or Johnny Cash? 

Collective Soul’s ‘Shine’: From Demo To Defining