"Gone Away" is a 4:28 song from the rock band The Offspring's fourth album Ixnay on the Hombre (February 4, 1997), written by Offspring lead singer Dexter Holland. It is also the second single from the album (March 1997) (the single version is 4:27), released with the songs "Cool to Hate", "DUI", and "Hey Joe". The song appears on The Offspring's second compilation album Greatest Hits (June 20, 2005). A 4:31 music video was included on The Offspring's Complete Music Video Collection (July 5, 2005), as was a storyboard version of the video. Touring during 2009 in Europe and the U.S., the song was performed with lead singer Dexter Holland playing the piano.
The song was made downloadable for the Rock Band video game series on October 7, 2008. It was included in the first Offspring pack along with Offspring songs "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" and "Self-Esteem."
The song reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, #4 on the U.S. Hot Modern Rock Tracks, #16 on the Australian Singles Chart (ARIA), and #42 on the UK Singles Charts. The single sold more than 35,000 copies in Australia, making it Gold.
American Rock Band Noctura did a 4:07 cover of the song as a demo and was featured on their first album Surrender the Sun (June 21, 2011).
The song begins with 6 seconds of slow drumming by drummer Ron Welty. This develops into 3 second frenzy of drumming before the rest of the musicians come in.
Maybe in another life
I could find you there
Pulled away before your time
I can't deal it's so unfair
So far so good. The words of someone who's lost someone special and is desperately seeking them. The third and fourth line of lyrics reveal how torn apart the person is by the loss of their loved one.
And it feels
And it feels like
Heaven's so far away
And it feels
Yeah it feels like
The world has grown cold
Now that you've gone away
The person left behind is distant from Heaven and their loved one, and the world the person is left behind in is so different from how it was when their loved one was there.
Leaving flowers on your grave
Show that I still care
But black roses and Hail Mary's
Can't bring back what's taken from me
This is where the lyrics get a bit shaky. Leaving flowers on their grave to show that you still care? The lyrics seem a bit superficial compared to the first two verses of the song. Also, who are you showing you still care? Your loved one? Don't you think there are better ways to do it? And if you're doing it to show other people you still care, doesn't that say something negative about your priorities? I also don't know how you expect black roses and Hail Mary's to bring back your loved one.
I reach to the sky
And call out your name
And if I could trade
I would
Here the lyrics get strong again and bring back the value of the song. We see that maybe the speaker really does care and that he would be willing to sacrifice his life for the one he loves.
And it feels
And it feels like
Heaven's so far away
And it stings
Yeah it stings now
The world is so cold
Now that you've gone away
Gone away gone away
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
And it feels
And it feels
Oh whoa yeah yeah
I reach to the sky
And call out your name
Oh please let me trade
I would
Now the speaker has moved on from saying they would trade to begging for the chance to trade with the person they love.
And it feels
And it feels like
Heaven is so far away
And it feels
Yeah it feels like
The world is so cold
Now that you've gone away
"Gone Away" is a great song, great at describing how it feels to lose a loved one and desperately wish you could have them back. The drumming is upbeat and the guitars' melody helps to further the song. The lyrics are weak in certain spots but are mostly good.