8. Ties That Bind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNWMVeLtgRw The furious opener from second album, Blackbird, Ties sounds like it's describing a tumultuous relationship. Talks of breaking away and wanting to be free are all common themes in rock, but behind the scenes the song was actually written about AB's fractured relationship with their former record company, Wind-Up. Lyric "The risk is worth the gain, it's worth the sacrifice" pertains to the huge amount of cash they had to stump up to buy themselves out of their original contract, but the reasoning was solid; Wind-Up wanted to push the most 'Creed-like' songs over the rest of the album, and that was a direction the band absolutely did not want to go down, having broken away to try something new in the first place. Why you need it: The overwhelming passion in Myles' vocal delivery is so relatable to ever needing to get out of a situation you're not comfortable with, and as an album-opener with one hell of a held note as he bellows "Damn you all, I'm going to find my way" it's a perfect embodiment of the band's burgeoning mentality at the same time.