Photo Credit: Ashley Osborn
“I’ve found a reason for me, To change who I used to be, A reason to start over new, And the reason is you!”
Some of the most well known rock ballad lyrics in the world and a track which burst through the one billion stream mark in the run up to Download.
Hoobastank’s The Reason is the soundtrack to so many of our lives and as frontman Doug Robb laughs, it got so many people laid through the years – including himself.
“Oh, you know, somebody just told me on the way here that ‘Oh, that song got me laid’ and told me the story was really funny,” Robb beams as we shelter from another downpour from the heavens.
“Yeah, I keep hearing that [one billion streams]. I’m not one of those guys who follows the stats. You know, I don’t, I don’t. They did the same thing when we had a billion views on YouTube for the video. And I was like, okay, cool. Like, I’m not sure exactly. I mean, I know it’s a shit ton of views and a shit ton of streams.
“I feel like it just doesn’t really translate to other things. Just like, okay, cool. Like an a nice little plaque. I’ll give you a box like that. You know, it’s not, it’s a cool little, feather in the cap.”
What does one billion streams look like in your bank account, I ask?
“I don’t know what it’s worth Eric,” he laughs. “But I think I can buy you lunch. Yeah. Maybe. No drink. Just the food.”
After listening to The Reason so many times in my own youth I have to ask – who exactly is the song about?
“You know what I, I would say if you were to ask me that question 20 years ago, I would say, it’s not about anybody in particular, because the truth is, people ask that and they think, oh, we’re thinking about this one person,” explains Robb.
“And the truth is, I got the music, like, guitar player gave me the music, I took it home and I started writing over and it came really quick. But the lyrics came from a lot of, like, these lyrics I had kind of laying around.
“I had all these extra layers. I started piecing together all these things and it happened so fast and everything seemed well. But 20 years later, if you ask me, I would say it’s about myself. You know, it’s really about… That’s interesting because these lyrics were, like, taken from different relationships and the relationships would end.
“And I was the only constant variable. And all these relationships, I’m like, yeah, this is not about this one was about fucking me. It’s about how I screwed things up over and over again because everybody wants to like, who’s the girl? I’m like, it wasn’t anybody. So it’s really a song, you know, about my own issues. And I guess the ‘You’ could be multiple people.”
But did the band head into the studio content, with the knowledge they had penned a song which was set to become one of the biggest selling and streaming ballads of a generation?
“Not at all,” insists the frontman with searing honesty. “It was just one of those songs we thought was going to be like the mellow album track. And, I remember after we recorded the song we met with our manager and A&R guy and the producer, and I don’t even remember if any of us picked it as a possible single on the record.
“Yeah. And I know once the record label heard it, they’re like, fuck, that’s the one that’s going to be huge. And we’re like, shut the fuck up, you know, whatever. But here we are. Yeah, here we are 20 years later talking about it and a billion streams later.”
This summer’s Download Festival had more than a generous dollop of noughties nostalgia with Wheatus, Busted and Sum 41 sharing the bill with Hoobastank, with Robb admitting he had some nerves before his band’s double appearance at the iconic festival.
“I feel like I’m more curious than I am excited,” he tells us. “I’ll be honest with you, too. We’re doing the recent album. Yeah. And the only time we like doing stuff like that is, like, special occasions, you know? And I see so many heavy bands here. I would much rather just play a set of our heavier songs. I’m trying to, like, mix in this album, but it is what it is. Maybe it’ll be like a good change of pace, a little bit of a break.
“We’re also supposed to. I don’t know, because of all the mud and whether if it’s still going to go down but we are supposed to do, like a little unplugged type performance later tonight. Yeah. So I don’t know, because everything’s getting pushed up and down. I don’t know if it’s gonna be like, oh, it’s going to be super late. But we’re supposed to play at midnight, so we’re going to be here for a for a hot second. That should be interesting. I have no idea what to expect for that or what the fuck we’re going to do. Yeah. Shut up and make some noise.”
While it might hard to ever top The Reason, Hoobastank are planning on entering the studio soon to lay down some new music, with a busy six months on the cards for the California band.
“We’re off to Korea for a couple of weeks. I get a lot of things kind of in and out in the States. Yeah. Then in August, we are in Japan. Then kind of festivals bounce around and up to up to a few months ago or up to about a month ago.
“We’re really writing a lot. Yeah. We kind of took a long time off. We needed it. And. Where are you? Right before we’re, like, in that process, like, okay, we got to start thinking about producers. Are we going to do it ourselves or are we gonna record, like, okay, let’s get into it.
“And then we got to go. So this kind of put a halt on that. But whenever we have a moment we’re going to talk about recording new music. So that’s it.”
