"'I'm Just A Kid' is about how it's hard to fit in and find your place," Chuck says. "It's tough to meet people who are there for you in the end, people who care."
Other tracks on the album - like the gutsy "Meet You There" and the touching "Perfect" - substitute a more atmospheric and bittersweet energy in place of upbeat punchy hooks.
"I hate the word mature," says Chuck, "but they're just a bit different."
"NO PAD, NO HELMETS... JUST BALLS" was recorded at producer Arnold Lanni's Arnyard Studio in Toronto. The sessions saw Simple Plan making a pair of trips across the border in order to work with a couple of musician friends who wanted to be part of the album. First, the band headed to Buffalo, New York, where they hooked up with Joel of Good Charlotte, who contributed vocals to "You Don't Mean Anything." In addition, Simple Plan enlisted another friend - none other than Mark Hoppus of blink-182 - to lay down backing vocals on the second single and MTV TRL breakout, "I'd Do Anything."
"We've known each other for a long time," says the drummer. "We played shows with blink back on their first record and we stayed friends. Mark's such a down-to-earth guy. He took the time to do his track and really nailed what we wanted. We're honored to have him sing on our record."
With a debut album that's everything they'd hoped it would be, and some experiences they never could have imagined, Simple Plan intends to spend 2003 bringing the adrenaline-fuelled tunes of "NO PADS, NO HELMETS... JUST BALLS" to the kids by doing what they've done from the get-go - hitting the road. And hard.
"First we wanted to make sure that every song was special," Chuck avows. "Now we just want to play every day. I said to everybody that works with us, 'We don't need any days off, just book us.' We'll be on the road for two years. This summer we're doing our second Warped Tour for this album. That's so amazing. It's like the name, Simple Plan. We just have this simple plan to go on the road and meet people and make new friends and just see who likes our band."
Well plug in a few more Energizers and keep this rabbit movin' because from the looks of their battered suitcases and oh yea, thousands upon thousands of screaming fans, this Simple Plan will just keep going and going and going....
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that whole two pages of bio were basically stolen from the simple plan site. most probably made my pat. i felt necessary to have the bio band cos, i just did so do not question me. it was hella long and i doubt anyone will read or even click to this page so if you are... man, talk about dedication.
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