Shinedown‘s latest hit, “Three Six Five,” was written in response to tragedy: The band’s bass player, Eric Bass, lost multiple family members last year, including his father. But lead singer Brent Smith tells ABC Audio that the song reminds us that even if your loved ones are absent, they’re always with you.
“I think that ‘Three Six Five’ is about the people that mean the most to you in life that maybe are no longer with you from a physical standpoint, but they’re not gone,” he says. “They’re everywhere. They’re right beside you, because … while they were here, they taught you everything that they knew. And part of them is a part of you as well.”
Brent sings in the song, “If I could hitch a ride on a time machine/ I would bring you right back here with me/ And I wouldn’t have to watch you disappear.”
“There’s the initial loss because maybe you can’t hear their voice or maybe you can’t pick up the phone and talk to them or hop on a plane and go see them,” he notes. “But they’re still with you in spirit and you still carry them with you. But it is that dynamic of, ‘Man, I wish I just had one more hour … if I just could get one more day."”
And Brent feels that writing the song actually helped his bandmate deal with his loss.
“I think that day that we wrote ‘Three Six Five,’ I could kind of see a weight come off of Eric,” notes Brent. “Almost like his dad, like, from beyond, kind of gave him a really big hug and was like, ‘I’m always with you, son. I love you."”
Shinedown is currently out on their Dance Kid Dance tour.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
