| "Swing Life Away" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Rise Against | ||||
| from the album Siren Song of the Counter Culture | ||||
| Released | April 25, 2005 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:20 | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Garth Richardson | |||
| Rise Against singles chronology | ||||
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"Swing Life Away" is a song by American punk rock band Rise Against. It is an acoustic ballad, with a sharp guitar sound and optimistic lyrics about daily life and the working class. The song was first included in the 2003 compilation album Punk Goes Acoustic, and was later expanded upon in the band's 2004 album Siren Song of the Counter Culture.
The music and lyrics for "Swing Life Away" were written by Rise Against's lead vocalist Tim McIlrath and his roommate Neil Hennessy. The band decided to not include the song in their 2003 album Revolutions per Minute, as they felt that it would not fit in with the album's hardcore sound. At the insistence of a Dreamworks Records executive, the band revisited the song for Siren Song of the Counter Culture, and released it as the album's second single. The song reached number seventeen on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and number twelve on the Alternative Songs chart, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Critics praised the song for its simple yet effective lyrics and sharp guitar sound. The accompanying music video follows the band members as they hang out with friends, and was intended to have an easygoing feel. "Swing Life Away" remains one of Rise Against's most popular songs, and McIlrath has noted how fans have used the song for various purposes, including school graduations, proms, weddings, and funerals. In 2011, Alternative Addiction wrote: "'Swing Life Away' catapulted Rise Against past Anti-Flag to the point where they've been with the past three albums as one of most established bands going in rock."