3 Hit Songs from the 1990s by Creed

In the 1990s and 2000s, one of the biggest bands on Earth was, surprisingly, Creed. The growling group, which was fronted by lead singer Scott Stapp, rose to fame with passionate, hard rocking songs that were, as fans found out over the months, rooted in religion.

The Tallahassee, Florida-born band, which formed in 1994, became household names in 1999 thanks to their Platinum-selling LP Human Clay, which earned the group a Grammy Award. But because of the religious themes and undercurrents in the band’s songs, the group fell out of favor over time with mainstream rock fans.

That, however, does not take away from the group’s impact nor its several hits that have since, in many ways, stood the test of time. Here below, we wanted to examine a trio of songs from Human Clay and remember just how hard they rocked.

[RELATED: Scott Stapp Teases New Creed Music: “I Think It’s Gonna be Beautiful, Man”]

“With Arms Wide Open” from Human Clay (1999)

When Creed came out in the 1990s, there was something about the band that was reminiscent of grunge groups like Pearl Jam. Lead singer Scott Stapp sounded a lot like Eddie Vedder and that was perhaps most evident on the song “With Arms Wide Open,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release. The song also earned two Grammy nominations, winning the award for Best Rock Song. On the passionate track, Stapp sings,

Well, I just heard the news today
It seems my life is going to change
I closed my eyes, begin to pray
Then tears of joy stream down my face

With arms wide open under the sunlight
Welcome to this place, I’ll show you everything
With arms wide open
With arms wide open

“Higher” from Human Clay (1999)

This song has some of the most evident religious connotations of all of its big hits—especially in retrospect. Here, Stapp sings, as if to the heavens, asking some entity up there to lift him up. It’s funny how from a rock perspective this theme makes big sense but when heard through the prism of someone preaching, it loses its edge. And that was the crux of the band’s fall in the 2000s in the eyes of some of its most ardent fans. On the heavy track, Stapp sings,

When dreaming I’m guided to another world
Time and time again
At sunrise I fight to stay asleep
‘Cause I don’t wanna leave the comfort of this place
‘Cause there’s a hunger, a longing to escape
From the life I live when I’m awake
So let’s go there
Let’s make our escape
Come on, let’s go there
Let’s ask can we stay?

Can you take me higher?
To a place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To a place with golden streets

“Are You Ready?” from Human Clay (1999)

The opening track to the band’s breakout album, this heavy rocker set the tone for an album that would earn the group celebrity status, millions of dollars and a place in pop culture. Stapp sounds like Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots and the band, in a way, sound as if they could have come from the Pacific Northwest grunge revolution from earlier in the decade. This track hit hard and was a heart-pumping head-banger. On it, Stapp sings,

Hey, Mr. Seeker hold on to this advice
If you keep seeking you will find
Don’t want to follow
Down roads been walked before
It’s so hard to find unopened doors
Are you ready? are you ready?
For what’s to come?
Oh, I said are you ready, are you ready?
For what’s to come?

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