Shine – Collective Soul | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#11) & Mainstream Rock (#1 for 8 weeks); 1994
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
The #2 mainstream rock track of 1994 belonged to a band that took its name from a phrase in Ayn Rand’s influential novel The Fountainhead, in which a young architect battles the collective in his quest to build according to his own standards.
Likewise, Ed Roland – son of a Southern Baptist minister – held to his love of rock ‘n’ roll despite his father’s prohibition against it. Fast forward to the future: After a year at Berklee College of Music, Ed returned to Georgia and spent the next eight working, and recording, at a studio owned by Will’s dad.
Unable to interest a label in an early version of Collective Soul, Ed put together a songwriter’s demo. When Shine, caught the ears of radio programmers, Atlantic signed CS and released much of Ed’s demo on 1993’s Hints Allegations And Things Left Unsaid.
Throughout the summer of ’94 Shine dominated the airwaves, winning the Billboard Music Award for Album Rock Song of the Year.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Ed Roland
Lyrics Written by:
- Ed Roland
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).