Haven't We Been Here Before?
Written by Bob (Aku Aku) Young
To the tune of Haven't We Been Here Before?, written by Tommy Shaw
Haven't we been here before?
Memories of when in 1984
I said I can't stay here anymore
And haven't we felt this same way
Sure in our hearts, but afraid just the same
To say I can't take one minute more
But this time will be different
I'm taking control
Our styles just can't mesh anymore
Can't you see there's a chance
For you when you are well
Broadway and ballads, they'll sell
No, Styx won't be misused
And I'm not confused
And my mind is made up can't you tell
But I know we've been bad to you
And taken what's been important to you
But as time rolls on
Nothing can stand in your way
And I, I believe that with your great talent
You'll find much success outside of Styx
And I, I just think that we need to get back
To art rock so we can't co-exist
Together
Anymore
There's the door
You'll be all right
But I know we've been bad to you
And taken what's been important to you
But as time rolls on
Nothing can stand in your way
And I, I believe that with your great talent
You'll find much success outside of Styx
Oh, and I, I just think that we need to get back
To art rock so we can't co-exist
Together
Anymore
There's the door
You'll be all right
So do your own thing
Styx now is ours
And we'll be the ones who go on
Interpretation
It all started with the release of Brave New World. Tommy Shaw and James Young wanted to release the album in the summer of 1999 and immediately tour to support the album. Dennis DeYoung was suffering from a mysterious illness that baffled doctors and left him unable to tour. He also wanted more time to finish the album. The album was released that summer over Dennis' objections, and the band went on the road with Lawrence Gowan filling in for Dennis and Glen Burtnik returning to fill in for Chuck Panozzo, who had previously decided to retire. Rumors started surfacing on the Internet, interviews and on-line chats with band members revealed conflicting and changing stories. Flame wars erupted on the various Styx e-mail lists as the fans polarized over the band's internal issues. Meanwhile, the Styx tour continued without Dennis, whose health improved enough to begin a highly-acclaimed solo tour with a 50-piece orchestra. This parody is told from Tommy's point of view, building on Tommy's public statements that the rest of Styx wants to get back to art rock while speculating that Tommy would wish Dennis the best of luck in exploring his own musical direction, a perspective that many fans share and a reconciliation that many fans desire.
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