Good to Be Alive

Skillet frontman John Cooper told New Release Today the story behind this track. "When we came up with the title for the song, we figured there were already a lot of songs called 'Good to be Alive,'" he said. "I didn't find a whole lot of examples, but I wondered if it was so obvious that someone would have already said it. I thought it was a great way to say what we are feeling." "To me, if there's a Scripture that I would tie-in to the message of the song, it's about 'learning to be content in all things,'" he added. "When things aren't going well, remember that it's good to be alive."

Even though Cooper didn't write the song for his wife, Korey, the lines, "driving down this highway, soaking up the sun, got miles to go before we're home, and the journey's just begun," do have a personal meaning for him. He explained: "Something Korey and I ask each other all the time is, 'What is our next adventure?' It's the positive way we try to look at some of the hardships we've had, like bringing our kids on the road, and the first day of Winter Jam our bus broke down. I said, 'Hey honey, it's an adventure.'" "At 7 a.m. we're unloading our bus into a hotel room," Cooper added. "I think God wants to show us all that there are going to be ups and downs in life. We certainly hope that He has a purpose for us. The Bible teaches us that He does. That's what the whole 'journey's just begun' is referencing."

Rise traces the journey of someone who has come to faith and is the closest Skillet have ever come to crafting a concept album, Cooper told New Release Today: "Even when you make a decision for Christ, things aren't always easy, and unfortunately there are still struggles. 'Good to be Alive' comes after 'Sick of It,' where the character is mentioning all the things in life they want to get rid of - hurts from others and hurts from inside." "This song is an answer, waking up to the fact that there are a lot of blessings in our lives and to stop focusing so much on terrible things."