Aaron Bruno used to leave high school without saying goodbye to his friends because it was easier, so they used to nickname him 'Awol' (absence without leave). When Bruno decided to form his own band after being part of major label Californian groups Under the Influence of Giants and Hometown Hero, he decided to name it after his high school moniker. Awolnation released their debut album Megalithic Symphony digitally on March 15, 2011, and the physical CD was released two weeks later on Red Bull Records.
This is the album's lead single, which debuted at #89 on the Hot 100 dated September 3, 2011. It came about during a period in which Bruno and his keyboardist Kenny Carkeet were financing themselves by writing for other artists but found they were making little money. When they came up with song's beat Bruno decided to record it himself rather than selling it to another artist for a pittance. This fueled the fire to form Awolnation.
Lyrically, the song's protagonist is wanting to "sail" away from his problems, which are overwhelming him, and it seems he is unable to shake off the fear of not being able to meet up to people's expectations. In an interview with the Red Bull company, Bruno was asked if the lyrics are about suicide. He replied: "Well that's a dangerous world to talk about. I don't condone that but I definitely know what it's like to feel so low in your life that you wonder what the point is being around. I'd say 80% of people have fantasized about that for a second."
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