Released: February 14, 2012

Songwriter: Alex da Kid Ben McKee Dan Reynolds Daniel Platzman Wayne Sermon Imagine Dragons

Producer: Alex da Kid Ben McKee Dan Reynolds Daniel Platzman Wayne Sermon Imagine Dragons

[Verse 1]
We are all living the same way, the same way
We are escaping the same way, the same way
Circling (ooh)
We are a part of the same play, the same play
We think we're making our own way, our own way
Circling (ooh)

[Pre-Chorus]
You don’t have to hold your head up high

[Chorus]
Round and round
I won’t run away this time
'Til you show me what this life is for
Round and round
I’m not gonna let you change my mind
'Til you show me what this life is for

[Verse 2]
We are afflicted by fiction, by fiction
Building a case for eviction, eviction
Circling (ooh)
Guarding a tower of ancients, of ancients
Shooting down arrows of patience, impatiently
Circling (ooh)

[Pre-Chorus]
You don’t have to hold your head up high

[Chorus]
Round and round
I won’t run away this time
'Til you show me what this life is for
Round and round
I’m not gonna let you change my mind
'Til you show me what this life is for

[Bridge]
All the emptiness inside you
Is hard enough to fill
Without a sense of purpose
We're setting up to fail
You don’t have to make it right
Just hold your head up high

[Chorus]
Round and round
I won’t run away this time (hold your head up high)
'Til you show me what this life is for (hold your head up)
Round and round
I’m not gonna let you change my mind (hold your head up high)
'Til you show me what this life is for

Imagine Dragons

One of the defining artists of the 2010s and perhaps the biggest band of the decade, Imagine Dragons is an American alt-rock band that originated in Las Vegas and led by Dan Reynolds. While the band began in 2008, the group boasted an entirely different roster than most are familiar. Before releasing their debut album, Night Visions, in 2012, the band released six EPs over four years, constantly shifting their sound and roster from folk to the crowd-shattering anthems they’ve been known for since.

The band’s roster was finalized before Night Visions‘ release with Daniel Platzman on the drums, Wayne Sermon on guitar, and Ben McKee on bass. Their break-out single, “Radioactive” was essential to putting Vegas on the map musically, citing The Killers before them. The song went on to become an international success, obliterating the record for the most weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 at 87 straight weeks.

It wasn’t until 2015 the band released their sophomore album, Smoke + Mirrors. The album was extremely divergent from their freshman album, characterized by an accentuation of their Rock roots and an internal struggle, later described by Reynolds as being his bout with severe depression.