Interview: Hoobastank’s Dan Estrin on “The Reason”: “It’s a Very Relatable Sentiment”

Hoobastank will go down in history for “The Reason.” In December 2003, Hoobastank dropped their sophomore album The Reason, which shot to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and spawned four Top 30 hits on the rock charts. The album’s title track is the most memorable and has long been the band’s signature hit. With the lyrics written by lead singer Doug Robb and the music composed by guitarist Dan Estrin, “The Reason” became a mainstay on MTV and resonated in the minds of many with the memorable lyrics: I’m not a perfect person / There’s many things I wish I didn’t do / But I continue learning / I never meant to do those things to you / And so, I have to say before I go / That I just want you to know / I’ve found a reason for me / To change who I used to be / A reason to start over new / And the reason is you. Below, Estrin tells American Songwriter about the origins of “The Reason” and why he believes it’s “timeless.”

[RELATED: Hoobastank Celebrating “The Reason” with 20th Anniversary Show]

The Meaning Behind “The Reason,” as told by Dan Estrin:

“I didn’t write the lyrics to the song, I wrote all the music to it. We had finished the touring on our first album and that record for us did really well, so we were on this high from having success with our debut record. I remember I was still living at home with my mom and came home just started writing songs or coming up with different guitar parts and ideas and [“The Reason”] was one of them. I liked what I was playing initially, the [opening guitar] part. I thought it would be really cool if I could incorporate other chords with that and make a full chord progression, which I ended up doing.

I ended up demoing the entire song at home that evening by myself with guitar bass, drums. I did everything and then sent it to Doug. He called me pretty quick afterwards…Lyrically he had a journal at that time that if he thought of a line or a sentiment he would jot it down. I think that when it was time to start making new songs, he went back into his folder and he had started to see these thoughts that came to him over the years, patterns that he may have had in relationships and put it all together and it came out like that.

People have asked him over the years, ‘Who is it about?’ and he said it’s not about one specific person, it’s more about him. He’s not a perfect person, there’s many things he wishes he didn’t do, and he continues learning patterns that we all go through in relationships that we’re in and you either realize that stuff at some point or you don’t, and I think he did. It’s a very relatable sentiment. Doug wrote the melody for the verse and the lyrics and the bridge, and without that, the song wouldn’t be what it is. Those lyrics are undeniable, they’re timeless lyrics. They’ll be around forever when we’re not.”

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