"Annie" is a 1999 single by Canadian rock band

Rock Band

Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...

 Our Lady Peace

Our Lady Peace

Our Lady Peace is a Canadian alternative rock band that formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1992. Headed by lead vocalist Raine Maida since its formation, the band additionally consists of Jeremy Taggart on percussion, Duncan Coutts on bass, and Steve Mazur as lead guitarist...

 from the album Happiness...Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch

Happiness...Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch

Happiness... Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch is the third studio album by Canadian alternative rock band Our Lady Peace. It was released on September 21, 1999 by Columbia Records. The album was very successful in Canada, debuting at #1 on the Canadian Albums Chart. The album was certified 3x...

. It was less successful than other singles from that album, such as Thief.

Plot

The song revolves around a character, Annie, who seems to be unpopular, weird, and perhaps insane. Raine Maida

Raine Maida

Raine Maida , is a Canadian musician best known as being the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the alternative rock band Our Lady Peace. He has come to be known for his unique countertenor nasal falsetto singing voice, as well as his cryptic and poetry-influenced song lyrics...

 has stated that this song is about a girl contemplating murdering students at her school, similar to the 1999 Columbine High School Massacre

Columbine High School massacre

The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...

, which occurred three weeks after this song was written.

Writing

"I don't talk about my lyrics much (to the band)," Maida says, "But the day I heard the news, I said: 'Guys, the song Annie is written exactly about this.' I felt the need to tell them because I didn't want them to think that morning I had been reading the paper, writing lyrics."

Origin

While many of the songs on Happiness... were developed from ideas brought into the studio that remained unchanged throughout recording, "Annie" developed mainly from jam sessions over a long period of time. "It [Annie] took a long time," said Maida, "We had the verse for the longest time and it took weeks in the rehearsal hall just playing it as a band and finally the chorus happened. And it's all out, now it's a song. Jeremy started the beat to 'Annie' with Duncan doing the bass groove and you know what? right away you know this is something to work on."Anon. "Our Lady Peace" - Canadian Musician Dec. - Nov. 1999. Retrieved November 30, 2009