"It's Been Awhile" is a single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 from 2001 off the album Break the Cycle

Break the Cycle

Break the Cycle is the third studio album of the American alternative metal band Staind, released through Elektra Entertainment and Flip Records in 2001. It is Staind's most successful album to date, and was the album that broke them into the mainstream. It was a huge international success for...

by the alternative metal

Alternative metal

Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...

 band Staind

Staind

Staind is an American rock band that was formed in 1995 in Springfield, Massachusetts. For 16 years, the band consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki...

.
The song is probably the band's best-known song, becoming a #5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, their only song to reach the pop Top 10. The song spent a second-best 20 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart (behind only "Loser

Loser (3 Doors Down song)

"Loser" is the title of a song recorded by American alternative rock band 3 Doors Down. It was released in July 2000 as the second single from their debut album The Better Life. The song spent 21 weeks at the number-one position on the Billboard U.S...

" by 3 Doors Down

3 Doors Down

3 Doors Down is an American rock band from Escatawpa formed in 1996. The band consists of Brad Arnold , Matt Roberts , Todd Harrell , Chris Henderson , and Greg Upchurch ....

) and a then-record 16 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, beaten in 2007 by Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...

 with "The Pretender".
The song is stylistically different from the other tracks on the album, which are Nu metal/Alternative metal songs and is considered by many critics and fans to be the first sign of Staind's transition from a nu metal to post-grunge band which would evolve on the band's next three albums.

Content

In "It's Been Awhile", singer Aaron Lewis

Aaron Lewis

Aaron Lewis, , is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and founding member of the rock group Staind, with whom he has released seven studio albums. He has since ventured into country music with his debut solo album, Town Line...

 sings of someone who takes stock of his life. He makes references to his previous drug addiction problem and failed relationships. Lewis mentions his father, though he believes he has only himself to blame for his problems.

Music video

The music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 begins with Aaron Lewis

Aaron Lewis

Aaron Lewis, , is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and founding member of the rock group Staind, with whom he has released seven studio albums. He has since ventured into country music with his debut solo album, Town Line...

 going through some old photographs, one which happens to be an old girlfriend. The video then switches between him writing a letter to his girlfriend and the band performing casually in a room full of candles. There are brief shots of Aaron alone in the streets and looking at himself in the mirror while having second thoughts. Throughout the video, Aaron is seen continuously smoking cigarettes. At the end of the video, one of those cigarettes falls onto the floor and burns down his apartment.

The video was directed by Limp Bizkit

Limp Bizkit

Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...

 frontman, Fred Durst

Fred Durst

William Frederick "Fred" Durst is an American musician, director, producer and actor, well known as the frontman of the band Limp Bizkit.-Early life:...

.

Charts

Chart (2001)	Peak position
	5
	1
	1
	3
	6
	15
	24
	43
	18
	54
	19
	13
	79
	23
	46

Track listing

1. "It's Been Awhile" (LP Clean Edit)
2. "It's Been Awhile" (Acoustic Version)
3. "Suffocate" (LP Version)

Other

• The UK release contains the bonus track "Black Rain", which is renamed from "Excess Baggage", the hidden track on Dysfunction.