Hi all,
Reviving this thread in preparation of a track-by-track commentary on Ode to Silence that I’ll be posting in the coming week. I was thinking about songs that were written in one era, but released in another, and this got me thinking about what Lifehouse songs fit this description. Let’s go through a few 
**You and Me **
*Written 2000, released 2005 *
LH’s biggest hit, we likely all know, was written in the same few months as Hanging By A Moment — it began as a track called You, Me, and All of the People, written when Jason proposed to his now partner. Jude Cole is responsible for the relatively simple G chords that make up the song’s main theme, and this was likely their first cowrite. The legend goes that it was featured in a movie by Ean Mering titled All Over Again, though I’ve never been able to verify this point. The song missed No Name Face (they were deep into the Blyss songs and newer rock songs like SSC and Quasimodo), but was tracked for Stanley Climbfall with what Jason describes as a “weird carousel theme”. They shelved it when it got too artsy, and revived it with John Alagia in 2004 while working on the yellow record — this third version had strings by the legendary Oliver Kraus, and became the song as it is now known.
Spin
Written 1997, released 2002
Spin began as an early poem of Jason’s, written near the beginning of the Blyss era but lacking a bridge — Ron Aniello helped him write one, turning it into a song and setting it up to be the first track off Stanley Climbfall.
**Wish **
Written 2001, released 2015
I’ve mentioned this in past posts, but Wish was written in 2001 and demoed for Stanley Climbfall, before being shelved for over a decade. Jason began working on the song again in 2012 for Paper Cuts, and finished that version of the song in 2013. The band once again totally overhauled the song for OOTW, and we are blessed with three versions of a fan favourite.
Storm
Written 1997/1998, released 2007
Storm was initially featured on Diff’s Lucky Day, and wasn’t played in concert until it was requested at the Cleveland House of Blues in May 2005. Jason played the song there, and began to incorporate it into his set once in a while, and the band ultimately tracked the song in 2007 while finishing Who We Are.
**Crash and Burn **
*Written 2006, released 2010 *
Crash and Burn was a song written during the Who We Are era and used for soundchecking during their 2006 tour. The original version included a longer instrumental intro and several pre-chorus lyrics that were ultimately removed in an early-2009 revamp. The band began playing the song as part of their set that year, releasing it as a bonus track for Smoke & Mirrors in 2010.
**By Your Side **
*Written 2006, released 2010 *
By Your Side was written during the Who We Are sessions, and copyrighted alongside the bulk of that album. Jason said in an interview that they tried twice to record it and weren’t satisfied with what they had found, electing to pause developing it any further. After they invited a fan with declining health to their studio in 2009, whose family heard and loved the song, they decided to record it with her present and released it on Smoke & Mirrors in 2010.
**Central Park **
*Written 2007, released 2015 *
Jason wrote Central Park and Sink or Swim on a songwriting trip to New York the fall after Who We Are was released, and the band tracked it for Smoke & Mirrors before putting it on hold. J recorded the bulk of the song at home making Paper Cuts, before the band filled it in and re-recorded some parts for OOTW.
Let me know if anyone knows of any other songs that skipped an era or two — it’s always interesting to hear what wasn’t scrapped but rather “paused” because it didn’t fit something but was too good to give up.