Synopsis

Godsmack perform "Keep Away" in a dark, claustrophobic setting shaped by harsh lighting, rapid cuts, and unsettling imagery. The band's aggressive performance is intercut with close-ups and shadowy visual details that reinforce the song's mood of anger, emotional exhaustion, and rejection. Rather than following a conventional narrative, the video works as a stark mood piece, presenting Sully Erna and the band with a raw, confrontational intensity that matches the song's demand for distance from a toxic relationship.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Keep Away" was released as a promotional single in 1999 from Godsmack's self-titled debut album, which came out on August 25, 1998.

• The song originated during Godsmack's early Boston period and appeared on the band's self-released 1997 album "All Wound Up...". It was recorded at New Alliance Studios in Boston.

• Boston radio station WAAF helped break the song locally after overnight DJ Rocko discovered the band's independent release and began playing "Keep Away." The exposure helped Godsmack build a regional following before its major-label breakthrough.

• "Keep Away" reached No. 5 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and No. 31 on the Modern Rock chart.

• Sully Erna wrote the song and co-produced the album version with Andrew "Mudrock" Murdoch.

• An acoustic version appeared on the 2004 EP "The Other Side," while a live version was included on the "Woodstock '99" album.

• The 1999 video belongs to Godsmack's earliest visual era, before the larger-scale, heavily conceptual productions associated with later singles such as "I Stand Alone."