Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nothing Gold Can Stay is the debut studio album by American rock band New Found Glory, released on May 1, 1999, through independent record label Eulogy Recordings. At the time, the band was then named "A New Found Glory", but later dropped the indefinite article "A" due to some fans struggling to find their records in stores. The original pressings of the album contained samplings from several films including The Outsiders (1983), Weird Science (1985), and That Thing You Do! (1996), as well as Robert Frost's poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay", after which the album is named. On the strength of the release, Richard Reines, co-founder of Drive-Thru Records, signed the band after paying Eulogy a $5,000 license fee in order to re-release the album on October 19, 1999. Propelled by debut single "Hit or Miss", Nothing Gold Can Stay sold in excess of 300,000 copies. The record was responsible for breaking the band in the United States and has been noted for its influence on contemporary pop punk music. Background and recording Following the band's underground success with the release of debut EP It's All About the Girls (1997), they soon caught the attention of independent label Eulogy Recordings, and the quintet subsequently signed in order to increase distribution of their music. The album was recorded on a low budget with the members having to self-fund the sessions. Jordan Pundik recalls, "I was working in Walgreens, I remember borrowing money off my sister to pay for the recording and everybody getting on me for not throwing in enough." Chad Gilbert also said that the album "wasn't recorded too well", but also praised its rawness by adding, "It sounds more real than a lot of other records". Pundik worked alongside primary lyricist and rhythm guitarist Steve Klein to pen the tracks. "When me and Steve would work on the songs, he'd come and pick me up in his punk-rock station wagon, with stickers all over the back. It didn't have a stereo, just a boombox. We'd sit in his room at his parents' house, and we'd work on lyrics and melodies with sheets of paper everywhere". Pundik also said that a five-year relationship during high school inspired the lyrics to "Winter of '95". "I was with her for 5 years, she was the only thing I knew, so that played a big part. I remember listening to a Gameface record on vinyl, but was writing my own lyrics for the song at the same time in my head".