The Used

Band

Photo: Abby Gillardi · CC BY 2.0
Active 2000-present
Origin Orem, Utah
Albums 9
Tracks 113
Most frequent collaborator John Feldmann · 85 tracks
Genres Post-HardcoreEmoScreamoAlternative Rock
Artist
92%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 104 of 113 tracks

Did The Used write their own songs?

Yes. How the credit is printed varies. The 2002 debut, In Love and Death, Artwork and Imaginary Enemy print one band line with no names. Lies for the Liars credits Quinn Allman, Bert McCracken and Jeph Howard on every track, and The Canyon credits Justin Shekoski, Bert McCracken, Jeph Howard and Dan Whitesides. Across the nine albums, 49 of 113 tracks carry the band name and 64 name people.

By the Numbers

9
Studio Albums
113
Tracks Credited
92%
Self-Written
26
Years Active
24
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 104 / 113 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 113 tracks: how many The Used wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

The Used has a writing credit92%
58%
34%
8%
Sole author66tracks58%
Co-written38tracks34%
Outside writers9tracks8%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
The Used's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 113 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)92%
Composer (music)92%
Producer0%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 113 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Bert McCracken 2000-present
49%
49%
0%
0%
Jeph Howard 2000-present
49%
49%
0%
0%
Dan Whitesides 2006-present
39%
39%
0%
0%
Joey Bradford 2018-present
24%
24%
0%
0%
Quinn Allman 2000-2015
10%
10%
0%
0%
Branden Steineckert 2000-2006
0%
0%
0%
0%
Justin Shekoski 2015-2018
15%
15%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

The Used's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 92%
100%
100%
100%
100%
25%
100%
100%
100%
100%
2002The Used
2004In Love and Death
2007Lies for the Liars
2009Artwork
2012Vulnerable
2014Imaginary Enemy
2017The Canyon
2020Heartwork
2023Toxic Positivity
Early · 100% written
Mid · 74% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
2000s
The Used, In Love and Death +2 more
78%
2010s
Vulnerable, Imaginary Enemy +1 more
100%
2020s
Heartwork, Toxic Positivity

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where The Used sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

The Used
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Michael Bublé15%
Josh Groban29%
Jennifer Lopez46%
Sinéad O'Connor59%
Norah Jones74%
Smash Mouth83%
Hawthorne Heights100%
92%The Used
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Buried Myself Alive
The Used
Written by The Used
Wrote it
The Taste of Ink
The Used
Written by The Used
Wrote it
Blue and Yellow
The Used
Written by The Used
Wrote it
Take It Away
In Love and Death
Written by The Used
Wrote it
All That I've Got
In Love and Death
Written by The Used
Wrote it
The Bird and the Worm
Lies for the Liars
Written by Quinn Allman, Bert McCracken, Jeph Howard, Quinn Scott Allman, Robert Edward McCracken
Wrote it
Pretty Handsome Awkward
Lies for the Liars
Written by Quinn Allman, Bert McCracken, Jeph Howard, Quinn Scott Allman, Robert Edward McCracken
Wrote it
Blood on My Hands
Artwork
Written by The Used
Wrote it
I Come Alive
Vulnerable
Written by The Used
Wrote it
Cry
Imaginary Enemy
Written by The Used, John Feldmann
Co-wrote
Paradise Lost, a poem by John Milton
Heartwork
Written by Bert McCracken, Dan Whitesides, Jeph Howard, Joey Bradford, John Feldmann, Evan Kidd Bogart, Robert Edward McCracken
Co-wrote
Giving Up
Toxic Positivity
Written by Joey Bradford, Jeph Howard, Bert McCracken, Dan Whitesides, John Feldmann, Rachel West, Robert Edward McCracken
Co-wrote

Discography 9 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Photo of The UsedThe Used113 tracks
Photo of John Feldmann85John Feldmann, 85 tracks RR17Ross Robinson, 17 tracks Photo of Matt Squire11Matt Squire, 11 tracks RW6Rachel West, 6 tracks Photo of Simon Wilcox5Simon Wilcox, 5 tracks BL2Brian Lee, 2 tracks ET1Evan Taubenfeld, 1 track MJ1Martin Johnson, 1 track EK1Evan Kidd Bogart, 1 track JA1Jason Aalon Butler, 1 track NF1Nicholas Furlong, 1 track NA1Nick Anderson, 1 track SS1Scot Stewart, 1 track LA1Lee Anna McCollum, 1 track PB1PJ Bianco, 1 track LA1Lil Aaron, 1 track MH1Mark Hoppus, 1 track on Blink-182's page JC1JP Clark, 1 track TB1Travis Barker, 1 track on Blink-182's page CS1Caleb Shomo, 1 track FB1Fiona Bevan, 1 track P1Phem, 1 track SP1Samuel Preston, 1 track BS1Brandon Saller, 1 track on Atreyu's page

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. RR Ross Robinson · RW Rachel West · BL Brian Lee

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Two ways of printing a credit sit side by side across this catalogue. The 2002 debut, In Love and Death, Artwork and Imaginary Enemy all print a single band line, while Lies for the Liars names Quinn Allman, Bert McCracken and Jeph Howard on all eleven tracks and The Canyon names the four-piece that made it. That comes to 49 of 113 tracks under the band name and 64 naming people. Vulnerable is the odd one: its credit line reads "the Used, except where noted" and then nine of the twelve tracks note somebody else, seven of them the producer John Feldmann.

Quick Facts

  • FromOrem, Utah, formed in 2000
  • Credit convention49 of 113 tracks are credited to The Used rather than to a member
  • CertificationsThe Used and In Love and Death are both certified platinum by the RIAA
  • Biggest chart weekLies for the Liars reached number five on the Billboard 200
  • Biggest song"The Bird and the Worm" reached number nine on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart
  • Line-upBert McCracken and Jeph Howard have been in the band since 2000

Creative Fingerprint

A band that alternates between a flat band credit and naming whichever line-up made the record, with the producer John Feldmann written into the songs often enough to count as a member on paper.

The Story

The Used formed in Orem, Utah in 2000 and put out their first album two years later, with Bert McCracken singing and John Feldmann producing. Nine studio albums have followed. The debut and In Love and Death are both certified platinum by the RIAA and "The Taste of Ink" and "The Bird and the Worm" are the songs that still get played.

Awards & Recognition

MuchMusic Video Awards, nominated for "All That I've Got", the band's first nomination

Frequently Asked Questions The Used

Did The Used write their own songs?
Yes. How the credit is printed varies. The 2002 debut, In Love and Death, Artwork and Imaginary Enemy print one band line with no names. Lies for the Liars credits Quinn Allman, Bert McCracken and Jeph Howard on every track, and The Canyon credits Justin Shekoski, Bert McCracken, Jeph Howard and Dan Whitesides. Across the nine albums, 49 of 113 tracks carry the band name and 64 name people.
Who wrote "The Taste of Ink"?
The Used, credited as a band. Every track on the 2002 debut carries the same line. It reached number 19 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart.
Who wrote "The Bird and the Worm"?
Quinn Allman, Bert McCracken and Jeph Howard, the credit that runs across all of Lies for the Liars. It reached number nine on Alternative Songs, the band's best showing there.
How involved is John Feldmann in the writing?
More than a producer usually is. He produced seven of the nine albums and is credited as a writer on seven tracks of Vulnerable, on all of Imaginary Enemy, and on Heartwork and Toxic Positivity alongside the band.
How many albums has The Used released?
Nine studio albums between 2002 and 2023: The Used, In Love and Death, Lies for the Liars, Artwork, Vulnerable, Imaginary Enemy, The Canyon, Heartwork and Toxic Positivity.
Which albums went platinum?
The 2002 self-titled debut and In Love and Death, both certified platinum by the RIAA. Lies for the Liars is certified gold.
Which album charted highest?
Lies for the Liars at number five on the Billboard 200 in 2007, one place above In Love and Death at number six.
Who is in The Used?
Bert McCracken on vocals and Jeph Howard on bass have been there since 2000. Dan Whitesides took over on drums in 2006 and Joey Bradford joined on guitar in 2018. Quinn Allman played guitar from 2000 to 2015 and Justin Shekoski from 2015 to 2018.
Did The Used record with My Chemical Romance?
Yes, on "Under Pressure", a 2005 cover of the Queen and David Bowie song released as a single rather than on an album. It reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Why do some Used albums list no songwriter?
Four of the nine print a single band credit instead of names. That is a labeling choice, not a claim about who wrote what, and it is why the authorship percentage on this page reads lower than the band's actual involvement.

Sources

Wikipedia: The Used Wikipedia: The Used discography Wikipedia: Bert McCracken Wikipedia: Quinn Allman Wikipedia: Justin Shekoski