A song about yearning for a deeper relationship with someone, "Here Is Gone" was released on March 11, 2002, as the lead single from the band's seventh studio album, Gutterflower (2002).

Frontman John Rzeznik said the single is "kind of a cynical track about a very casual relationship where you just want something more."

He explained that living 3,000 miles away from home while being single and "trying to figure things out is pretty much what was going on in this process.

"[1] The video, directed by Francis Lawrence, portrays a somewhat vague story with multiple interpretations, from a literal visitation of spirits to figurative rebellion against fully "constructed" society.

[citation needed] During a commentary the band did on the music video in 2008, bassist Robby Takac described what the video was to portray: "the idea was we were going to go through an entire day in a very short amount of time."