Walter soon began working with a singer-songwriter who went by E and drummer Butch Norton as The Eels. After a promising debut, Walter left the band due to differences with E. He formed a short-lived band, Tely, who released a CD that was distributed on the internet. He was also in the touring band for the Ken Andrews solo project ON, though in the end the band saw little touring. Later he went on to form Abandoned Pools and recorded a solo album, Humanistic, in 2001. Humanistic actually features a couple of songs that were once performed by Tely, like "Start Over."
In 2002 they performed the theme song for the short-lived MTV animated series Clone High. Many of their songs can be heard in the background during the show.
Walter teamed up with drummer Bryan Head and guitarist Sean Woolstenhulme in 2004 to record "Armed to the Teeth," the follow up to Humanistic. In June of 2005, they released an EP, consisting of a few songs from the new album along with b-sides and demos, called The Reverb EP. This was followed by the full album in September 2005.
In January of 2006, Walter wrote in his blog that Universal Records had stopped promoting the album. However, he has included several song snippets on his MySpace and has said he is writing songs for a new album.
In March of 2010, Walter announced via Twitter that he would enter the studio to work on a third Abandoned Pools album after five years of hiatus.
In mid-May 2011, via the Abandoned Pools' MySpace page, two new songs, "Marigold" and "In Silence" from the upcoming album, "Sublime Currency" were made available for streaming and download, or iTunes, as well as a full length demo of the first album, "Humanistic." The third studio album was expected to be released in late 2011, but is now due out sometime in 2012. On Friday, January 27, 2012, the Abandoned Pools' Facebook page posted: "Announcement coming on Monday." (January 30th)
The Catalyst
Abandoned Pools Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You light me up inside
You fill my eyes with stars
It doesn't get me very far
Just look around
You don't need no fairy tale
To get you by
You don't need no Santa Claus
You don't need to make things up
But if there's something more than this
I'll get you sucked inside a kiss
And if there's something more than this
Then I will be the catalyst
I wish I could say something beautiful to
Make you fall in love again
But love has slowly faded away like
Sparklers shining into space
I am on your side
You light me up inside
You fill my eyes with stars
It doesn't get us very far
Just look around
You don't need no fairy tale
To get you by
Just look around
You don't need no Santa Claus
You don't need to make things up
But if there's something more than this
I'll get you sucked inside a kiss
And if there's something more than this
Then I will be the catalyst
I wish I could say something beautiful to
Make you fall in love again
But love has slowly faded away like
Sparklers shining in
Sparklers shining into space
Just look around
You don't need no government
To get you by
Just look around
You don't need no Santa Claus
You don't need to make things up
But if there's something more than this
I'll get you sucked inside a kiss
And if there's something more than this
Then I will be the catalyst
I wish I could say something beautiful to
Make you fall in love again
But love has slowly faded away like
Sparklers shining in
Sparklers shining in to space
In Abandoned Pools’ song The Catalyst, the singer addresses someone they care about deeply. The lyrics proclaim the singer’s support and admiration for the other person but also acknowledge that it may not be enough to sustain them. The singer recognizes that life doesn’t have to be a fairy tale or fantasy to be satisfying but still hopes that there’s something more meaningful for them. They express the desire to be the catalyst for change, to help push their loved one towards that discovered meaning. The singer wishes they could make their loved one fall in love again, but recognizes that love has faded away like sparklers shining into space. They offer support but understand that ultimately the other person must find their own way.
The song’s message is a commentary on the human experience: we all have our own journeys and paths – not every step is beautiful, and not every moment is memorable, but we can still strive to find something greater. The lyrical use of metaphor throughout the song conveys a sense of hope and inspiration.
Line by Line Meaning
I am on your side
I support you and your decisions.
You light me up inside
You make me feel happy and excited.
You fill my eyes with stars
You make me see the world in a beautiful, dreamy way.
It doesn't get me very far
But these feelings don't necessarily lead to tangible results or progress.
Just look around
Take a moment to observe your surroundings.
You don't need no fairy tale
You don't need a fantasy to make life fulfilling.
To get you by
To help you cope with life's challenges.
You don't need no Santa Claus
You don't need a magical savior to make life fulfilling.
You don't need to make things up
You don't need to deceive yourself to make life fulfilling.
But if there's something more than this
But if there's more to life than this mundane existence,
I'll get you sucked inside a kiss
I'll help you experience that something more with a passionate kiss.
Then I will be the catalyst
I will be the agent that triggers a significant change or development.
I wish I could say something beautiful to
I wish I could express myself in a way that captures your heart.
Make you fall in love again
Make you experience that intense, passionate, all-consuming love once more.
But love has slowly faded away like
But love has dissipated over time like
Sparklers shining into space
The way sparklers glitter brightly and then disappear into the vastness of the universe.
You don't need no government
You don't need a ruling body to make life fulfilling.
But love has slowly faded away like
But love has dissipated over time like
Sparklers shining in to space
The way sparklers glitter brightly and then disappear into the vastness of the universe.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: THOMAS, KELLEY, ANDRE TIETZE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gilbag
Faded away like spotlights shining into space...
@yayadeluna7332
Wtf this song is so old! How is there this little bit of views!? This is seriously one of the few songs in this world that never eventually got old!!! I love it so much!
@bingopicks649
Its beautiful. To taste but never having a chance to indulge.
@godzilla981ify
I love so much this song i found the bass line by ear after playing it many times
@neronutella
i enjoy this song
@noodlehead69
Ugh.. hes so beautiful... and honest
@ALARXON
I love this song!
@keroop6981
this song is too good
@Menajo286
👍