Like many bands in the then-burgeoning alt-rock movement of the mid-'90s, Better Than Ezra enjoyed their period of greatest chart success immediately following their debut major-label release (Deluxe), which spawned their highest-charting hits. At least commercially (and in terms of mainstream radio play), the band has experienced slightly diminishing returns with each successive release; however, unlike the majority of their contemporaries, Better Than Ezra's extremely loyal fan base has kept the group from dropping off of the musical map. Ezra's followers, who refer to themselves as Ezralites, have never cared whether radio stations play the band or not--in fact, many fans follow the band religiously, attending scores of their performances. It is Ezra's loyal fans and a relentless touring schedule which has allowed them to continue to produce new music, remain extremely viable in the music world, and out-live their projected shelf life. Additionally, Better Than Ezra's independence and survival in a business that has chewed up and spat out many bands who they used to jockey for chart position seems to indicate that the band will be around to satisfy their fans' rapacious appetite for their music for many years to come.
In addition to vocalist and guitarist Kevin Griffin from Monroe, Louisiana, the current members of Better Than Ezra are bass guitar player Tom Drummond and drummer Travis McNabb. Original drummer, Cary Bonnecaze, left the band after the release of Deluxe. Original lead guitarist, Joel Rundell, committed suicide in 1990. Multi-Instrumentalist James Arthur Payne also from Monroe, Louisiana tours with the band, fills in vocal, keyboard, guitar, and harmonica parts, and is a fan favorite.
Who or what Ezra might be is a mystery that the band members have no interest in clearing up. Drummond once told a reporter that the meaning of the band's name is "so lame you wouldn't even want to print it." However, it has also been said that the name came into being when the then nameless band entered a battle of the bands in competition with a group named Ezra. Needing a name to register they simply said that they were better.
In 2005, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry used the band's song "Juicy" as the background music for the second season of the show's promotional advertisement.
The band is slated to headline A Taste of Fort Collins in Fort Collins, Colorado.
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In 2009 there were line-up changes and a new album released. Drummer Travis McNabb left to tour with the Country music group Sugarland. The split was friendly and McNabb still serves on the Ezra charitable organizations. McNabb was replaced by Michael Jerome as touring and ?future? drummer, with Blair Sinta filling in on parts of the album Paper Empire and 2 dates of the bands summer 2009 concert tour.
Travis McNabb played his last show with Ezra on Feb. 15, 2009 in Metairie, Louisiana.
Paper Empire was released on May 12, 2009.
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Sincerely Me
Better Than Ezra Lyrics
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The way you looked that fall
In your favorite dress
The day before you left
And since that time
I wrote a simple rhyme
And I miss you
The time we had,
The good and bad
The day we met that
I can't forget
Signed Sincerely, Me
Are you cross at your loss?
But could you be more obsessive
If I'd given you the chance
But since you asked,
A reply but it's the last
And I miss you
And the things you do
The love you fake,
The heart you break
The buzz you caught,
And the times we fought
Signed Sincerely, Me
Oh, my God, and don't forget P.S.
I moved away to a new address
It's far away and I think it's best
Signed Sincerely, Me
Why can't it be like it was?
The rain falls, the summer ends
Why can't it be like it was?
You always said you'd never go away
And I confess, I was such a mess
I drove for fifteen hours
On this nasty Greyhound bus
Yes, I've returned.
(You'd think that I would have learned.)
But I miss you and the things you do
The times we had, the good and bad
The day we met that I can't forget
Signed Sincerely, Me
Could you really be a bitch like that?
Broke my door when you stole the cat
Someone said that you even laughed
Signed Sincerely, Me
Why can't it be like it was?
The rain falls, the summer ends
Why can't it be like it was?
You always said you'd never go away
And I miss you...
The hope you give
The life you live
The cross you bear
The way you swear
The face you make
When you masturbate
Our bed in the moonlight
And the night we fought
You were so distraught
And the lies I denied
Even when you cried,
God knows I apologize,
Signed Sincerely, Me
Why can't it be like it was?
The rain goes, the sun returns
Why can't it be like it was?
You always said you'd never go away
You'd never go away
You'd never go away
Signed Sincerely, Me.
The song "Sincerely Me" by Better Than Ezra explores the theme of a lost love and the singer's regret for not being able to keep the relationship intact. The verses highlight various memories of the relationship; the way she looked in her favorite dress before leaving, their good times, their bad times, the day they met, and the somber fact that she has departed. In the chorus, he expresses his yearning for her and all the things that she did and unexpectedly informs her that he has moved away to a new address. He then questions why their love couldn't be like before and shows the desperation to make things right in the end.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes more vulnerable, confessing that he had driven fifteen hours on a Greyhound bus to return, suggesting that he still loves the woman he's writing to. He also confronts her about stealing his cat and breaking his door, but still, he misses her so much. The bridge section emphasizes the different qualities of the relationship they shared - the hope she brought, the way she lived, the struggles they faced, and the love they made. Finally, the unhappy acknowledgment that things will never be the same, yet he still hopes against hope and pleads that things become like they were in the past.
Line by Line Meaning
I can still recall
I remember
The way you looked that fall
I remember the way you looked that autumn
In your favorite dress
You were wearing your favorite dress
The day before you left
I saw you the day before you left
And since that time
Since then
I wrote a simple rhyme
I wrote a poem
And I miss you
I miss you
And the things you do
I miss how you acted
The time we had,
I miss the time we spent together
The good and bad
I miss both the good times and bad times
The day we met that
I remember the day we met
I can't forget
It's something I'll always remember
Signed Sincerely, Me
I signed it sincerely
Are you cross at your loss?
Are you angry because you lost me?
But could you be more obsessive
But could you have been any more obsessive about me?
If I'd given you the chance
If I had given you another chance
But since you asked,
Since you asked me for a reply
A reply but it's the last
This is my final response to you
The love you fake,
I miss the fake love you gave me
The heart you break
I miss the way you broke my heart
The buzz you caught,
I miss the excitement you brought
And the times we fought
I miss the times we argued
Oh, my God, and don't forget P.S.
Oh, and I forgot to add a postscript
I moved away to a new address
I moved to a new address
It's far away and I think it's best
It's far away and I think it's for the best
Why can't it be like it was?
I wish things could be the way they were
The rain falls, the summer ends
The rain falls as summer comes to a close
You always said you'd never go away
You always promised you'd never leave
And I confess, I was such a mess
I have to admit, I was a complete disaster
I drove for fifteen hours
I drove for fifteen hours to be with you
On this nasty Greyhound bus
I took a terrible bus to get here
Yes, I've returned.
I'm back now
The hope you give
The hope you gave me
The life you live
The life you lived
The cross you bear
The struggles that you faced
The way you swear
The way you talked
The face you make
The expression on your face
When you masturbate
When you were alone and intimate
Our bed in the moonlight
Our bed when the moon was shining
And the night we fought
The night we had that big fight
You were so distraught
You were so upset
And the lies I denied
And the lies I refused to acknowledge
Even when you cried,
Even when you were crying
God knows I apologize,
I apologize from the bottom of my heart
Could you really be a bitch like that?
Were you really that awful to me?
Broke my door when you stole the cat
You broke my door when you took the cat
Someone said that you even laughed
Someone told me that you laughed about it
The rain goes, the sun returns
The rain stops and the sun comes back
You'd never go away
You promised you'd never leave
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KEVIN GRIFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind