In 1998, Paul Durham and his rock band, Black Lab, released their Geffen Records debut Your Body Above Me to critical acclaim. The album yielded the top 10 rock and alternative single "Wash it Away," and the top 40 ac and pop track "Time Ago."
Paul Durham grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho before moving to San Francisco to pursue his passion for musical invention. He recorded and toured with a group of friends under the moniker โDurham,โ and made an acoustic-based singer/songwriter record with celebrated jazz producer Lee Townsend. (now available at blacklabworld.com under the title Ten Million Years: songs from the nineteen nineties).
โDurhamโ split, but a deal with Geffen Records followed, a new band was built, and Black Lab's debut was tagged as "one of this year's breakout records" (Billboard). Hollywood called, and the band contributed songs to the soundtracks for Can't Hardly Wait, Varsity Blues, Permanent Midnight, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After a year of touring, Black Lab was poised to fulfill their destiny as "the American U2" (San Francisco Chronicle) when their record label was quickly shuttered. Over the next two years, Durham left his band, fired his manager and moved to LA. "In the end, all I had were my guitars and the songs I was writing." Durham wanted to control the sound around his voice, so he bought a computer and learned to use it. "I had to get back to how it was in high school -- just me and my four-track."
The resulting demos got Durham a new deal with Epic Records. "The first thing I did was buy a giant ProTools system." The only problem was, he didn't know how to install the software. On advice from a friend, Durham hired Andy Ellis to set up his studio. "So, we're sitting around waiting for the computer to reboot," remembers Durham, "And this guy picks up my guitar, without asking. I was cringing inside, afraid of what he would play. But he was great. I wanted to sing over the top of everything he played. Pretty soon, we were writing together."
At 23, Ellis was already an accomplished guitarist, keyboard player and programmer. He had been working as an assistant to some of the best engineers in the business and knew how to twiddle some serious knobs. Durham had found the missing link between what he heard in his head and what came out of the speakers. "Working with Andy is the first time collaboration has ever been easy," says Durham. "Instead of the whole hell-is-other-people thing, we have a blast just making sounds.
See the Sun has a depth and emotional range that broadens with each listen. Much of the album was mixed by Tom Lord-Alge (Live, Blink 182, Avril Lavigne). What shines brightest is the band's pop sensibility โ the liquid swirl of "Remember," the epic sweep of "See the Sun," the raging loss of "Without You," and the open-armed surrender of "Lonely Boy."
โLearn to Crawlโ was tapped as the fourth track on the platinum Spider-Man soundtrack. Produced by Durham and veteran mixer/producer Tom Lord-Alge, the song wraps an aggressive guitar riff around what Rolling Stone calls "Black Lab's tightly spun, highly melodic rock."
The title of "Ecstasy," a pulsing shadow that wakes to full rock glory, was inspired by Durham's experience recording: "The freedom to do what I wanted โ in the studio across the hall from my bedroom โ was amazing. I would get up late, go to the beach, then work until four or five in the morning. I got to record this album the same way I wrote it."
While See the Sun represents a zenith in Black Labโs songwriting and production, the band continues to push and expand its sound into uncharted territory, contributing a vicious techno track called โThis Bloodโ to the worldwide hit movie Blade : Trinity. Black Lab also continues to produce music for television (MTVโs Real World, โWhat I Like About You,โ โThe Daysโ) as well as the upcoming film Lovewrecked.
The third Black Lab album, entitled "Passion Leaves A Trace" was released on January 16th, 2007. Highlights include the majestic "Mine Again", the jet-black remorse of "This Night" (featured in the trailer for The Shield Season 6, and on the episode "Out of the Chute" of House), the hook-laden driving force that is "The Real You", and the achingly beautiful "Ghost In Your Mind".
All things Black Lab, including streaming and free downloads from the new and past albums, can be found at blacklabworld.com.
Ghost In Your Mind
Black Lab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were beautiful
A girl in a dress I could see through
And the colors that surround you
Like neon on the avenue
The people all around you were dust in my eyes
And I wanted to believe you
The lies that I could see through
Yeah, the ghost in your mind.
It's there in your eyes
There in your voice
But you're far away
You're far away
It's there in your eyes
There on your face
But you're far away
Far away
On a day like today I remember
How beautiful you could be to me
And the colors that surround you
Like a prince had come and found you
Picked you up and crowned you in the land of the blind
And I wanted to believe you
The lies that I could see through
But I never got between you and the ghost in your mind
Yeah, the ghost in your mind
The lyrics to Black Lab's song "Ghost In Your Mind" are harrowing and vulnerable, as they explore the singer's observations of a woman who is haunted by something in her past. The singer describes seeing the woman on a bus in a dream, and being struck by her beauty and the vibrant colors that surround her. However, the people around her are "dust in [his] eyes" as he fixates on her. He wants to believe her lies, but he can see through them. Despite this, he is unable to break through the barrier that separates her from the "ghost in [her] mind."
The haunting presence of this "ghost" is clear in the woman's eyes and voice, and the singer feels helpless to do anything about it. He remembers the beauty she was capable of, and how she was like a princess when surrounded by the right colors. However, he is painfully aware that he never "got between [her] and the ghost in [her] mind." The repetition of the phrase "you're far away" emphasizes the distance between the singer and the woman, as well as the distance between the woman and her own happiness.
Overall, "Ghost In Your Mind" is a poignant exploration of mental health and the ways in which our pasts can continue to haunt us. The singer is unable to save the woman, but his empathy and understanding of her struggle is clear.
Line by Line Meaning
On a bus in a dream I saw you
In my subconscious mind, I saw you on a bus
You were beautiful
I perceived you as aesthetically pleasing
A girl in a dress I could see through
I could see through your dress
And the colors that surround you
The hues around you
Like neon on the avenue
As brightly as neon on a busy street
The people all around you were dust in my eyes
The individuals around you were insignificant in my perception
And I wanted to believe you
I desired to accept what you said or did as true
The lies that I could see through
The falsehoods for which I comprehended the reality
But I never got between you and the ghost in your mind
But I never came in-between you and your inner thought or feeling that haunts you
It's there in your eyes
It's evident in your gaze
There in your voice
It's evident in the way you speak
But you're far away
However, you are distant
It's there in your eyes
It's evident in your gaze
There on your face
It's evident on your countenance
But you're far away
However, you are distant
On a day like today I remember
On a day comparable to today, I recollect
How beautiful you could be to me
How remarkably attractive you could be to me
And the colors that surround you
And the hues around you
Like a prince had come and found you
As if a prince arrived and discovered you
Picked you up and crowned you in the land of the blind
Carried you and adjudged you in a place where people are unable to see
But I never got between you and the ghost in your mind
But I never came in-between you and your inner thought or feeling that haunts you
Yeah, the ghost in your mind
Yes, the inner thoughts or feeling that torments you
Contributed by Tristan O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Peek-a-boo!
On a bus in a dream I saw you
You were beautiful
A girl in a dress I could see through
And the colors that surround you
Like neon on the avenue
The people all around you were dust in my eyes
And I wanted to believe you
The lies that I could see through
But I never got between you and the ghost in your mind
Yeah, the ghost in your mind.
It's there in your eyes
There in your voice
But you're far away
You're far away
It's there in your eyes
There on your face
But you're far away
Far away
On a day like today I remember
How beautiful you could be to me
And the colors that surround you
Like a prince had come and found you
Picked you up and crowned you in the land of the blind
And I wanted to believe you
The lies that I could see through
But I never got between you and the ghost in your mind
Yeah, the ghost in your mind
Silent Whisperz
One thing for sure.. this band doesn't put out garbage.. he has a way about him.. that makes me "feel" every single word..
MadCap Laughs
I've felt that way about his music since 97, I feel ya. Him and Andy really make such touching music
jay Music
Oh my God I just discovered this band like 3 hours ago. Why in the hell aren't these guys known on a larger scale? I just get goosebumps when I hear this music!!!!!!!!!!
MurariPOV
These guys are so underrated that's its on a whole another level of underrated
Rusty Russell
Just me or is this the greatest band of all time?
Turquoise Moon
The greatest are the most underrated. It makes me sad. :(
WendiWhat?
The greatest, most generous and kind. โค
Jessica Borel
Love this song. ย I can truly say this band is in my very tip top favorite bands ever. ย
Amanda Louise Colares Menezes
Mรบsica linda ๐
Vim pela versรฃo do Feel Kim โค๏ธ
BernardChelgren
Black Lab is one of the greatest bands ever.