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.
Keep Myself Awake
Black Lab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have this dream at night almost every night
I've been dreaming it forever it's easy to remember it
It's always cold it's always day you're always here you always say
I'm all right I'll be ok if I can keep myself awake
I get up early I look around me I can't help but wonder what you mean
It's always cold it's always day you're always here you always say
I'm all right I'll be ok if I can keep myself awake
I get up early I look around me I'm buying coffee by the pound
But when I'm sleeping I'm so deep in it I can't keep myself awake
The song "Keep Myself Awake" by Black Lab is a soulful and introspective track. The lyrics convey a feeling of helplessness and frustration as the singer struggles to articulate what's troubling them, even in their own dreams. The singer expresses their struggle but cannot find the words or strength to admit it, and it seems that their only solace is in staying awake.
The dream that the singer has every night is always the same, and the vivid nature of it makes it so much more real to them than their everyday reality. In this dream, the singer is always cold and it's always daytime. But what's most important is that the person they care about is always there, offering them reassurance and telling them that everything will be alright. The singer wants desperately to believe them but knows deep down that the problems they face won't just go away on their own. The chorus of the song brings forth the theme that if they can just stay awake, they can fight the struggles they have ahead of them.
The lyrics of this song convey a feeling of quiet desperation, perfectly complemented by the slow and melancholic instrumentation. The song provides an evocative picture of a troubled soul looking for solace and trying to keep the deep-seated issues of their life at bay by staying awake. In a way, the song speaks to the human condition, where we're all struggling with our own problems, trying to keep our head above water.
Line by Line Meaning
I hate to talk like this I hate to act as if there's something wrong that I can't say
I don't want to sound negative, but there are things bothering me that I can't express.
I have this dream at night almost every night
I tend to have a recurring dream frequently during my sleep.
I've been dreaming it forever it's easy to remember it
I've been dreaming about this for a long time, and I can recall it well.
It's always cold it's always day you're always here you always say
In the dream, the environment is consistently chilling, and you are always present and vocal.
I'm all right I'll be ok if I can keep myself awake
If I can manage to stay alert, I'll be capable of managing the things that trouble me.
I get up early I look around me I can't help but wonder what you mean
Upon waking up, I assess my surroundings and contemplate the purpose of your appearance.
Cos when I'm sleeping I'm so deep in it so much more real to me closer than reality
As I drift into slumber, I'm immersed deeply into the dream, rendering it more tangible to me than actuality.
I'm buying coffee by the pound
In reality, I go about my daily routine, like buying coffee.
But when I'm sleeping I'm so deep in it I can't keep myself awake
However, when I'm asleep, I get too engrossed and can't wake myself out of it.
Contributed by Mateo F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Pamela Giddings
I will always adore this song and the album for the Buffy soundtrack in general ๐ฏ
Adriano Granda
Sooo truth
Alaskan Soldier
2022 and still love this song and this show!
Sam Houghton
Probably the most important song of my life to date. It became associated with the "keep on going" vibe when I was severely depressed in my late teens and early twenties. I still go back to it, and Black Lab generally, in those dark lonely moments when we wonder if its really worth it. Peace xx
T G
I heard this song when I was like 12 or 13. I'm almost 36. I still love it.
Stephen Le-surf
53, saved me, don't ask ๐คซhang on ๐ทstay safe!
David Michael
Oh my god going through this album is so fucking nostalgic I canโt even stand it lol. Buffy still high key one of the best shows of all time.
Tripp Douglas
A tip : you can watch series on KaldroStream. Been using them for watching all kinds of movies recently.
Ira Esteban
@Tripp Douglas Definitely, have been watching on kaldrostream for since november myself :)
Briar Immanuel
@Tripp Douglas definitely, been watching on Kaldrostream for since november myself :)