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 “Durham,” 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).
“Durham” 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 – 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."
“Learn to Crawl” 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 – in the studio across the hall from my bedroom – 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 Lab’s songwriting and production, the band continues to push and expand its sound into uncharted territory, contributing a vicious techno track called “This Blood” to the worldwide hit movie Blade : Trinity. Black Lab also continues to produce music for television (MTV’s Real World, “What I Like About You,” “The Days”) 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.
Lucky
Black Lab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
can you tell that things ain't going my way?
can you tell that the world is coming down on me?
you know I can't stand ending up in second place.
I need to feel your hands all over my face.
I want to be the ground you walk on and the air you breathe.
hey now look away now.
I wanna know do you feel lucky today?
hey now look away now.
I wanna know your luck is raining down on me.
come on.
raining down on me.
come on.
oh the odds are long but I got money to burn.
my hands may shake but my offer is firm.
come on baby give me one more chance.
because I'm all messed up I got no where to go.
I've got the best stone luck but it just won't hold.
I need to feel your arms around me when I crash.
hey now look away now.
I wanna know do you feel lucky today?
come on.
hey now look away now.
I wanna know your luck is raining down on me.
raining down on me.
come on.
raining down on me.
hey now look away now.
I wanna know do you feel lucky today?
come on.
hey now look away now.
I wanna know your luck is raining down on me.
In Black Lab's song "Lucky," the lyrics convey a deep sense of desperation and longing for someone to bring luck into the singer's life. The opening lyrics, "can you tell that I feel unlucky today? can you tell that things ain't going my way? can you tell that the world is coming down on me?" sets the tone for the rest of the song, where the singer laments about their bad luck and their desperate need for something or someone to turn their fortunes around.
The lyrics also reveal the singer's deep yearning for connection and affection with lines like "I need to feel your hands all over my face" and "I need to feel your arms around me when I crash." The singer feels like they have nowhere to turn, and they're hoping that the person they're addressing will be the one to rescue them from their misfortune.
The chorus of the song is an invitation to the person the singer is addressing to share their luck with them. "Hey now look away now. I wanna know do you feel lucky today? come on. hey now look away now. I wanna know your luck is raining down on me." The singer is desperately hoping that this person will give them a chance and bring some good luck into their life.
Line by Line Meaning
can you tell that I feel unlucky today?
I am having a bad day and feeling down.
can you tell that things ain't going my way?
My life isn't going as planned and I am encountering difficulties.
can you tell that the world is coming down on me?
I feel like the whole world is against me and I am overwhelmed.
you know I can't stand ending up in second place.
I strive for success and do not like to settle for second best.
I need to feel your hands all over my face.
I desire physical affection and closeness with you.
I want to be the ground you walk on and the air you breathe.
I want to be the most important person in your life and provide everything you need.
hey now look away now.
Pay attention to me and what I am about to say.
I wanna know do you feel lucky today?
Do you feel like things are going your way and you have good fortune?
come on.
Encouraging the other person to respond or take action.
I wanna know your luck is raining down on me.
I want to share in your good fortune and hope that it will benefit me too.
raining down on me.
Expressing a wish for good fortune to come my way.
oh the odds are long but I got money to burn.
Even though the probability of success is low, I am willing to take a risk and spend money on it.
my hands may shake but my offer is firm.
I may be nervous or uncertain, but I am confident in what I am offering.
come on baby give me one more chance.
Pleading for another opportunity to prove myself or succeed.
because I'm all messed up I got no where to go.
I am lost and have no direction or purpose.
I've got the best stone luck but it just won't hold.
I believe I have good luck, but it has not been consistent or sustainable.
I need to feel your arms around me when I crash.
I need emotional support and comfort from you when things go wrong.
Contributed by Emily W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lex60
My dog is a pit/lab mix too and yes, she was very hyperactive in her young years, but she has been always a very gentle well behaved dog, especially with kids.
DoubleBindsSkyper
Same
MM177
Same
D LeBlanc
Might not be Lab Pit
Could be Lab Stratshire bull terrier
People confuse them often.
Al Cap0ne
Do they bite?
nadia poole
My girl Zoey is a pit/black lab mix and she looks and acts exactly like this. I don't even know why I'm still surprised by how strong she is it's crazy. And at 5 months she never runs out of energy but she is the sweetest girl I ever knew. I have 3 dogs and I absolutely love them but Zoey is my baby baby. She was never needy for affection until we got more dogs and now if I hug one of them she needs a hug too and it's the cutest thing.
dyl.n
My lab/pit rescue puppy is about 6 months old now and exactly the same way. Absolutely as sweet as can be! Great with other pets abd has an amazing nose.
RaceyTray
I have the same kind of dog and when she goes to doggie day camp she only gets a few 15-minute increments throughout the day because her energy level grows exponentially the more she’s allowed to play. If it weren’t for the head collar, she’d pull my arm out of the socket on every single walk.
Unelected
Such a beautiful looking dog how can someone give him up 😱
Doctor Love
Prolly because they can’t train him