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.
Start A Fire
Black Lab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
allusions to our history
you can’t hide anymore
are you dissatisfied
with my second person songs
wishing for a girl to strike a match
and start a fire
start a fire
start a fire in my heart
have mercy baby
start a fire
start a fire
start a fire
you’re the one
and I used to be the place for you to run.
a sideways glance a fantasy I cling to.
I whisper to you while you sleep.
the mirrored lens the sun against your skin
and all the stupid stories that I spin.
may lightening strike and ...
start a fire
start a fire
start a fire in my heart
will you wait for me to
start a fire
start a fire
start a fire
you’re the one
I will always be the place for you to run.
we crash on heaven’s floor
a chain of generations in decay
as I hold this pose I try to concentrate
one thing at a time
broken by the outburst of a kiss
oh, perfection calls so
start a fire
yeah and let it go
a hidden world we never know where everything is new
I will wait for you to
start a fire
and make it grow in ways you will never know
well baby you’re the one
I will always be the place for you to run
start a fire
start a fire
I will always be the place for you to run
In "Start A Fire," Black Lab expresses a yearning for the passion and excitement that comes with a new relationship, something that has faded in their current one. The lyrics are an appeal to their partner to reignite the flames that were once present between them. The song begins with the singer noticing the lies and half-truths that have plagued their relationship and realizing that their partner can no longer hide behind them. They express their dissatisfaction with writing songs about their partner in the third person and wish for a girl to come and start a fire in their heart. The chorus repeats this request for their partner to bring the spark back into their relationship, with the acknowledgement that they used to be the place for them to run to when things got tough.
Line by Line Meaning
I can hear half-remembered lies
I am aware of untrue statements from the past
allusions to our history
References to events in our shared past
you can’t hide anymore
It is no longer possible for you to keep secrets
are you dissatisfied
Are you unhappy with our current situation?
with my second person songs
My songs that are directed toward someone else
wishing for a girl to strike a match
Desiring someone else to take initiative and make things happen
start a fire
Create something exciting and transformative
start a fire in my heart
Ignite passion within me
have mercy baby
Request for mercy or help
you’re the one
You are the most important person to me
and I used to be the place for you to run.
I was someone you relied on in the past
a sideways glance a fantasy I cling to.
A fleeting moment of romantic daydreaming
I whisper to you while you sleep.
Expressing affection when the person is unaware
the mirrored lens the sun against your skin
Reflective surfaces highlighting attractive features
and all the stupid stories that I spin.
The unrealistic stories I tell myself about us
may lightening strike and ...
An expression of surprise and wonder
will you wait for me to
Asking if the person will still be there for me
I will always be the place for you to run.
I will always be someone you can rely on
we crash on heaven’s floor
We experience intense love and passion
a chain of generations in decay
A reference to the breakdown of family ties
as I hold this pose I try to concentrate
Maintaining focus despite distractions
one thing at a time
Taking each step slowly and deliberately
broken by the outburst of a kiss
Being overcome by a moment of passion
oh, perfection calls so
Expressing a desire for perfect love
let it go
Allowing oneself to be consumed by passion
a hidden world we never know where everything is new
The excitement of experiencing something for the first time
and make it grow in ways you will never know
Letting love develop and flourish naturally
Contributed by Kylie S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.