Black Lab is a rock band which formed in 1995 in Berkeley, California, Unit… Read Full Bio ↴Black Lab is a rock band which formed in 1995 in Berkeley, California, United States. The band is lead by Paul Durham (vocals, guitar), who has been the only constant member of the band. The only other official member is Andy Ellis (keyboards, guitar), who has been in the band since 2000.

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.

Wide Open Space
Black Lab Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sleeping on your doorstep is killing me
I was king of the world now it's killing me
Can you lift me up somehow
Show me what I'm feeling now

[Chorus]
In this wide open space
On these wide open faces

In your wide open eyes
I can see
See you all around me

Get myself an island on the sea
Get myself a jetplane to carry me
Can you lift me up somehow
Show me what I'm feeling now

[Chorus]
In this wide open space
On these wide open faces
In your wide open eyes
I can see
See you all around me

I believe in luck
I believe in fate
I believe that love will find a way

I believe in luck
I believe in fate
I believe that love will find

[Chorus]
In this wide open space
On these wide open faces
In your wide open eyes
I can see
See you all around me

I believe in luck
I believe in fate
I believe that love will find a way

I believe in luck

I believe in fate
I believe that love will find a way

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in the song "Wide Open Space" by Black Lab explore themes of loneliness, hope, and the search for love. The opening line of the first verse, "Sleeping on your doorstep is killing me," suggests the singer is in a state of despair and feels like they have lost everything. The following line, "I was king of the world now it's killing me," implies that the singer was successful at some point, but now feels lost and powerless. The chorus's repetition of "wide open space" may represent the emptiness the singer feels inside and the vast space they're experiencing.

The singer turns to the idea of finding an island and a jet plane to help them escape their situation. However, they know this is not enough, so they ask if someone can lift them up and show them how to feel again. The third verse shows a glimmer of hope as the singer expresses their belief in luck, fate, and love. The repetition of this verse and the chorus reinforces the idea that the singer believes in a brighter future.

Overall, "Wide Open Space" is a powerful and emotional song that speaks to the human condition of hope and despair, searching for meaning, and believing in love's potential to help us through tough times.

Line by Line Meaning

Sleeping on your doorstep is killing me
Being close to you but unable to be with you is causing me great pain

I was king of the world now it's killing me
I used to feel powerful and in control, but now I feel powerless and my emotions are overwhelming me

Can you lift me up somehow
I need your help to feel better and find a way out of my despair

Show me what I'm feeling now
I am struggling to understand my emotions, and I need you to help me make sense of them

In this wide open space
The world feels vast and empty without you

On these wide open faces
The people around me are strangers, and I feel alone

In your wide open eyes
When I see you, I feel connected and understood

I can see
Your presence gives me clarity and hope

Get myself an island on the sea
I wish for isolation and a way to escape my pain

Get myself a jetplane to carry me
I wish for a fast mode of transportation to take me away from this place and my problems

I believe in luck
I have faith that things will work out for me