In June 1998, McFadden auditioned for the new Irish male band (at the time), Westlife with Nicky Byrne and eventually both joined the group alongside Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan. McFadden left Westlife in March 2004 to spend more time with his family - he was married with two children to ex-Atomic Kitten's Kerry Katona - and to work on solo projects.
Following his departure from Westlife, McFadden released his debut solo album, Irish Son which peaked within the top 5 on both the Denmark and Ireland Albums Charts, and produced his first two No. 1 solo singles "Real to Me" in four European countries and also "Almost Here", a duet with his fiancée Delta Goodrem which gained a platinum accreditation in Australia. "Like Only a Woman Can", the lead single from his second album, Set in Stone (2008), became his third No. 1 single as a solo artist. In 2010, McFadden scored his fourth No. 1 with the hit single, "Just Say So" featuring American rapper, Kevin Rudolf and gained his second Australian platinum accreditation. The single received a nomination at the 2010 ARIA Music Awards for Most Popular Australian Single.
Following the release of "Just Say So", McFadden release his third studio album, Wall Of Soundz in Australia on 23 April, 2010. The album was originally going to be released as a side-project McFadden embarked on with American songwriter Rob Conley but both decided to release it as McFadden's third solo album. It debuted at No. 27 on the ARIA Albums Chart and spent only three weeks in the ARIA top 50. "Chemical Rush" was the second single released from the album in June 2010 and peaked at No. 12 on the charts. In September 2010, McFadden released the third single titled, "Mistakes", a duet with his fiancé Delta Goodrem.
On 25th February 2011, McFadden released a new single "Just The Way You Are (Drunk at the Bar)".
Mistakes
Brian McFadden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There you crawl with your head held high
Play the angel with the broken wings
Push my buttons and pull my strings
You keep talking me round
You keep talking me round, leave me senseless
You put words in my mouth
My first mistake was loving you
My worst mistake was giving you a second chance
'Cause you tore me up and you called it love, you made a fool out of me
My last mistake was thinking I won't make the same mistake again
Some people learn but they never live
They lost the fight so they just forgive
You see me reaching through an open flame
I feel alive when I'm burned again
You keep dragging me down, you keep dragging me down
I'm drowning in you
There's no hope for me now, there's no hope for me now
I should have walked away
My first mistake was loving you
My worst mistake was giving you a second chance
'Cause you tore me up and you called it love, you made a fool out of me
My last mistake was thinking I won't make the same mistake again
You say you're sorry but you don't cry
There you crawl with your head held high
My first mistake was loving you
My worst mistake was giving you a second chance
'Cause you tore me up and you called it love, you made a fool out of me
My first mistake was loving you
My worst mistake was giving you a second chance
'Cause you tore me up and you called it love, you made a fool out of me
My last mistake was thinking I won't make the same mistake again
The lyrics in Mistakes by Brian McFadden feat. Delta Goodrem talks about a relationship that has gone wrong. The opening lines express the pain and confusion the singer is feeling. Despite the person apologizing, they do not show genuine remorse, and they act as if it is not their fault. The use of the metaphor "angel with broken wings" describes how the person is manipulating the situation, and how they are pulling the singer's strings, causing them to behave in ways they would not otherwise.
The chorus of the song highlights the mistakes the singer has made in the relationship. The first mistake being loving the person; the worst mistake was giving them a second chance. The person has caused significant pain, leaving the singer feeling foolish for trusting them. The final mistake was thinking they would not make the same mistake again.
The song continues to convey a sense of hopelessness, with the singer feeling like they are drowning in the toxic relationship. The line "there's no hope for me now" suggests that the singer has reached a breaking point and needs to escape the situation. Despite this, the person keeps dragging them down and causing more pain.
In conclusion, the lyrics of Mistakes explore the complexities of a damaged relationship. It captures the feelings of heartbreak, betrayal, and the sense of being trapped in a cycle of abuse. The song highlights how challenging it is to leave a toxic relationship, even when the person knows it is wrong.
Line by Line Meaning
You say you're sorry but you don't cry
You apologize but you don't show remorse
There you crawl with your head held high
You act like you're innocent despite your wrongdoings
Play the angel with the broken wings
You pretend to be a victim despite your manipulative behavior
Push my buttons and pull my strings
You know how to manipulate me to serve your own interests
You keep talking me round
You keep convincing me to forgive you
You keep talking me round, leave me senseless
You use your words to confuse me and make me vulnerable
You put words in my mouth
You make me say things I don't mean by twisting my words
You put words in my mouth till I'm defenseless
You leave me unable to defend myself by manipulating what I say
My first mistake was loving you
I regret ever falling in love with you
My worst mistake was giving you a second chance
I made a huge mistake by letting you back into my life
'Cause you tore me up and you called it love, you made a fool out of me
You hurt me repeatedly and made me believe it was out of love, humiliating me in the process
My last mistake was thinking I won't make the same mistake again
My biggest mistake was assuming I had learned my lesson and wouldn't fall for your manipulations again
Some people learn but they never live
Some people gain knowledge but never put it into practice
They lost the fight so they just forgive
They gave up on the struggle to resist and simply forgive despite repeated wrongdoings
You see me reaching through an open flame
You witness me putting myself in danger despite knowing it's harmful
I feel alive when I'm burned again
I get a rush from engaging in self-destructive behavior, even though it's harmful
You keep dragging me down, you keep dragging me down
You constantly pull me into negative situations
I'm drowning in you
I am overwhelmed by my attachment to you, even though it's unhealthy
There's no hope for me now, there's no hope for me now
I am resigned to a future of unhappiness because of my connection to you
I should have walked away
I regret not leaving when I had the chance
Contributed by Liam I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.