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)".
Optimystik
Brian McFadden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the dark clouds are suddenly your best friend
When the ship goes down, we could bow from higher ground
Take comfort in tomorrow (cause there's a little something that does it for me)
So when life is a bitch
And your sex life really stinks
Well let's get Optimystik
When staring in the mirror
Can only bring us down
Oh just get Optimystik
And keep on laughing, and drinking and chasing the sun
With the bad times, are one step ahead of the good times
And a real friend gets harder and harder to find
You're either too fat or too thin, either way you can never win
Then take comfort in my sorrow (cause there's a little something that does it for me)
So when life is a bitch
And your sex life really stinks
Oh lets get Optimystik
And let's find our own kicks
When staring in the mirror
Can only bring us down
Oh just get Optimystik
And keep on laughing, and drinking and chasing the sun
Chasing the sun, chasing the sun....
You can't stop changing if you're still drunk and ya
Can't stop drinking it's far too much
You're in no mans land again
So let's just fly away
Let's just fly away, oh!
For when life is a bitch
And your sex life really stinks
Well let's get Optimystik
And let's find out whom kicks
When staring in the mirror
Can only bring us down
Well just get Optimystik
And keep on laughing, and drinking and chasing the sun
Chasing the sun, chasing the sun,
You gotta chase the sun... Oh oh oh!
(Chasing the sun)
The song "Optimystik" by Brian McFadden seems to be a motivational anthem for anyone going through a tough time. The lyrics talk about how sometimes life doesn't go the way we want it to and how we can feel defeated and stuck. The first verse describes how both good and bad times can come unexpectedly, and sometimes it feels like the bad times will never end. However, the chorus suggests that we should stay optimistic and positive even when things are going wrong. Instead of wallowing in our misery, we should try to find joy and pleasure in life and "keep on laughing, and drinking and chasing the sun."
The second verse highlights common insecurities people have about their physical appearance and how they are perceived by others. The lyrics suggest that we should give ourselves permission to not take ourselves too seriously and find happiness in the present moment. The bridge seems to be a call to action, to take control of one's life instead of being a victim to circumstance. The use of "Optimystik" as a made-up word seems to be an intentional choice to make the idea of optimism and positivity stand out and feel fresh.
Line by Line Meaning
When the sunshine can't bring a smile to your sad eyes
Even when things seem good, sometimes we can't find happiness.
And the dark clouds are suddenly your best friend
During tough times we lean towards negativity, even when it hurts us more.
When the ship goes down, we could bow from higher ground
When things go wrong, we can find a better perspective by keeping our heads up.
Take comfort in tomorrow (cause there's a little something that does it for me)
We need to find hope in the future and what it holds.
So when life is a bitch
When life gets tough,
And your sex life really stinks
And things seem bad in all aspects of life,
Well let's get Optimystik
We need to adopt a positive mindset to overcome the negativity.
And let's find our own kicks
We need to create our own happiness and seek out what brings us joy.
When staring in the mirror
When we become self-critical and think negatively about ourselves,
Can only bring us down
It only worsens our mood and outlook.
And keep on laughing, and drinking and chasing the sun
We need to keep ourselves happy and keep pursuing our own personal goals.
With the bad times, are one step ahead of the good times
During tough times, it seems like there's no end in sight.
And a real friend gets harder and harder to find
It's difficult to find someone who truly understands us and our problems.
You're either too fat or too thin, either way you can never win
We're always finding ways to criticize ourselves, regardless of the situation.
Then take comfort in my sorrow (cause there's a little something that does it for me)
We can find solace in knowing that others go through the same struggles as us.
Chasing the sun, chasing the sun....
We need to keep pursuing our goals and strive for better things in life.
You can't stop changing if you're still drunk and ya
We can't improve ourselves if we're blinded by our vices and addictions.
Can't stop drinking it's far too much
Our addictions can be difficult to overcome.
You're in no mans land again
We can feel lost and directionless when we become consumed by our addictions.
So let's just fly away
We should aim to escape our negativity and problems.
Let's just fly away, oh!
We shouldn't let our problems hold us back and prevent us from pursuing happiness.
And let's find out whom kicks
We can find joy in the simple things and what makes us happy.
You gotta chase the sun... Oh oh oh!
We need to keep pursuing happiness and not let our problems consume us.
Contributed by Anthony P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.