A year ago, Pharrell's auspicious blessing was only a dream for D.A. Wallach and Maxwell Drummey, both 21-year old Harvard seniors at the time. But when their demo found its way to Kanye West last December, Chester French quickly became one of the most hotly pursued new artists of the decade, attracting offers from Kanye, Jermaine Dupri, Pharrell and Jimmy Iovine. That same demo has become the basis for what will surely be the most talked about debut record of 2008.
Tentatively titled Love the Future, the album was written, arranged, produced and engineered entirely by D.A. and Max in their dorm's basement. Full of intricately imagined pop songs that fuse lush string arrangements with modern beats, it is the product of lifetimes of music making and listening.
D.A. was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has been a performer for as long as he can remember. His interests have shifted over time from magic to politics, comedy and drumming -- and finally to singing, songwriting and producing. Max is the product of Boston, Massachusetts and a strong musical upbringing, beginning classical piano lessons at three, studying jazz guitar, jazz and classical composition through high school, picking up further instrumental skills, and finally settling on pop music in college. While D.A. sings lead vocals and Max scores and plays the majority of instruments for Chester French, they work collaboratively on every detail from the first note to the final mix.
The two first met in their freshman year dining hall at Harvard. Along with three friends they formed the first incarnation of Chester French and the quintet quickly cut its teeth playing shows around campus and at Boston bars. At the end of the year, they won a local battle of the bands and, with only two days and $300 to spend, cut a five song EP aptly titled Chester French's First Love.
When school let out, D.A. and Max stayed in Cambridge for the summer, selling copies of the EP on the street by day and writing new songs by night. In their free time, they became engineers at the on-campus recording studio and became fascinated by record production. As they began to master the intricacies of recording, their energies solidified around a common goal: to try to create a classic album in the studio.
As a duo, Chester French worked for three years on Love the Future, making money on the side by engineering recording sessions for Boston area instrumentalists, rappers, and other bands. Finally, in May of 2007, D.A. and Max completed their recording and their degrees, in African American Studies and Social Anthropology, respectively.
Now based out of L.A., Chester French is putting the finishing touches on its epic first offering. Get ready to Love the Future.
C'mon
Chester French Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Show me cars tell me all about the stars you used to play (uh huh)
You wanna run it all
So you can really ball
But you should never try to walk until you learn to crawl
Don?t wanna hold your hand
Just wanna be a man
But I don?t think you understand
(C'mon)
No no no don?t you tell me what to do
Cause I'm going on my own
Yeah I'm going on my own
And baby no no no don?t you tell me what to say
Cause I'm going on my own
Well I'm going on my own
Everytime that you get me on the line its all the same (uh huh)
Porn star tale got a condo out in ?.. you own the game (uh huh)
You wanna run it all
So you can really ball
But you should never try to walk until you learn to crawl
Don?t wanna hold your hand
Just wanna be a man
But I don?t think you understand
(c'mon)
No no no don?t you tell me what to do
Cause I'm going on my own
Yeah I'm goin on my own
And baby no no no don?t you tell me what to say
Cause I'm going on my own
Well I'm going on my own
Oh no
Don?t you tell me that you get me pay
Valley kicks and a seat okay
Oh ill be living the life
And oh no
Don?t you tell me that you got big plans
Mother fucker, this is in my hands
And ill be calling the shots
(uh uh)
You wanna run it all
So you can really ball
But you should never try to walk until you learn to crawl (crawl)
Don?t wanna hold your hand
Just wanna be a man
But I don?t think you understand
No no no don?t you tell me what to do
Cause I'm going on my own
Yeah I'm going on my own
And baby no no no don?t you tell me what to say
Cause I'm going on my own
Well I'm going on my own
The lyrics to Chester French's "C'mon" delve into themes of independence, self-reliance, and the pressure of fame. The song opens with a declaration of success and how everyone wants a piece of it. The song's narrator speaks to someone who's trying to manage the singer's career and influence them, to which he responds "Don't wanna hold your hand, just wanna be a man" emphasizing his desire for autonomy.
Throughout the song, the singer stresses the importance of learning to crawl before walking, a metaphor for taking a considered approach to success. The chorus, "No no no, don't you tell me what to do / 'Cause I'm going on my own," is a defiant assertion that the singer will chart his own course despite external pressures.
Line by Line Meaning
Everyone want to get a piece of what I got today (uh huh)
People are interested in what I have going on in my life
Show me cars tell me all about the stars you used to play (uh huh)
You try to impress me by telling me about your past accomplishments and possessions
You wanna run it all
So you can really ball
But you should never try to walk until you learn to crawl
You want to have control of everything, but you need to learn how to take small steps and not rush into things
Don?t wanna hold your hand
Just wanna be a man
But I don?t think you understand
I don't want you to guide me through things, I want to take charge, but you don't seem to grasp that idea
No no no don?t you tell me what to do
Cause I'm going on my own
Yeah I'm going on my own
And baby no no no don?t you tell me what to say
Cause I'm going on my own
Well I'm going on my own
I don't need your advice or opinions, I'm going to do this on my own and make my own decisions
Everytime that you get me on the line its all the same (uh huh)
Porn star tale got a condo out in ?.. you own the game (uh huh)
Every time we talk, you tell me the same stories about your glamorous lifestyle, including your own property and conquests
Oh no
Don?t you tell me that you get me pay
Valley kicks and a seat okay
Oh ill be living the life
I'm not going to let you persuade me with money and flashy possessions. I'm going to live the life I choose
And oh no
Don?t you tell me that you got big plans
Mother fucker, this is in my hands
And ill be calling the shots
I don't want to hear about your supposed great ideas, because I'm the one in control of my own future
uh uh
You wanna run it all
So you can really ball
But you should never try to walk until you learn to crawl (crawl)
Don?t wanna hold your hand
Just wanna be a man
But I don?t think you understand
Again, you want to have complete control of everything, but you need to start small and not rely on others to guide you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: David Andrew Wallach, Maxwell C. Drummey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maureen Gouldmann
i'm speechless, i love this song they are awsome
jas s
so underrated!
xlondonlove14x
i listen to this song at least 5 times a day. i'm obsessed with d.w. and max.
No Access
i loveeee this song so much <3
Leslie Brenes
yesterday i found out i had this song on the iPod.. and i jus loved it! Want to play this on the piano! but i just don't found any tutorial and my ear does not find the correct chords ARrG!
Jennifer James
wow!!!
Jason F
check out Pance Party remix as the synth element really adds to it IMO
Robert Donahoo
A little bit of Randy Newman's "I Love L.A." in this tune.
jcychick
amen
SlimTruth
<3 chester french @iamslimtruth