Chris recorded his first album, The Swiss Army Romance, in 2000. The following year, he recorded Further Seems Forever's debut album The Moon Is Down. However, he left the band soon after the album's release, instead recording and releasing his sophomore album The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, as well as a follow-up EP titled So Impossible.
By 2002, three other musicians had joined the band, including former Further Seems Forever band mate Jerry Castellanos and started the process of recording the band's next album. After the success of his second album, Carrabba was asked to perform on MTV Unplugged, and the subsequent release marked the first time many of the songs were recorded with a full band.
Also in 2002, the music video for "Screaming Infidelities" won the coveted MTV2 award at the MTV Video Music Awards, beating out Norah Jones, The Strokes, The Hives, Nappy Roots and Musiq. This video starred Chris in both the performance and the storyline. The video was directed by Maureen Egan and Matthew Barry.
In 2003, the band released its third album A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar. Peaking at #2 on the United States Billboard charts, the album proved to be the band's most commercially-viable album yet. In the summer of 2004, Dashboard Confessional recorded the song "Vindicated" for the film Spider-Man 2. The song was featured on the soundtrack and played over the film's end credits. Because of this, the band gained a sizable audience for their next release the following summer.
In May of 2005, Dashboard Confessional entered the studio to record their fourth album with acclaimed producer, Daniel Lanois. The album was released on June 27, 2006; its first single was "Don't Wait". Following the release of Dusk and Summer, Dashboard Confessional went on a summer tour of the U.S. with special guests Say Anything and Ben Lee, followed by a co-headlining arena tour with alternative rock band Brand New.
In 2007, the band released its follow-up to Dusk and Summer, The Shade of Poison Trees.
During an interview with Billboard posted on September 11, 2007, Carrabba stated that he is 14 tracks into what would be the band's sixth studio album. He is also unsure about when it would be recorded, but plans to have 30 tracks to draw from. It may be a concept album: "only with the last three has it become, like, 'All right, these have a continuity and there's something going on,' so I'm excited to see where that leads".
The album, titled 'Alter The Ending', was released November 10 2009 (US). A two disc version of the album is available. In this edition, the first disc consists of full band workings of the twelve tracks while the second disc features acoustic versions akin to the first two Dashboard Confessional albums.
Hey Girl
Dashboard Confessional Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That makes me with
That I was smart enough for you.
Hey girl, you've got a fine laugh,
And I think that I could get used to that.
And you're already used to laughing at me.
I wasn't trying to impress those girls anyway.
They're all theory, no action,
And where I'm from we live
Like it's the latest attraction.
Hey girl, you've got a short fuse
And I've got designs on lighting you up,
And setting you off,
And watching you burn for me.
The world lives for the weekend.
Well, I'll watch as my weeks
Bleed right into them.
Without a line to divide what is theirs
And what is mine.
Well, so what if your friends think I'm crazy.
I wasn't trying to impress those girls anyway.
They're all theory, no action,
And where I'm from we live
Like it's the latest attraction.
Go on, go on, your cruel intentions
Won't solve your problems,
Everyone's gotta get bottom
Bottomed out in the long run
And those are the times you need love.
Dashboard Confessional's song "Hey Girl" reflects on the singer's admiration for a girl who has a "smart way" about her. He feels inadequate and wishes he was "smart enough" for her. He also appreciates her laughter, noting that he could get used to it, despite her being accustomed to laughing at him. The singer admits that he doesn't care what her friends think of him because he wasn't trying to impress them anyway. He shares that he comes from a place where people live in the moment, with a focus on enjoying life to the fullest.
Furthermore, he describes his attraction to her and her "short fuse," indicating that he is interested in setting her off and burning for him. He then compares his lifestyle to the typical weekend lifestyle of others, focusing on the idea that he always lives in the moment, without a division between his life and others'. The singer then notes that regardless of what opinions people hold about him, including her friends, everyone needs love at some point in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey girl, you've got a smart way about you
You have a clever and noticeable demeanor that makes me wish I was intelligent enough for you.
That makes me with That I was smart enough for you.
Your intelligence is so attractive to me that I feel like I don't match up to your standards.
Hey girl, you've got a fine laugh,
You have a beautiful and delightful laugh that I could easily grow accustomed to.
And I think that I could get used to that.
I am keen on hearing your pleasant laugh and could easily appreciate it and want more of it.
And you're already used to laughing at me.
You have been accustomed to laughing at me, probably because I come across as humorous, although unintentionally.
Well, so what if your friends think I'm crazy.
I don't care if your friends consider me insane or peculiar.
I wasn't trying to impress those girls anyway.
I was never making an attempt to appeal to those girls.
They're all theory, no action,
Those girls are all talk, but no action to prove themselves.
And where I'm from we live Like it's the latest attraction.
In my community, we live life as though we are the newest place to visit, meaning we lead an exciting and enjoyable lifestyle.
Hey girl, you've got a short fuse
You have a quick temper that could easily be ignited.
And I've got designs on lighting you up,
I have plans to intentionally serve as the cause of your emotional explosion.
And setting you off,
Making you angry or agitated to the point of lashing out.
And watching you burn for me.
Observing you go off and give me the emotional response that I intended to elicit.
The world lives for the weekend.
The vast majority of individuals chiefly anticipate the weekend.
Well, I'll watch as my weeks Bleed right into them.
I'll see my workdays taper into the weekend as they become one marshalled continuum.
Without a line to divide what is theirs And what is mine.
There's no clear boundary to delineate what is their activity and what is mine.
Go on, go on, your cruel intentions
Proceed with your malicious intentions.
Won't solve your problems,
Your ruthless actions won't offer any resolution to your issues.
Everyone's gotta get bottom Bottomed out in the long run
Every person ultimately faces the lowest point of their life.
And those are the times you need love.
That's when you require emotions like love and care the most.
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER ANDREW CARRABBA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ronzel
this brings me back... timeless songs, truly a great band.
Drewby
what a phenomenally produced recording. the mixing on this song is amazing. everything comes together perfectly.
Dressed In Black N Blue
Mike Marsh is fucking pro on drums
Stephanie Butler
This actually works i tried it! 1: think of your crush 2:Make a heart with your hands 3:Then kiss your hands while making the heart 4:Then put your heart where your real heart is 5:This will only work if you post it on your favorite love song///Tomorrow your crush will kiss you or ask you out
Ashley
Classic dashboard.
twizzle1919
FUCKING SICK!
MrJ24
so cool
Maicky0613
why havent put this song in Rock Band 2?
twizzle1919
BOOM
Risden
I mean really? emmmooooooo