Shine On, Dexter Freebish’s first full length album in over six years, explores new sonic territory and builds on the hook laden songs of previous releases. While creating Shine On, the band was inspired by 808 drum machines, beat up synths, and their I-phone apps. Produced by The Singularity, the album ranges from the dance, heavy beat influenced “Wide Awake,” to the rock anthem “Do You Want To.” They also collaborated with Greg Wells (Katy Perry, One Republic) on the song “Save the Last Dance.”
Dexter Freebish acknowledges the power of predestination and how it had a hand in them becoming a band. “I was just looking in the Austin Chronicle and had never been in a band or called an ad,” recalls lead singer Kyle. “At the time I wasn’t really a singer except for in school chorus, though I kept notebooks of lyrics. I saw an ad that read: “Singer Wanted. Influences Bono and Sting,” and I said, “what the heck and called, and because of reading the ad I met Chris Lowe (bass, keyboards, programming) and Scott Romig (guitars, programming) and Rob Schilz (drums.) It was the first ad I ever called and it’s still the only band I’ve ever been in.”
Their determination led to “Leaving Town,” Dexter Freebish’s 1999 John Lennon Songwriting Contest Song of the Year (picked from 27,000 entries), which led to a record deal with Capitol Records for the band’s 2000 full-length debut A Life of Saturdays. After exuberantly received radio play (for “Leaving Town” and “My Madonna”), heavy video play on VH1 and MTV2, and enthusiastic tours both domestic and abroad, Dexter Freebish and Capitol Records experienced a regime change that would not allow the band to obtain the attention they deserved and both parties decided to part ways.
This set-back proved to strengthen Dexter Freebish’s resolve, and the believed this was fate’s way of telling them to independently release their 2004 sophomore album, Tripped Into Divine. Pressed by producer Matthew Wilder (No Doubt) Tripped Into Divine bridged the gap between the wide-eyed wonder of unbridled youth and the contemplative fortitude of experience. The single on this album was the fan-favorite, “Prozak,” which went on to win Rock Song of the Year in 2004 in the John Lennon Songwriting contest.
After touring the world to promote Tripped Into Divine, the band decided to go on permanent hiatus in 2005. “We all needed to do other things for a while,” says Lowe. He adds, “We never officially broke up and have all remained friends. But I can honestly say, there was never any hint that we would ever put out another Dexter Freebish record. We were pretty much done.”
In early 2008, the band decided, on a whim, to play a couple of shows throughout Texas. “It just felt right playing together again,” says Romig. “Soon after that, we started writing and recording some new songs.” One of those new songs captured the attention of Electronic Arts, garnering the band’s song “The Other Side,” a spot in the Sims 3 video game.
Steve Schnur, President of Electronic Art’s Publishing Company, Artwerk, comments, “I was in awe of the talent that Dexter Freebish exemplified when I first signed them to a record deal and these feelings have not changed. Ten years ago, I signed them to Capitol Records because of their incredible songwriting and performance abilities and ten years later I’m still working with them for the exact same reasons. The songs that they write are timeless.”
Lowe comments, “It’s crazy to look back to the days when we were on Capitol and how much money the labels would waste to record albums. With modern technology, it is so much easier and cheaper to record an album these days.” Romig adds, “We laugh because recording and mixing this new album cost less than 1/2% of our budget for the albums we made on Capitol. This is a great thing for independent artists and brings power to the people.”
No One Knows
Dexter Freebish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the world around me comes crumbling down
I'm picking up the pieces of the life that she left behind
I've got a million of her lies swimming in my head
And a million reasons why I wish we never met
Cause everyone believed our love was true
And didn't see the pain that I went through
She crushed my heart; she broke it with a hammer
No one knows
All the things I've done to try to understand her
No one knows
I've died a thousand deaths ever since she left me there
Yeah she left me there
'Cause she didn't care
I've been stuck here in my room going crazy by myself
And I'm setting fire to your pictures on the shelf
I know I should have thrown them all out a long time ago
Well I've never been a man that lives with regret
I forget to live and I live to forget
How everyone believed our love was true
And didn't see the pain that I went through
No one knows
She crushed my heart; she broke it with a hammer
No one knows
All the things I've done to try to understand her
No one knows
I've died a thousand deaths ever since she left me there
Everybody thought that we were doing fine
But deep inside we were doing time
And in the end she ran off with my soul
Sometimes it's hard to say good-bye
I gave her everything; she took my pride
And now I don't know where I'm gonna go
No one knows
Crush my heart; she broke it with a hammer
No one knows
All the things I've done to try to understand her
No one knows
I've died a thousand deaths ever since she left me there
The song "No One Knows" by Dexter Freebish is an emotional ballad about heartbreak, betrayal, and the struggle to move on from a toxic relationship. The opening lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the lyrics, "It's been one of those days when the sky falls down/And the world around me comes crumbling down." This imagery paints a picture of the singer feeling powerless and alone.
The lyrics go on to describe the aftermath of a failed relationship, with the singer "picking up the pieces" of their life after their partner leaves. They are haunted by memories of the past and wish they had never met their ex-lover. The chorus repeats the phrase "No one knows" multiple times, emphasizing the singer's isolation and inability to fully express the pain they are feeling.
The bridge of the song adds another layer of complexity to the story, as it reveals that on the surface, their relationship appeared to be going well. However, behind closed doors, they were both suffering. The ex-partner betrayed the singer and took their self-worth, leaving them feeling lost and unsure of their future.
Overall, "No One Knows" is a powerful song about the agony of heartbreak and the struggle to move on. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a person grappling with the aftermath of a failed relationship and the scars it leaves behind.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been one of those days when the sky falls down
Everything has gone wrong today
And the world around me comes crumbling down
I feel like my life is falling apart
I'm picking up the pieces of the life that she left behind
I'm trying to deal with the aftermath of our breakup
I've got a million of her lies swimming in my head
I can't stop thinking about all the lies she told me
And a million reasons why I wish we never met
I regret ever getting involved with her
Cause everyone believed our love was true
We seemed like the perfect couple to everyone else
And didn't see the pain that I went through
No one else understands how much she hurt me
No one knows
I'm keeping my pain to myself
She crushed my heart; she broke it with a hammer
She destroyed me emotionally
All the things I've done to try to understand her
I've tried to make sense of her actions
I've died a thousand deaths ever since she left me there
I've been in unbearable pain since she left
'Cause she didn't care
She didn't care about how her actions affected me
I've been stuck here in my room going crazy by myself
I've been isolating myself and struggling to cope
And I'm setting fire to your pictures on the shelf
I'm trying to let go of my attachment to her
I know I should have thrown them all out a long time ago
I've been holding onto these things for too long
Well I've never been a man that lives with regret
I don't usually dwell on the past
I forget to live and I live to forget
I'm struggling to move on
Everybody thought that we were doing fine
No one realized how much we were struggling
But deep inside we were doing time
Our relationship was a prison for both of us
And in the end she ran off with my soul
She took everything from me, emotionally and spiritually
Sometimes it's hard to say good-bye
It's difficult to let go of someone you used to love
I gave her everything; she took my pride
She took everything from me and left me feeling empty
And now I don't know where I'm gonna go
I'm lost without her
Lyrics © BARBARA SCHWARTZ MUSIC
Written by: ERNEST MARESCA, KEN HECHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind