In November 2004 Five Times August’s song “Better With You” was featured in MTV’s hit show Laguna Beach. The series’ music supervisor had found the song at random via online web portal CDBaby.com. By the end of the year that exposure had snowballed into an underground following for the one-man band, catapulting Myspace listens and iTunes sales. By Spring ’06 Five Times August was a national touring artist, performing solo acoustic shows across the country (to date FTA has performed in 43 of the 50 states). More song placements soon followed, with features on networks ranging from The CW and MTV to ABC, FOX and Lifetime, among many others. In 2007 Five Times August became the first unsigned act in history to accomplish national distribution through Wal-Mart stores.
It doesn’t stop there. Most recently you may have heard Five Times August in a national GMC commercial promoting their big summer savings event. Also, if you own any of HBO’s 2009 DVD releases, you’ll most likely be hearing the song “Do It Again” in a quick ad before the menu pops up.
“Life As A Song” is a twelve-track collection of Five Times August’s most popular songs in recent years. Based on fan favorites and the most licensed songs, Skistimas went back into the studio with Grammy Award winner Andy Zulla (Kelly Clarkson, Jessica Simpson, Rod Stewart) to polish and shine each song for more commercial success, re-recording many of the tune’s instrumentation and vocals from the ground up. “It’s an album of growth and change,” Skistimas says about the quazi “best of” album. “At the start of the album you’ll find me where I was as a songwriter, more innocent and raw. By the end you’ll see I’m not the same songwriter anymore, there’s a deeper outlook on life in the newer songs.”
The album includes new mainstream versions of underground college cult-hits like “Up To Me” and “Better With You” (the latter has sold 58,000 digital singles to date). Alongside those fan favorites, the album also includes a few new songs, one being the stand out piano ballad “Break,” which shadows influence from Nilsson’s classic hit “Without You.” Brad explains “the beauty of this album is that even though a lot of my fans may know the songs already, it’s going to be a brand new listening experience for them. They are going to hear these songs as if for the first time.” Skistimas’ mind rests knowing songs like “Wherever” and “The Lighting” finally sound like he had always envisioned.
Brad is furthering the expansion of Five Times August with a new concrete touring band. After spending the last three years touring solo, Skistimas is changing gears on the road, transitioning his intimate set list into a full on concert experience. Five Times August will be on several national tours surrounding the release of “Life As A Song,” in stores October 13th, 2009.
Say
Five Times August Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is there a right time that I'd never know?
Cause I needed all you gave,
But you turned away
Could I have been wrong to push it so much?
I'm singing the same songs you used for a crutch
And I'm writing one right now
You say it's for the best. I don't it yet.
You say I'll wave goodbye to the things you said someday
Are these the same lines that I've heard before?
Could they have been mine, just switching the words?
Did you ever really say
What's really there?
You say it's for the best. I don't it yet.
You say I'll wave goodbye to the things you said someday
Cause I needed all you gave,
But you turned away
The Five Times August song, "Say," is a wistful and melancholic sounding ballad, which appears to be about a relationship that has ended. The lyricist is the main subject of the song, as he contemplates whether he may have been wrong to push his partner away with his actions or words. He questions whether he will always be alone and whether there is a "right time" that he will never know of to make things right. He is still holding on to the words that were said between them, and it seems as though he is struggling to move on from their past relationship. He sings that he needs more than what his partner has given him, but she has turned her back on him.
There is a sense of incompleteness in the way that the lyric is structured, as if the story is left unfinished. The chorus repeats a few times, with the lyrics "You say it's for the best, I don't know it yet. You say I'll wave goodbye to the things you said someday," almost as a mantra. There is a conflict between what the partner says and what the lyricist hears, indicating that there may be some unspoken words or misunderstandings that have led to their separation. Ultimately, the song captures the feeling of not being able to let go of someone you love, even though you know it may be for the best.
Line by Line Meaning
Is this the last time of being alone?
Am I going to be alone forever from now?
Is there a right time that I'd never know?
Is there a specific time that I missed and I'll never know now?
Cause I needed all you gave, but you turned away
I needed everything you had to offer, but you left me.
Could I have been wrong to push it so much?
Did I go too far by putting so much effort into it?
I'm singing the same songs you used for a crutch
I am singing the same songs you used to comfort yourself.
And I'm writing one right now, You'll sing someday
And I'm writing a song that you'll eventually relate to.
You say it's for the best. I don't it yet.
You say it's better for us this way, but I don't understand it yet.
You say I'll wave goodbye to the things you said someday
You say that someday I will let go of everything you said.
Are these the same lines that I've heard before?
Have I heard these same words before?
Could they have been mine, just switching the words?
Could I have said the same thing, just used different words?
Did you ever really say, What's really there?
Did you ever actually say what you were truly feeling?
Contributed by Ava N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sunflower66
@northcountry32 - I really hope so. God help us all. We are all in hell around the world. This is a global takeover and the Dems in the USA sold us to China and other countries. Now Biden is saying he put in place a disinformation dept in the government. Hitler did the same thing called the Ministry of Truth. We will be prosecuted if we disagree with the tie that bastard is wearing.
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FiveTimesAugust
The new album Silent War is out now on all digital music platforms.
CD: http://fivetimesaugust.com
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/silent-war/1648715796?app=itunes
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0BHL9XD6M/
YouTube: https://music.youtube.com/browse/MPREb_bmtmbXQ5StK
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/68EwoWChMnZpn8pxitsIHG
Bandcamp: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com
ken chenier
Well done ..Thank you from all Canadians that value FREEDOM !!!
Charlene Lynch
🇨🇦❤
Stacey Monette
Thank you, from the unacceptable fringe in Canada! 🇨🇦
Charlene Lynch
🇨🇦❤
StonedViper
As a canadian i'd like to thank you for this one!
Waripolo
As a wise man once said 'if you die in Canada, you die in real life'
Russ Martin
Also UK 🇬🇧 ❤️
Dirk Diggler
I followed on live streams while our brothers to the north fought (politely) for freedom. This song is a perfect depiction of Dictator Justin's cowardice and fragility.
Forward Paunganwa
@Eugene X Hey, Eugene... My first born son is also called Eugene.😃
Go free yourselves from this Just In tyrant!