John Ondrasik was born in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. He grew up there in a musical family, with his mother teaching him the piano from the age of two. As a teenager, he learned how to play the guitar as well and started to write music. While he also learned to sing opera briefly, he quickly decided that he would like to be a piano playing popular musician along the lines of Elton John and Billy Joel. Ondrasik adopted the name "Five for Fighting" which is an expression in ice hockey when a player is sent from the rink by the referee for a major penalty. The name was used for the reason that it would be more memorable than his real name.
In 1997, his first album, 'Message for Albert', was released by EMI. Although not quite breaking through commercially, fans of modern singer-songwriter music provided a warm audience for Ondrasik. After the success of 'America Town', Capitol Records re-released this debut album to give it a more mainstream audience.
In 2000, Ondrasik signed with the aforementioned Columbia Records and released 'America Town' on September 26, 2000. At first, it made little impact until track "Superman (It's Not Easy)" became an American anthem after the September 11 attacks. Ondrasik performed the song at 'The Concert for New York Cit'y in late 2001.
"Superman (It's Not Easy)" started climbing the charts reaching the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Adult Top 40. While 'America Town' itself failed to make the top 50 of the Billboard 200 album charts, its consistent sales led to it going platinum. "Superman (It's Not Easy)" was also an international hit reaching number one on a composite adult international chart (based on performance in the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Australia). Ondrasik's second single, "Easy Tonight", would make the top 20 of the world adult chart as well as going top 20 in New Zealand.
His third album, 'The Battle for Everything', debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 in February 2004. Its first single, "100 Years", was another top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and again reached number one on the World Adult Top 40. It also was number one on a composite world airplay chart and top 10 on a composite world modern rock chart. (based on USA, Germany, United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, Canada and Australia).
The Five for Fighting song "100 Years" was used in a ubiquitous JP Morgan Chase commercial, and more recently in an episode of Scrubs. The song was also used in the last scenes of the final episode of JAG.
Lately, Ondrasik's sixth album, 2013's 'Bookmarks', came out after a four year gap between his last release. The album has received critical praise from a variety of publications such as Allmusic, where the reviewer lauded how Five for Fighting produced " sturdy tunes wrapped up neatly in a shiny, appealing gloss". Released by the label Universal, his work also hit the #54 slot on the Billboard 200, with his fans happily looking forwards to his future endeavors.
See more at: http://www.fiveforfighting.com/
Disneyland
Five for Fighting Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I watered all the rocks growing in my head
I had a thought, and fell asleep on you
There I was somewhere west of tomorrow land
Flying through the stars just like peter pan
I said, damn this looks too good to be true
I can feel it in the air (something's coming down)
I don't know and I don't care that it's a small world
It's a nice day if you wake up in Disneyland,
It's a nice day when you wake up in Disneyland
In my dream everybody's got a little house
A dog, a bank account managed by mickey mouse
And the only thing we fight about is the Lakers
In my dream all the pirates down in Neverland
Never get the hook, they just get a hand
While the Crocs sing superman till we just can't take it
There she goes, my heart again (do you mind rolling over)
I can feel it in the air (something's coming down)
I don't know and I don't care if it's a small world
It's a nice day when you wake up in Disneyland,
It's a nice day if you wake up in Disneyland
We can fly away
I woke up got my lazy ass out of bed
I watered all the rocks growing in my head
I had a thought, and I looked up to see
The sign read the park she's closed today
E-tickets don't work here no more anyway
Where every day's a magic day to be free you see
It's a nice day when you wake up in Disneyland
It's a nice day should you wake up in Disneyland
It's your l.u.c.k.y. day should you wake up in Disneyland
It's a nice day should you wake up in Disneyland
The lyrics of Five for Fighting's song Disneyland convey a dreamlike state where the singer wakes up, waters the rocks in his head, and falls asleep thinking about Disneyland. He then enters a dream where he flies through the stars like Peter Pan and encounters a world where everyone fights about the Lakers, and pirates in Neverland never get the hook. The singer is enamored with this enchanted world, exemplified by the repeating chorus stating that it is a nice day when one wakes up in Disneyland. The dream ends abruptly when the singer awakens to find the park closed with E-tickets no longer valid, but he finds solace in the fact that every day can be a "magic day to be free" at Disneyland.
The song conjures the idea that Disneyland is a magical escape from the mundane real world, filled with wonder and joy. The imagery of Peter Pan and Neverland suggest a longing for innocence and escapism from the harsh realities of adulthood. The line "the only thing we fight about is the Lakers" emphasizes the triviality of real-world problems compared to the magic of Disneyland. It also suggests the dream-world is a place of peace where nothing else matters.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up got my lazy ass out of bed
I forced myself to wake up and start the day
I watered all the rocks growing in my head
I cleared my mind and got rid of any negative thoughts
I had a thought, and fell asleep on you
I had a fleeting idea but didn't really pursue it
There I was somewhere west of tomorrow land
I was lost in thought, thinking about the future
Flying through the stars just like peter pan
I felt free and unburdened, like I could do anything
I said, damn this looks too good to be true
I was skeptical of how good things seemed to be going
There she goes, my heart again (would you mind rolling over)
I feel my heart racing when I think of my love interest
I can feel it in the air (something's coming down)
I sense that something big is about to happen
I don't know and I don't care that it's a small world
I'm not bothered by the fact that things aren't perfect
It's a nice day if you wake up in Disneyland,
Life is great when everything seems to be going your way
In my dream everybody's got a little house
In my imagination, everyone has a place to call their own
A dog, a bank account managed by mickey mouse
Even my finances are taken care of by someone else
And the only thing we fight about is the Lakers
There's really nothing to fight about and life is stress-free
In my dream all the pirates down in Neverland
I imagine a world where everything is happy and peaceful
Never get the hook, they just get a hand
Even the villains are happy and content
While the Crocs sing superman till we just can't take it
Everything seems to be going so well that even the music is over the top
It's a nice day when you wake up in Disneyland,
Life is great when everything seems to be going your way
We can fly away
Anything is possible in this perfect world
The sign read the park she's closed today
Reality sets in and things aren't as perfect as I imagined
E-tickets don't work here no more anyway
Even the things that used to be perfect don't work anymore
Where every day's a magic day to be free you see
Despite the disappointments, there's still something special and magical in everyday life
It's a nice day when you wake up in Disneyland
Life is great when everything seems to be going your way
It's a nice day should you wake up in Disneyland
No matter what happens, life is still pretty good
It's your l.u.c.k.y. day should you wake up in Disneyland
If life seems to be going your way, you are very lucky
It's a nice day should you wake up in Disneyland
No matter what happens, life is still pretty good
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOHN ONDRASIK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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