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/
Easy Tonight*
Five for Fighting Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were right
And you are gone
Tonight
You were free
So alive
You were wrong
And you were down
You could see
And you wore hearts
For me
You were sharp
As sharp as knives
You were wrong
You were right
Shot down
Said you never had the chance
Took a ride on a suicide romance
Could have sworn there was somebody home
To facilitate the great unknown
Woman, I ain't going to meet you anywhere
Don't know where I'm going yet
But I sure am getting there
Shotgun fire
Anybody home?
I got two dimes in the telephone
Alright
No, it's not easy tonight
Shotgun fire
Anybody home?
I got two dimes in the telephone
Alright
No, it's not easy tonight
And you were bound
You were free
And you wear black
For me
You were dark
As dark as night
You were wrong
Yeah, you were right
Well, shot down
Said you never had the chance
Took a ride on a suicide romance
Could have sworn there was somebody home
To facilitate the great unknown
Woman, I ain't going to meet you anywhere
Don't know where I'm going yet
No, but I sure am getting there
Shotgun fire
Anybody home?
I got two dimes in the telephone
Alright
No, it's not easy tonight
Shotgun fire
Anybody home?
I got two dimes in the telephone
Alright
Hell, it's not easy tonight
She's in over my head
And it's not easy, it's not easy tonight
She's in over my head
And it's not easy, it's not easy tonight
Shotgun fire
Anybody home?
I got two dimes in the telephone
Alright
It's not easy tonight
Shotgun fire
Anybody home?
I got two dimes in the telephone
Alright, yeah
You were free
Now your not
You were free, babe
The lyrics of Five For Fighting Featuring John Ondrasik's song "Easy Tonight" are complex and open to interpretation. At its core, the song is about a person who is struggling with a relationship that has ended. The lyrics describe how the singer's partner was both right and wrong and is now gone. The emotions are raw and intense, with the singer feeling alone and uncertain about the future. Throughout the song, the lyrics reference a shotgun fire and a suicide romance, which suggest that the singer's partner may have taken their own life.
The second verse continues with the theme of uncertainty and confusion. The singer mentions that he doesn't know where he's going, but he's sure he's getting there. The line "to facilitate the great unknown" suggests that he is searching for something but doesn't know what it is. The chorus repeats the idea that it's not easy tonight, reinforcing the singer's sense of isolation and confusion. The final verse suggests that the singer's partner is still in his thoughts and emotions, even though the relationship has ended. The line "She's in over my head" could be interpreted as the singer realizing he was in too deep emotionally and that the breakup has left him feeling lost.
Line by Line Meaning
You were wrong
You made a mistake
You were right
You were correct
And you are gone
You have left my life
Tonight
It is happening now
You were free
You had no restrictions
So alive
Full of energy
And you were down
You were feeling low
You could see
You had clarity
And you wore hearts
You expressed love for me
For me
Directed towards me
You were sharp
You were clever
As sharp as knives
Very sharp in your actions
Shot down
Defeated
Said you never had the chance
You feel like you missed an opportunity
Took a ride on a suicide romance
Engaged in a dangerous relationship
Could have sworn there was somebody home
Believed there was someone there for you
To facilitate the great unknown
To help with the uncertainties of life
Woman, I ain't going to meet you anywhere
I am not interested in meeting you
Don't know where I'm going yet
Unsure of my path
But I sure am getting there
Making progress towards my goals
Shotgun fire
Sound of gunshots
Anybody home?
Asking if anyone is present
I got two dimes in the telephone
I have coins to make a call
No, it's not easy tonight
Tonight is a difficult time
Hell, it's not easy tonight
Tonight is very difficult
You were bound
You were trapped
You were dark
You were mysterious
As dark as night
Very dark
Well, shot down
Defeated again
She's in over my head
She is more than I can handle
And it's not easy, it's not easy tonight
Tonight is very challenging
Alright, yeah
Acknowledging agreement
Now your not
You are no longer free
You were free, babe
You had no limitations, my dear
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN ONDRASIK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gary Sparkes
You were wrong
You were right
And you are gone
Tonight
You were free
So alive
You were wrong
You were right
Shot down
Said you never had the chance
Took a ride on a suicide romance
Could have sworn there was somebody home
To facilitate the great unknown
Woman, I ain't going to meet you anywhere
Don't know where I'm going yet
But I sure am getting there
Shotgun fire
Anybody home?
I got two dimes in the telephone
Alright
No, it's not easy tonight
Shotgun fire
Anybody home?
I got two dimes in the telephone
Alright
No, it's not easy tonight
And you were bound
You were free
And you wear black
For me
You were dark
As dark as night
You were wrong
Yeah, you were right
Well, shot down
Said you never had the chance
Took a ride on a suicide romance
Could have sworn there was somebody home
To facilitate the great unknown
Woman, I ain't going to meet you anywhere
Don't know where I'm going yet
No, but I sure am getting there
Shotgun fire
Anybody home?
I got two dimes in the telephone
Alright
No, it's not easy tonight
Shotgun fire
Anybody home?
I got two dimes in the telephone
Alright
Hell, it's not easy tonight
She's in over my head
And it's not easy, it's not easy tonight
She's in over my head
And it's not easy, it's not easy tonight
Shotgun fire
Anybody home?
I got two dimes in the telephone
Alright
It's not easy tonight
Shotgun fire
Anybody home?
I got two dimes in the telephone
Alright, yeah
You were free
Now your not
You were free, babe
bourne chez
Great song! He fell for her because she was so free, so alive, but she wouldn't show him what was inside her head, (she was dark as night). She told him she was wrong for him but he didn’t want to see, even though they pulled in opposite directions. Finally she gave him the keys to see inside. She wore a crown because he had made her a princess in his mind, but what he found was an empty room - they had nothing more to share than a good time. She was wrong, she was right
R. Goering
it looks like the singer is singing about his younger self
Mariah Conklin
Reminds me of my relationship with my boyfriend. I am this girl
The sophisticated Velociraptor
I don't know why I love this song this much.... After all these years....
I don't quite know the meaning of this, but I think this has a good meaning
The sophisticated Velociraptor
After I posted this comment, my ex sort of got in touch with me. We are again back together, but for a small time, and we both know we have to stop it soon.... Just like this song 😞 man this hits me deep
jhapzkii
Same. I was in my teens when I first heard this. Fell in love with it right in that moment.
Richard Bwanika
Gotta love the comments section. 17 years later I feel vindicated as to how good this hit is... just like the first time I heard it in my car on a very cold wintery November morning (5:00am) back in 2001... One of many tough periods in my life. But I soldier on thanks to great music like this.
mikijeni
My fav 5 for fighting also. what a hauntingly beautiful song. I had the pleasure of seeing them live once, and his voice is as pure and lovely in person as it is recorded.
Stephanie Jackson
Its a Five For Fighting kind of morning. Love every song. the feelings just hit me in the right spot every time.
Jason Yu
These guys are an amazing band. At first I had only heard of them because of their song Superman, but as time went on I learned more of their songs, including this one which became my favorite. It sounds really happy, and the first time I heard it I thought the chorus sounded like elevator music. Then, I listened to the full song and the lyrics and I realized how sad it is and how sad a story it tells.