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/
Ten Miles
Five for Fighting Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the shape you were in
I'm surprised that you got where you're going
Who would believe
What a date you would be
If I knew I'd have thought about knowing
I'd open the door if I met you again
And I swear that we'd be better/fair ever friends
From here until 10 miles from nowhere
What is that there
In your brown paper box
I can see that you kept all the memories we'd lost
I'd sworn it was you
Who was destined and gone
To the pressure of past undertakings
Had I had known that it might have been me
I might have returned a letter or three
Or gave you a call from the sanctuary
For the cracks in these walls tell time for a fee
From here until 10...
From now until 10...miles from nowhere
In Five for Fighting's song Ten Miles, the singer meets someone he hasn't seen in a while and is surprised by the person's current state. He wonders if he should have gotten to know this person better before. While examining the person's brown paper box, the singer realizes that there were memories they shared that were lost. He regrets that he didn't do more to keep in touch before this encounter. The singer wishes he could turn back time and return "a letter or three" or give a call "from the sanctuary." He acknowledges that time is passing, and there is a fee to pay for it. However, the singer promises that if they met again, he'd be willing to open the door and make things better than they were before. He hopes they could be friends until they're ten miles from nowhere.
The song Ten Miles is about the importance of maintaining connections with people we care about. It urges listeners to appreciate the people in their lives and keep communication lines open. The singer's regret and wish to reconnect come through powerfully in the lyrics, even though the person is fictional. It's a reminder that no one knows what the future holds, and it's crucial to cherish and nurture relationships while we still have them.
Line by Line Meaning
How have you been
Asking about your well-being since the last time we saw each other
In the shape you were in
Referring to your physical and emotional state before
I'm surprised that you got where you're going
Pleasantly surprised to see that you've come this far in life
Who would believe
Asking a rhetorical question about your current situation
What a date you would be
Wondering what it would be like to see you again
If I knew I'd have thought about knowing
Regretting not knowing more about you before and wishing to change that
And in between now and the last time we met
Referring to the time that has passed since we last saw each other
I'd open the door if I met you again
Expressing a desire to reconnect if given the opportunity
And I swear that we'd be better/fair ever friends
Promising to maintain a positive and respectful relationship
From here until 10 miles from nowhere
Indicating a willingness to start anew and leave the past behind
What is that there
Curious about a brown paper box that you are holding
In your brown paper box
Describing the container you are holding
I can see that you kept all the memories we'd lost
Noticing that you have saved all the mementos from our past
I'd sworn it was you
Believing that you were the one who moved on and forgot about our past
Who was destined and gone
Thinking that you were meant to leave me behind and move on
To the pressure of past undertakings
Assuming that you left because of the weight of our shared history
Had I had known that it might have been me
Regretting not realizing that I was the cause of our separation
I might have returned a letter or three
Wishing that I had tried to reach out to you more after we parted ways
Or gave you a call from the sanctuary
Suggesting that I could have called from a safe distance to avoid further hurt or conflict
For the cracks in these walls tell time for a fee
Realizing that time has passed and changed things in ways I never noticed
From here until 10...miles from nowhere
Reiterating the willingness to let go of the past and start anew
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOHN ONDRASIK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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