In 2001, DeGraw released his first album independently named Gavin Live.
In 2003, his first major studio album was released, entitled Chariot, on July 22nd. He released Chariot Stripped a year later, an album with the same songs, but the instruments brought down to a minimum. The album has so far peaked at #1 in two countries, in Denmark and on the US Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. It went to #2 in Norway and #56 on the Billboard 200 and has benn certified Platinum. His first single, I Don't Want To Be, was released on December 14th 2004 and was the theme tune to the hit TV. drama series One Tree Hill. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #10, the Billboard Pop 100 at #3, #6 in Norway and #38 in the UK, making it his only UK top 40 hit. It has been certified 2x Platinum, selling over 2 million copies. The second single, Chariot, was released on March 1st 2005 and made it to #1 on the Italian Airplay chart. It also did quite well in the US, hitting #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. The third single was Follow Through and it was released on November 17th 2005. It was used on several TV shows, including Scrubs, and was used on the Carte D'or, an ice cream company. The song peaked at #12 in Norway, #13 in Holland, #38 in Portugal and #52 on the Billboard Hot 100. The final single from the album, Just Friends was released in early 2006 and went to #21 in Holland.
DeGraw's second album, the self-titled Gavin DeGraw, was released on May 6th 2008. It debuted and peaked on the US Billboard 200 at #7, selling 66,000 copies in its first week. It also made #3 in Denmark, #8 in Norway and #13 in Sweden. The first single, We Belong Together, was featured on the soundtrack of the film Tristan & Isolde. It peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, In Love With A Girl, was released on February 12th 2008. It peaked at #5 on the US Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks, #22 in Holland, #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #32 in Canada. She Holds A Key was released next, in Mid-2008, and peaked at #29 in Holland. The next single, Cheated On Me, was released in September 2008 and peaked at #77 on the Billboard Pop 100. I Have You To Thank was the final single of the album, being released in early 2009.
His third album, Free, was released less than a year after Gavin DeGraw, on March 31st 2009, and was made in less than two weeks. It entered the Billboard 200 at #19, selling 29,000 copies. The first single, Stay, was released on March 11th 2009, through the internet.
His fourth album Sweeter was released on September 20th, 2011 and spawned lead single Not Over You which peaked at #18 on the Hot 100 and has been certified double platinum by the RIAA. Second singlek Sweeter reached #18 on Billboard's Adult Pop Songs chart. The final single from the album was Soldier.
Gavin released a live album on December 4th, 2012 entitled "Sweeter Live" singing some tracks from Sweeter and earlier favorites.
His current single Best I Ever Had is a song from upcoming fifth studio album Make A Move to be released on October 15th, 2013 in the US. The song has so far peaked at 28 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart.
Candy
Gavin DeGraw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I turned away and told you should take another look?
You said you’d see what’s going on
I know you trust but something’s wrong
[Chorus]
We have our lives to bear
Our bags to burden
The plastic version of
Love, hope, understanding
But we can’t survive on candy
Red carpet ride
Can take your mind
Away from anything
And I wanna die
At every mention of “celebrity”
Like “who’s doing who”
Just how and where
Long as it’s not you
I just don’t care
[Chorus]
Running far away from all your serious concerns
I know you’ve learned to you use your fairy tales
To get you through the hurt
Who’s falling? We’re falling
And there’s just no climbing back
So I’m slowin’, I'm stallin’
While I’m under full attack
[Chorus]
On candy
On candy
On candy
We can’t survive, can’t survive on candy
The song "Candy" by Gavin DeGraw is a critique of the modern world's pursuit of shallow pleasures and material possessions which only provide temporary satisfaction. The lyrics talk about the need to look beyond these superficial pleasures in order to find true love, hope, and understanding. DeGraw explains that he turned away from the truth when it was presented to him, because he was too caught up in his own pursuit of candy (material possessions) to notice the problems around him. The chorus emphasizes that we all have our own baggage to deal with, but relying on candy to distract us from our problems is not a sustainable solution.
The second verse talks about how the media and celebrity culture can further distract us from what's important. The reference to the red carpet ride suggests that the glamorous lifestyle can be alluring but ultimately takes us away from our true purpose. The use of the word "die" emphasizes the negative impact that this obsession with celebrity culture can have on our mental health. The reference to "who's doing who" suggests that gossip about other people's relationships can be a way to avoid facing our own problems.
In the final verse, DeGraw urges his listeners to confront their serious concerns instead of relying on fairy tales to get them through. He acknowledges that life can be tough and we may fall down, but this doesn't mean we can't pick ourselves up again. The repetition of the word "candy" throughout the song emphasizes the idea that we need to break our addiction to shallow pleasures in order to find true happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Remember the day you came to me and said you found the truth?
Recalling the moment in time when you confided in me about discovering what you believed to be factual and accurate
And I turned away and told you should take another look?
Recollecting that I disappointed you by diverting your attention instead of offering comfort and support
You said you’d see what’s going on
You insisted that you'll comprehend the situation
I know you trust but something’s wrong
I'm aware that you have faith, but things aren't right
We have our lives to bear
We're responsible for our livelihood
Our bags to burden
We have our struggles to shoulder
But we just buy and we wear
We merely purchase and flaunt
The plastic version of
The superficial replicas of
Love, hope, understanding
The emotions of affection, optimism, and empathy
But we can’t survive on candy
But we can't subsist on sweet pleasures
Red carpet ride
The luxurious and glamorous lifestyle
Can take your mind
It can preoccupy your thoughts
Away from anything
And distract you from everything else
And I wanna die
Expressing intense frustration and exhaustion
At every mention of “celebrity”
Feeling repulsed at the mere utterance of the word 'celebrity'
Like “who’s doing who”
Referring to meaningless gossip about romantic partners
Just how and where
Asking questions regarding the details
Long as it’s not you
Assuming that as long as you're not involved, it's acceptable
I just don’t care
Expressing pure apathy
Running far away from all your serious concerns
Escaping from your genuine troubles
I know you’ve learned to use your fairy tales
I know you've grown accustomed to resorting to fictitious stories
To get you through the hurt
As a coping mechanism to deal with the emotional pain
Who’s falling? We’re falling
Asking rhetorically who is failing when in actuality, we both are
And there’s just no climbing back
And there is no turning back from the consequences
So I’m slowin’, I'm stallin’
So I'm hesitating and delaying
While I’m under full attack
While I'm being assaulted with negative experiences
On candy
Indulging in sugar-rich treats
We can’t survive, can’t survive on candy
We cannot live off of joys that lack nutrition, substance, and value
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GAVIN DEGRAW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind