Matthew Herbert is an electronic music producer known for breaking the boun… Read Full Bio ↴Matthew Herbert is an electronic music producer known for breaking the boundaries and conventions of the genre. Since 1996 he has released music on a variety of record labels under many aliases including Doctor Rockit, Wishmountain, Radioboy, Mr. Vertigo, Transformer, under his own name and with his Big Band. He has played at the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals, Paris' Pompidou Centre, Tokyo's Blue Note, Sonar and Glastonbury, and supported Bjork at the Hollywood Bowl. Along with over ten albums of self-written, produced and performed music, he has produced albums by Róisín Murphy, Dani Siciliano and Barbara Panther, worked with Björk and remixed Moloko, R.E.M., Perry Farrell, Serge Gainsbourg, Yoko Ono, John Cale, The Avalanches and Cornelius. He also runs his own label, Accidental Records.

Herbert began creating music with found objects whilst at Exeter University (UK) in the 1990s, where he studied Drama. From bottles, books, and pepper pots he progressed to recording places and experiences, effectively using the sampler as an instrument on many of his Doctor Rockit and Herbert releases. This style evolved into the overtly political when he began sampling objects from McDonald's and The Gap as a protest against corporate globalism on the The Mechanics Of Destruction album. The CD was distributed free at concerts and available as a free download and has never been available in stores.

His 2003 Big Band album, Goodbye Swingtime combined the political commentary of Radioboy with the song structure of his Herbert albums. Recorded with sixteen musicians from the British jazz world, including saxophonists Dave O'Higgins and Nigel Hitchcock and bassist Dave Green, the band is complemented on stage by long-term vocal partner Dani Siciliano and occasionally Arto Lindsay and Warp recording artist, Jamie Lidell. Recently he has provided music for a number of films, including Dogme director Kristian Levring's The Intended along with original music for TV. Herbert's newest album Plat du Jour addresses world famine.

Back Back Back Back
Herbert Lyrics

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You went away
I let you
We broke the ties that bind
I wanted to forget you
And leave the past behind
Still, the magic of the night I met you
Seems to stay forever in my mind

The sky was blue
And high above
The moon was new
And so was love
This eager heart of mine was singing
Lover where can you be

You came at last
Love had its day
That day is past
You've gone away
This aching heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
When I remember every little thing

You used to do
I'm so lonely
Every road I walk along
I walk along with you
No wonder I am lonely

The sky is blue
The night is cold
The moon is new
But love is old
And while I'm waiting here
This heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
When I remember every little thing

You used to do
I grow lonely
Every road I walk along
I walk along with you
No wonder I am lonely

The sky is blue
The night is cold
The moon is new
But love is old
And while I'm waiting here

This heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Herbert's song "Back Back Back Back" encapsulate the theme of longing and nostalgia for a lost love. The singer reflects on the past, acknowledging the breakup that occurred and their initial desire to move on. However, despite trying to forget, the memory of the night they met still lingers in their mind, hinting at the lasting impact of that initial connection.

The setting described - with the blue sky, new moon, and the feeling of new love - evokes a sense of hope and excitement at the beginning of the relationship. The lyrics convey the intense emotions experienced at the start of the romance, with the heart singing with eagerness and anticipation of being with the beloved.

The shift in tone occurs when the lover eventually leaves, and the singer is left with a sense of heartache and loneliness. The words express a deep yearning for the return of the lost love, emphasizing the emptiness felt in their absence. The repetition of "Lover come back to me" and the reflection on every little thing the lover used to do highlight the depth of the singer's longing.

As the singer navigates through a world that still bears the traces of their past love, they find themselves constantly reminded of the moments shared with their beloved. The imagery of walking along the roads with the memory of the lover by their side emphasizes the pervasive influence that this lost relationship continues to have on the singer's life. It is in this vivid recollection and yearning for the past that the true emotional core of the song lies. The repeated references to the sky, the night, the moon, and the enduring nature of love contrast with the fleeting nature of romantic relationships, underscoring the universal theme of love lost and the longing for reconciliation.

Line by Line Meaning

You went away
I didn't stop you

We broke the ties that bind
I wanted to move on

Still, the magic of the night I met you
I can't forget that special moment

The sky was blue
Everything seemed perfect

This eager heart of mine was singing
I was full of hope

You came at last
You finally arrived

That day is past
Those good times are over

When I remember every little thing you used to do
I miss all the small things about you

The night is cold
I feel alone without you

But love is old
Our love has lost its spark

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, DistroKid, TuneCore Inc., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, ONErpm, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN, II, OSCAR II HAMMERSTEIN, SIGMUND ROMBERG

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