Day eventually signed a recording contract with major label Epic Records in 2002 and has since re-released his debut as well as producing a follow up, Stop All The World Now. Despite initially sluggish sales, Stop All The World Now was certified gold in early 2005 and has produced a number of singles, including "Collide", Day's most successful to date, and the hit "She Says". The track became Epic Records’ first platinum single, eventually selling 1.5 million downloads.
After a five year tour before the release of Stop All The World Now followed by a three year tour, Day took some time off and focused on writing music. Since then Day released his Be There EP in May 2009 which will be followed by Sound The Alarm in September 2009.
Stop All the World Now (2003–2008)
After the EP's release, Day relocated to London, England to record Australia's follow up, which was provisionally titled From a Northern Sky. The album, which would eventually become Stop All The World Now, was recorded in London's famous Olympic Studios with Martin "Youth" Glover, the bassist for British band Killing Joke, whose previous production credits included The Verve's Urban Hymns, one of Howie's favorite albums.
While certain tracks on Australia had featured session musicians, Stop All The World Now saw Howie joined for the first time by a permanent backing band, consisting of multi-instrumentalist Les Hall, drummer Laurie Jenkins and ex-Verve bassist Simon Jones. In addition, the majority of the album's songs were co-written with either Better than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin or Jump Little Children's Jay Clifford.
A full band tour to promote Stop All the World Now began on September 27, 2003. Due to other commitments, Simon Jones was unable to tour with the group and was replaced by Jeremy Curtis. The album was released one week and three days later on October 7 to tepid critical reactions. Rolling Stone's Pat Blashill referred to Stop as "not bad" but "indistinct", but Popmatters' Devon Powers noted that though Australia had been an album one falls for passionately, "Stop All the World Now is an album you have a crush on, not one you fall deeply, complexly, and foolishly in love with. And crushes have a way of disappearing suddenly, without a trace."Stop
Sales of Stop were initially sluggish, but slowly began to rise beginning in late 2004 with the single release of ballad "Collide", which became a popular radio hit and was featured on TV shows such as Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy, Bones, and One Tree Hill as well as soundtracking a promotional trailer for the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Stop was finally certified gold in early 2005. Fan favourite "She Says", which was first released on 1998's White EP, was released as a follow-up to "Collide", although as of 2006 it has not achieved the same success, it became a mid-level hit.
Boosted by the slow burning success of Stop All the World Now, Epic released the Live From... EP on December 6, 2005. The 7-track EP contains live renditions of songs from Australia and Stop All the World Now as well as a cover of Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over". The EP has not been widely reviewed, though Allmusic referred to the release as "holiday market product," "tepid", and "directionless".
Sound The Alarm (2009)
Howie Day released his third full length, "Sound The Alarm", under the Epic music label on September 8, 2009. After an extensive tour schedule following the release of "Stop All The World Now", Day decided to take some time off, during which he sorted through his emotions by writing songs, many of which have made their way onto Sound the Alarm. “I toured for five years straight before Stop All The World Now came out, then for three years non-stop after it was released," Day says.
To get his desired range of sounds and moods, Day recorded in a variety of locations, including Los Angeles, New York, London, Minneapolis, and Bloomington, Indiana, between the spring of 2006 and fall of 2008. He also collaborated with several musicians and producers, including Martin Terefe (Jason Mraz, KT Tunstall), Mike Denneen (Aimee Mann, Fountains of Wayne), Mike Flynn (The Fray, Augustana), Warren Huart (The Fray, Augustana, Better Than Ezra]) and Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin — each one of them an expert in pulling superlative performances out of the artists they work with.
Africa
Howie Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She's coming in 12:30 flight
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say, "Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you"
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what's right
As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serangetti
I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
Hurry boy, she's waiting there for you
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa, I passed some rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa, I passed some rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
"Howie Day's Africa" is a song that features a traveling protagonist in search of something that might help him cope with a personal struggle. The song begins with the sound of "drums echoing tonight" while the singer's partner is inattentive to the problems he's got. He is looking for direction to find his way and has the chance to seek advice from an old man along the way. The elderly man urges him on and tells him that there are answers waiting for him if he hurries. The traveler mentions the reflection of the stars in the moonlit wings that guide him towards the salvation he yearns for. The chorus repeats the idea that nothing could take him away from his partner, but he still feels the need to improve for her.
The second verse describes the longing barks of wild dogs that yearn to find companionship in the night. The singer considers their cries as a call to arms and acknowledges that he cannot ignore the parts of himself that have made him this way. He explains that he is searching for a cure for himself, something that can make him feel more complete. He then signifies that he cannot forget this choice easily and that there are a lot of things he wants to do for the first time.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear the drums echoing tonight
I can hear the sound of the drums tonight.
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
However, she can only hear faint whispers of a quiet conversation.
She's coming in 12:30 flight
She will arrive on a flight scheduled for 12:30.
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
The wings of the plane reflect the stars above and help guide me towards my path of salvation.
I stopped an old man along the way
I encountered an elderly man on my journey.
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
I hoped to discover forgotten words or melodies that have long been lost.
He turned to me as if to say, "Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you"
The old man turned to me and urged me to hurry, indicating that something was waiting for me somewhere.
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
I am committed to staying with you, and it will take a great deal to make me leave.
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
Even if a hundred or more people tried, they would not be able to make me leave you.
I bless the rains down in Africa
I appreciate the natural beauty of Africa, including its rainfall.
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
We need to take some time to do things we have not done before, to make new memories together.
The wild dogs cry out in the night
The sounds of wild dogs can be heard in the dark of night.
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
The wild dogs are restless and desire some time alone.
I know that I must do what's right
I am aware that I must make the best decision for myself and those around me.
As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I am as confident in my decision as I am in the towering presence of Kilimanjaro above the Serengeti.
I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become
I am looking for a remedy to what ails me, as I am scared of the person that I have become.
Hurry boy, she's waiting there for you
The old man urges me to hurry, as someone is waiting for me.
I passed some rains down in Africa
I acknowledge that I have experienced some rainfall during my time in Africa.
Contributed by Brayden H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@drkojosarfo
thanks for posting this, I just saw him live in LA with friends recently and he performed this one too... every time he does it, he manages to play it differently.... he has one of the best covers to this song of all time
@mscloudsurfer7876
Thanks for that! Loved it 20 years ago and still love it when he sings it
@JohnComey
This might have been his first full version in nearly twenty years. I taped the show (SBD+mics)…it should be out soon!
@mscloudsurfer7876
@John Comey I had that "Napster" version... :-) Actually only by it i got to know Howie
@Gaspa79
Why didn't he officially record this? It's my favourite version of the song
@JohnComey
Actually…I did record a soundboard of this (with mics for the crowd). I’m waiting for the go-ahead to release it.