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.
Be There
Howie Day Lyrics
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And Your bed was made you must have cut out sometime lastnight,
My heart beat started pounding out riddle in my brain,
Voice from deep inside said got to be insane,
Everyone knows how this old story goes,
Got in my taxi and drank my conscience away,
If you're gonna be there, be there
Start livin, out with the old, I'm on the up,
Must be the good life
I went to your friends house begged you to open the door,
With Your hands on your hips you spoke while I sat down on the floor,
Two dishes in the kitchen sink, the way you treat me when you drink,
You don't look so superior when you give your opion,
Don't think I don't know how you act on your own,
Just who are those names on your cell phone anyway,
If you're gonna be there, be there
If you're gonna stay, stay tonight,
Start livin, out with the old, I'm on the up,
Must be the good life,
Its the cool breeze on the setting sun,
The New Year's , The 4th, wrapped into one,
You make me want to be someone that you could look up too,
If you're gonna be there, be there
If you're gonna stay, stay tonight,
Start livin, out with the old, I'm on the up,
Must be the good life,
Come on get love,
Come on and try,
Come on now what are you waiting for?
(repeat 4x)
Come on...
In Howie Day's song "Be There," the singer wakes up early in the morning to find that his partner has left him alone in bed. His heart begins to race as he recites the events of the previous night and hears a voice from deep within telling him he must be insane. Frustrated, he gets in a taxi and drinks his conscience away. The singer then goes to his partner's friend's house and pleads with them to open the door. When the friend eventually relents, the two have a heated discussion about their relationship, including the dishes in the sink representing how his partner treats him when she drinks, her inflated sense of superiority, and suspicion about some names on her cell phone. The singer implores his partner to stay with him and start living in the moment, but at the same time, he acknowledges his own self-improvement rather than lingering in the past. The song's chorus is broken into two parts, the first expressing the singer's desire for his partner to stay with him and the second part, his wish to be someone his partner could look up to. The song ends with a repetition of "Come on..." urging his partner to come back to him.
The song's lyrics are quite ambiguous, leaving much to interpretation. It appears that the singer is desperate to repair the relationship with his partner, but the way he expresses himself is often erratic and perhaps even self-destructive at times. He seems to be focusing on improving himself, but his outbursts suggest he still has a long way to go. The deep voice in the singer's head could represent his conscience or even his insecurity, reminding him of his mistakes and how he could have handled the situation better.
Line by Line Meaning
When the morning came I was up before first light,
I woke up early in the morning before sunrise
And Your bed was made you must have cut out sometime lastnight,
You had already left your bed the previous night
My heart beat started pounding out riddle in my brain,
I started feeling anxious and confused
Voice from deep inside said got to be insane,
My inner voice told me that I'm going crazy
Everyone knows how this old story goes,
This is a familiar story that everyone knows
Got in my taxi and drank my conscience away,
I tried to drown my guilt and sorrows by drinking in a taxi
If you're gonna be there, be there
If you're going to be present, then truly be present
If you're gonna stay, stay tonight,
If you're going to stay, then stay for the night
Start livin, out with the old, I'm on the up,
Start living in the moment, leave the past behind, and move forward
Must be the good life
This must be a good life
I went to your friends house begged you to open the door,
I went to your friend's house and pleaded with you to come out
With Your hands on your hips you spoke while I sat down on the floor,
You stood over me with your hands at your hips and spoke
Two dishes in the kitchen sink, the way you treat me when you drink,
There were two dirty dishes in the kitchen sink, and the way you behave when you drink alcohol
You don't look so superior when you give your opion,
You don't appear to be superior when you give your opinion
Don't think I don't know how you act on your own,
I know how you behave when you're alone
Just who are those names on your cell phone anyway,
I'm curious about the people whose names I see on your cellphone
Its the cool breeze on the setting sun,
It's the feeling of contentment and peace as the sun is setting
The New Year's , The 4th, wrapped into one,
It's like a combination of New Year's Eve and the 4th of July
You make me want to be someone that you could look up too,
You inspire me to be someone that you can admire
Come on get love,
Come on and experience love
Come on and try,
Take a chance and try
Come on now what are you waiting for?
What are you waiting for? Let's go and do it!
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CLIVE DAVID GRIFFIN, RICHARD NILES, JESS BAILEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind