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.
I'll Take You On
Howie Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Make me get up
And if I'm alright
Make sure I'm scared to death
Maybe I'm useless
If I just could remember
You make me feel nervous and I'll
Make you surrender
Yeah I'll take you on
I'll give it all away
But you don't
But you don't
I'll give it all away
But you don't
feel much better
You said it yourself
You said I'm not ready
I'm tellin' myself
But it's not sinking in
Maybe I'm new at this
Or is it just you're reaction
Be my illusion and I'll
Be your distaction
I'll take you on
I'll take you on
I'll give it all away
But you don't
But you don't
I'll give it all away
But you don't
feel much better
oh, would it hurt
it wouldn't hurt to see you again
do you see what i meant
when I told you before
that I never wanted
to feel like this again, no
I'll give it all away
But you don't
But you don't
I'll give it all away
But you don't
feel much better
Can we stop all the world now
Sooner or later
I'll lose all control now
When the rain stops we'll end it
Whoa, now
Nothing to fear here
In my baby's arms
I'll take you on
I'll take you on
I'll take you on
I'll take you on
The lyrics to Howie Day's "I'll Take You On" are about the push and pull of a tumultuous relationship. The singer is calling out to their partner to challenge and scare them, to make them feel alive, even if it means falling down and getting back up again. The singer recognizes that their partner has a hold on them, making them nervous but also willing to surrender. However, despite the singer's willingness to give everything they have to the relationship, their partner does not reciprocate and they do not feel any better. The final lines of the song shift the focus to the present moment, with the singer claiming that they can face anything as long as they are in their partner's arms.
It is unclear whether the relationship the singer is describing is toxic or not. On one hand, they seem to be asking for pain and fear in order to feel something, suggesting a desire for drama or excitement that may not be healthy. On the other hand, they express a willingness to give everything they have to the relationship, which could be interpreted as a sign of true love or devotion. The ambiguity of the lyrics leaves room for the listener to bring their own interpretation to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Make me fall down
Challenge me to my breaking point
Make me get up
Push me to get back up and keep going
And if I'm alright
Even if I seem okay
Make sure I'm scared to death
Challenge me to the point where I'm afraid, but still have the courage to keep going
Maybe I'm useless
Perhaps I feel helpless
If I just could remember
If only I could recall
You make me feel nervous and I'll
Your presence makes me anxious, and when I'm nervous,
Make you surrender
I'll make you give up
I'll take you on
I'm willing to stand up to any challenge
Yeah I'll take you on
I have the confidence to face whatever comes my way
I'll give it all away
I'm willing to sacrifice everything
But you don't
But you're not willing to do the same
But you don't feel much better
But it doesn't make you feel any happier
You said it yourself
You've admitted it to yourself
You said I'm not ready
You acknowledge that I'm not prepared
I'm tellin' myself
I'm reassuring myself
But it's not sinking in
But it's not registering emotionally
Maybe I'm new at this
Maybe I lack experience
Or is it just you're reaction
Or is it just your response
Be my illusion and I'll
Be the one thing that distracts me and when you are,
Be your distraction
I will distract you too
oh, would it hurt
Oh, would it be painful
it wouldn't hurt to see you again
It wouldn't be painful to see you again
do you see what i meant
Do you understand what I was trying to say
when I told you before
When I said it earlier
that I never wanted
That I always tried to avoid
to feel like this again, no
To experience these emotions again
Can we stop all the world now
Can we pause everything around us for a moment
Sooner or later
Eventually
I'll lose all control now
I'll eventually lose my composure
When the rain stops we'll end it
When the situation resolves, we will come to an end
Whoa, now
An expression of surprise or awe
Nothing to fear here
There's nothing to be afraid of
In my baby's arms
Being held by my significant other
I'll take you on
I'm up for any challenge
I'll take you on
I'm willing to take on anything with you
I'll take you on
I have the courage to face anything with you
I'll take you on
I'm ready to stand by your side through any obstacle
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HOWIE DAY, JAY CLIFFORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind