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.
Weightless
Howie Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was staying up with you way too late
I thought someone like you
Could come around n make my faults
Seem like they were none at all
Come on somebody help me out
I'm underwater drowned in doubt
Weightless when we're together
Isn't it time to face it, what we already know?
Seems just like we fake it
Pretend it isn't happening
Pretend that it'll go away
Oh but what do I know?
It was all mixed up, ahead of the curve
When you were lying to the world
See I want to lie there too
Feeling down n all around
I see your back in every town
You'll be the one to hold me down
Tell me, is it too late now?
Because it feels just like we're weightless
Weightless when we're together
Isn't it time to face it, what we already know?
Seems just like we fake it
Pretend it isn't happening
Pretend that it'll go away
Oh but what do I know?
I want to be alive like you
Be so easy like you
I want to love like you do
Oh wondrous one
It feels just like we're weightless
Weightless when we're together
Isn't it time to face it, what we already know?
Seems just like we fake it
Pretend it isn't happening
Pretend that it'll go away
It feels just like we're weightless
Weightless when we're together
Isn't it time to face it, what we already know?
Feels just like we're turning
Turning ourselves in circles
Pretend that we can find a way
Oh but what do I know?
But what do I know?
Oh... but what do I know?
In Howie Day's song "Weightless," the lyrics describe a feeling of being lost and alone, with doubts and faults weighing heavily on the singer's mind. They long for someone to come around who can make them feel like their faults don't matter and who can help them out of their doubts. Despite an attempt to pretend that their problems will go away, they come to the realization that they are weightless when they are with this person, and the time has come to face the truth that they already know.
The song describes a sense of vulnerability and a longing to be like the one they love, someone who seems so easy and seemingly has it all figured out. The lyrics touch on themes of self-doubt and the power that another person's love can have in lifting one's spirits. Despite turning themselves in circles and pretending they can find a way to avoid the problems facing them, the singer acknowledges that they don't know everything.
Overall, "Weightless" is a melancholic yet hopeful song that explores the human experience of struggle and the power of love to lift us up.
Line by Line Meaning
I was alone, so not afraid
Being alone didn't make me feel afraid
I was staying up with you way too late
I spent too much time staying up late with you
I thought someone like you
I believed someone like you
Could come around n make my faults
Could come and make my faults disappear
Seem like they were none at all
Make them seem like they didn't exist
Come on somebody help me out
I need someone's help
I'm underwater drowned in doubt
I'm filled with doubt and it's suffocating me
But it feels just like we're weightless
Being together makes everything feel light and carefree
Weightless when we're together
Being together makes us feel like we're floating
Isn't it time to face it, what we already know?
Isn't it time to acknowledge what we both know?
Seems just like we fake it
It seems like we're just pretending
Pretend it isn't happening
Pretend like this isn't happening
Pretend that it'll go away
Pretend like this will disappear on its own
Oh but what do I know?
But I don't really know anything
It was all mixed up, ahead of the curve
Everything was a mess, ahead of its time
When you were lying to the world
When you were lying to everyone around you
See I want to lie there too
I want to be able to be there too
Feeling down n all around
Feeling low and all over the place
I see your back in every town
I see you everywhere I go
You'll be the one to hold me down
You'll be the one to keep me grounded
Because it feels just like we're weightless
Being together makes everything feel light and carefree
Isn't it time to face it, what we already know?
Isn't it time to acknowledge what we both know?
I want to be alive like you
I want to be as vibrant as you are
Be so easy like you
Be as carefree as you are
I want to love like you do
I want to love like you do
Oh wondrous one
Oh, you amazing person
Feels just like we're turning
It feels like we're spinning in circles
Turning ourselves in circles
We're going around in circles
Pretend that we can find a way
Pretend like we can fix this
But what do I know?
But I don't really know anything
Oh... but what do I know?
I really don't know anything
Contributed by Caleb W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.