With a long singing career dating from the swinging 1960s, where he released material as the vocalist of Pyramid, Matthews joined Fairport Convention, formed and left Matthews' Southern Comfort, and went on to have a long and winding career, sailing through trends in rock, pop, country and folk with some chart success and maintaining a continuous cult following since his commercial peak in the late 1970s.
After his stint in Fairport Convention, came the country-tinged Southern Comfort (1969) album , where Matthews recruited Richard Thompson, and other members of Fairport to collaborate. He secured a deal with MCA’s UNI label and a touring lineup of Matthews' Southern Comfort released two more albums of material, Second Spring (1970), and Later That Same Year (1970). Much like he had when Fairport had it's first success, Matthews walked away from the band just as fame became inevitable and Tops Of The Pops were calling.
He went solo again releasing the self produced If You Could See Thro’ My Eyes (1971) on Vertigo with a cast that included Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, Keith Tippet (King Crimson), Tim Renwick (Al Stewart), and other British performers. Matthews seemed, for a moment, to have found a comfortable balance of autonomy, support, creativity, and success. The follow-up for Vertigo, was Tigers Will Survive (1972), and then a new project Plainsong, who signed with Elektra[/label and released In Search of Amelia Earhart (1972). ex- Monkee [artist]Michael Nesmith produced the LP Valley Hi (1973), which featured a version of Steve Young’s “Seven Bridges Road” so definitive that you can hear the Eagles recreate it note for note on their 1980 live album.
Matthews took over production again for Some Days You Eat the Bear and Some Days the Bear Eats You (1974), which featured LA session men like guitarists Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, on his way from Steely Dan to the Doobie Brothers, and David Lindley of Jackson Browne’s band. That LP also featured a Tom Waits song called "ol 55" whom the Eagles also must've heard, as it showed up on one their next Elektra/Asylum releases.
Matthews moved to CBS for Go For Broke (1976), and then Hit and Run (1977). Finally in Stealin’ Home (1978) Matthews hit the US top ten with the single "Shake It". Even with chart recognition, his next LP Siamese Friends (1979) stiffed due to poor distribution through a Canadian indie whose founder had died. Spot of Interference in 1980 was followed by Discreet Repeat a best of from the Southern Comfort years.
Matthews had been struggling in the music biz for nearly 15 years by the early 80s and was still living hand to mouth, with nothing to show for his efforts but a string of out-of-print albums, and the loyalty of those musicians and fans who shared his vision. More or less on a whim, Matthews abandoned LA for Seattle, where he met vocalist David Surkamp, late of Pavlov’s Dog. The two formed Hi-Fi, an 80s guitar band that included Bruce Hazen on guitar, Garey Shelton on bass, and Bob Briley on drums. They produced a live mini-album, the Hi-Fi Demonstration Record (1981), as well as a full length studio album, Moods for Mallards (1982), on which they covered Prince’s “When U Were Mine.”
The hi-tech sound of Shook (1984) was followed by a record of mostly Jules Shear songs called Walking a Changing Line (1988). Matthews found day jobs at labels like Island and then Windham Hill while he planned a comeback that included a Fairport Convention reunion, and a live solo album recorded at NY's Bottom Line. Finding a renewed interest in songwriting Matthews put out Walking A Changing Line, Pure and Crooked (1990), Skeleton Keys (1992), and Dark Ride (1994)and God Looked Down (1996) both on Austin’s Watermelon Records. A revitalized version of Plainsong also recorded Dark Side of the Room (1992) Sister Flute (1996) a Live in Austria EP (1998) and New Place Now (1999).
Compilations of older songs also appeared including Orphans and Outcasts (1991), The Notebook Series (1992),The Soul of Many Places (1993), all selecting highlights, outtakes etc from his long career.
Relocating to Amsterdam, Matthews found steadier live work and began playing numerous live shows, both with new and established acts.
Matthews formed a Sandy Denny tribute band No Grey Faith with Jim Fogarty, who played on Tiniest Wham, and singer Lindsay Gilmour. The resulting album, Secrets All Told (2000), includes Denny’s “Rising For the Moon”. Also released in the year of the millennium was Iain AdVenture (2000). The next year Matthews re-tested the Plainsong waters once more in 2001 with a six-song mini-album, A to B, which includes his controversial take on racial issues, “To Be White.” A collaboration with American rocker, (now Paris resident) Elliott Murphy resulted in the commercially successful album La Terre Commune (2001). Other collaborations followed including More Than a Song (2001) with Eliza Gilkyson.
Since 2003 Matthews has worked with Dutch pianist and composer Egbert Derix.
Let There Be Blues
Iain Matthews Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let there be tears in the night
Let there be blues on my shoulder
Then let me show you it's alright
All I know is not for certain
And certainly you know by now
You're not the only heart that's hurting
I'm not the only broken vow
When first I saw you last July
But it's so hard to take things easy
Don't it just make you wanna cry
Let there be blues in the morning
Let there be tears in the night
Let there be blues on my shoulder
Then let me show you it's alright
Lately oh my lady
You've been feeling it too
Let there be blues in the morning
Let there be tears in the night
Let there be blues on my shoulder
Then let me show you it's alright
Let there be blues in the morning
Let there be tears in the night
Let there be blues on my shoulder
Then let me show you it's alright
The song "Let There Be Blues" by Iain Matthews, is a melancholic reflection on the many emotions that love and heartbreak can evoke. The title itself is an oxymoron, as blues music typically symbolizes sadness, while morning and daytime are associated with new beginnings and hopefulness. The lyrics throughout the song convey the turmoil of a failed love affair, with the singer expressing the desire for tears and melancholy as an attempt to cope with the intensity of emotions. He acknowledges his own pain and the pain of the person he loved, and he asserts that these feelings are not unique. He sings, "All I know is not for certain, and certainly you know by now, You're not the only heart that's hurting, I'm not the only broken vow."
The final line of the lyric, "Then let me show you it's alright," suggests a flicker of hope and desire to move forward. The singer appears to be coping with the heartbreak, despite the pain, by giving himself over to the blues. He finds solace in the tears and the melancholia, which helps him process the experience, leading him towards a possible path of healing, though still uncertain.
Overall, the song speaks to the contradictory, unpredictable and sometimes uncontrollable nature of love, and the devastating, yet ultimately cathartic, experience of heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Let there be blues in the morning
May there be sadness and melancholy in the beginning of each day
Let there be tears in the night
May there be sorrow and crying in the darkness of night
Let there be blues on my shoulder
May I carry the weight of the world's troubles and sorrows on my shoulders
Then let me show you it's alright
But I will show you that everything will be okay
All I know is not for certain
I don't know everything for sure
And certainly you know by now
And surely you must understand by now
You're not the only heart that's hurting
You're not the only one experiencing heartache
I'm not the only broken vow
I'm not the only one who has broken a promise
Who was it thought this looked so easy
Whoever thought this would be an easy situation
When first I saw you last July
When I first saw you in July
But it's so hard to take things easy
But it's difficult to remain calm and relaxed
Don't it just make you wanna cry
Doesn't it make you want to cry?
Lately oh my lady
Recently, my dear
You've been feeling it too
You've also been experiencing the same emotions
Writer(s): Ian Matthews
Contributed by Chase A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.