The initial impulse behind McMahon’s new project Jack’s Mannequin was "Locked Doors", a song he recorded in December 2003, which he felt was too different from previous Something Corporate material to be one of their songs. He realized that, if he would ever decide to release it, it would be on a solo album rather than a Something Corporate record. The idea seemed to be off the table, until in late summer 2004 both McMahon and his band mates were exhausted from months of touring. They decided to take a temporary break. During his time off, McMahon started writing songs, knowing they would not see the light of day as Something Corporate songs. These songs were a more therapeutic approach McMahon took, and therefore a more personal and intimate testament of his songwriting.
Over the next couple of months, McMahon began recording the newly written songs with producer Jim Wirt, who would play guitar and bass over sampled drum tracks, while McMahon contributed vocals and piano. They later brought in additional musicians such as Bobby Anderson (formerly of River City High) and Tommy Lee to add to the mix. In March 2005, Jack’s Mannequin (now consisting of McMahon, Jon Sullivan on bass, Anderson and Jacques Brautbar on guitar and Jay McMillan on drums) played their first live show at Molly Malone’s Irish pub in Los Angeles, California.
Their debut album, Everything in Transit, was released on August 23, 2005 debuting at #37 of the Billboard 200 with over 22,000 copies scanned within its first week.
Everything in Transit received a positive response from fans and critics alike. A summer tour was scheduled to support the record release, but was canceled after McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and had a bone marrow transplant. The band began recording their second album in the summer of 2007. In August 2007, McMahon posted the lyrics to the song “Cellular Phone” on his blog,which the band played live at several shows in 2007 and 2008. Also, in February 2008, videos of live performances of two songs off the new record (“Caves” and “Suicide Blonde”) were uploaded onto YouTube for public viewing. McMahon appears on the cover of Alternative Press’s January 2008 issue, which contains an interview with him.
Their second album, The Glass Passenger, was released on September 30th, 2008, and is their first album with Sire Records. Despite numerous delays (the album was originally slated for release in April 2008) it has been well-received, and debuted #8 on the Billboard 200.
Previously, in August of 2008, The Ghost Overground EP was released exclusively on iTunes to promote the album, containing the songs "The Resolution", "Bloodshot", and two live performances of tracks from Everything in Transit. After the release of the EP, "The Resolution" topped the Billboard "Hot Singles Sales" charts.
Songfacts reports that "My Racing Thoughts," the first single from their third album People and Things, was released on August 2, 2011. People and Things was released October 4, 2011.
On the evening of the 24th August 2012, the official Jack's Mannequin website & official Twitter account were changed to www.andrewmcmahon.com & "amslingshots" respectively. A blog post on the official Andrew McMahon website confirmed that Jack's Mannequin were no longer & that Andrew would be working on solo material.
Drop Out
Jack's Mannequin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Overwhelmed but not discouraged
And soon I'll leave the infirmary
Feeling well
But lacking courage
Courage
And now the rockets fly above
Passing over
There's the woman with the drugs
In the cafe
By the launch pad
By the launch pad
And she is gonna
Ring me up
On my Cellular Phone
So I know I'm not alone
In a world full of vampires
Come on darling
Talk me down
On that Cellular Phone
Because I can't get home
I'm a slave to the wires
I've done this before
I will do it more
I have become increasingly
Overwhelmed when
I'm in public
I'm not so patient when they stare
There's a fighter
Somewhere underneath this skin and bones
And do you know what I mean?
What I mean when I say that this girl
Has got a thing for my machine
And she is gonna
Ring me up
On my Cellular Phone
So I know I'm not a lone
In a world full of Vampires
Come on darling
Talk me down
On that cellular phone
Because I can't get home
I'm a slave to the wires
I've done this before
I've done this before
But I have given everything and more
Sometimes convinced I have the world to carry
Every day is war
And rockets fly from dusk till dawn
I won't be shaken
If ever there's a time
Where I am gone just know I'm waiting
For you to ring
For you to ring
Me up on my Cellular Phone
So I know I'm not alone
In a world full of vampires
Come on darling
Talk me down
On that Cellular Phone
Because I can't get home
The lyrics of Jack's Mannequin's Drop Out convey the feeling of being overwhelmed but not discouraged in the face of life's challenges. The singer seems to be in a difficult situation where they feel that they lack the courage to face their problems. They express this feeling of being overwhelmed in public, which makes them feel impatient when people stare at them. The song takes on a metaphorical tone with the mention of rockets flying over Cape Canaveral and a woman with drugs in a cafe near the launch pad. The singer is aware of their addiction to technology and the wires that keep them connected to the outside world.
The lyrics also talk about how the singer has done this before and will do it again. They seem to be in a situation where they are trying to overcome their fears and anxieties. They keep referring to their cellular phone as something that connects them to the world, and the chorus emphasizes this with the plea for someone to ring them up to let them know they are not alone. The singer wants to be talked down and reassured that everything is going to be alright. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer waiting for someone to ring them up and assure them that they are not alone.
Line by Line Meaning
I have become increasingly
I am gradually becoming
Overwhelmed but not discouraged
I am feeling very stressed, but not willing to give up
And soon I'll leave the infirmary
I will soon recover from my injuries
Feeling well
I will feel healthy
But lacking courage
But I won't be brave enough to do something
And now the rockets fly above
Rockets are flying in the sky above me
Passing over
Flying by quickly
Cape Canaveral
Specifically, they're passing by Cape Canaveral
There's the woman with the drugs
There's a woman who has drugs
In the cafe
She's in a cafe
By the launch pad
Near the launch pad
And she is gonna
She is going to
Ring me up
Call me
On my Cellular Phone
On my mobile phone
So I know I'm not alone
So I'll know I have someone to talk to
In a world full of vampires
In a cruel and selfish world
Come on darling
Please
Talk me down
Calm me down
Because I can't get home
Because I'm stuck here
I'm a slave to the wires
I'm dependent on communication technology
I've done this before
I have experienced this situation previously
I will do it more
I will face similar challenges again in the future
I'm not so patient when they stare
I don't handle staring well
There's a fighter
There's a fighter within me
Somewhere underneath this skin and bones
Deep within my physical body
And do you know what I mean?
Do you understand what I'm saying?
What I mean when I say that this girl
When I mention this certain girl
Has got a thing for my machine
She has an interest in my technology
But I have given everything and more
I have already given every ounce of effort I can
Sometimes convinced I have the world to carry
At times I feel like I have to bear the weight of the world
Every day is war
Every day is an intense struggle
And rockets fly from dusk till dawn
Rockets are constantly flying in the sky
I won't be shaken
I will remain strong
If ever there's a time
If there comes a time
Where I am gone just know I'm waiting
If I'm not there, please know I'm still connected
For you to ring
For you to call
Me up on my Cellular Phone
To reach out to me on my mobile phone
So I know I'm not alone
So I'll know someone is there for me
Come on darling
Please
Talk me down
Calm me down
Because I can't get home
Because I'm stuck away from home
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANDREW ROSS MCMAHON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind