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.
Hammers and Strings
Jack's Mannequin Lyrics
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Been following me around
From a box filled garage
To the dark punk rock clubs
Of 1000 American crowds
And my friend calls me up
She says, "how have you been?"
I say, "dear I've been well,
But I miss you like hell.
I still hear you in this
Old piano, oh yeah."
She says, "Andy, I know
That we don't talk as much
But I still hear your ghost
In these old punk rock clubs
Come on, write me a song
Give me something to trust
Just promise you won't let it be
Just the keys that you touch."
[Chorus]
Give me something to believe in,
A breath from the breathing
So write it down,
I don't think that I'll close my eyes
Cause lately I'm not dreaming
So what's the point in sleeping?
It's just that at night,
I've got nowhere to hide
So I write you a lullaby
A lullaby
These hammers and strings
Been following me around
Behind passenger vans
Through the snow, dirt, and sands
Of 1000 American towns
And my friend calls me up
With her heart heavy still
She says, "Andy, the doctors
Prescribed me the pills.
But I know I'm not crazy.
I just lost my will.
So why am I, why am I
Taking them still?"
[Chorus]
To the sleepless, this is my reply:
I will write you a lullaby,
A lullaby.
Give me something to believe in,
So write it down,
I don't think that I'll close my eyes
'Cause lately I'm not dreaming
So what's the point in sleeping?
It's just that at night,
I've got nowhere to hide
To the sleepless, this is my reply:
I'll write you a lullaby
A lullaby, a lullaby, a lullaby
The lyrics of "Hammers and Strings" by Jack's Mannequin focus on a man trying to reconnect with someone who slipped away from his life. He starts by writing them a letter from a grounded airplane, wondering where they are and how they've been. He admits that he's missed this person since they first met and that his imagination has been running wild with thoughts of them. The man muses on the way that unspoken words can turn into powerful thoughts, and how he cannot believe he let this person go.
Later, the man reaches out and calls this person from the darkness of his room. He tells them that they'll never be a memory and that they are a restless dream. He writes to an address he doesn't know and uses the song itself as a plea for this person to reconnect with him. The lyrics paint a picture of a restless soul searching for a connection that was lost to time, distance, or circumstance.
Overall, "Hammers and Strings" speaks to the universal human experience of feeling unfulfilled longing and loss. It shows how the imagination can run wild with thoughts of what might have been and how people can cling to memories and dreams of people who have left their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three, four
Counting off before the song begins
I write you from this grounded airplane
Writing a letter while stuck in one place, not moving on
I wonder how you've been and where you are
Missing someone and curious about their current state
A letter to the one who slipped away
Addressing a letter to someone who is no longer present
A letter for the things that never start
Expressing regret for missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential
Oh my imagination running wild
Daydreaming and fantasizing about what could have been
Guess I've missed you from the day that we first met
Realizing that feelings were present from the beginning and not acknowledged
Crazy, this fascination makes a sound like a twister in my mind
Being consumed by obsession and the feeling of being unable to escape it
The restless dream we left behind I never will forget
Holding onto memories of something that was never fully realized and always feeling a sense of longing for it
It's funny how the words we never say
Reflecting on missed opportunities to express one's feelings
Can turn into the only thoughts we know
Internalizing emotions and thoughts that were never shared with others
But Austin's just so very far away
Feeling distant from someone and unable to bridge the physical gap
And I cannot believe I let you go
Expressing regret for not holding onto something that was important
And so I called you from the darkness of my room
Reaching out and attempting to connect in a desperate and lonely state
You'll never be a memory, now you're a restless dream
The emotions and feelings associated with a person persist even after they are no longer present
And so I write to this address that I don't know
Attempting to reach out and connect even when unsure of the other person's whereabouts
You said you had to leave and we lost track
Not being able to maintain a connection due to outside circumstances
So if you hear this on the radio
Leaving a message in a public forum in the hopes that it will be received
I've said it now and there's no turning back
Taking action and expressing emotions with the understanding that they cannot be taken back
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANDREW ROSS MCMAHON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind