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.
Lonely for Her
Jack's Mannequin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, I'll be strong
Well that's the day that passes
And then it's like
i can't hold on
i can't hold on
I'm uneasy
And I'm weak in the knees
Not believing
Not believing you're gone
And that I was the one to let you
I'm so, I'm so lonely for her
I'm so, I'm so lonely for her
So lonely for her
I'm staring at the clock
But the clock doesn't talk it just stands still
A head full of fuzz and a puzzle that adds up to scandal
No I can't handle three nights
So I shudder to think when nights turn to weeks
Am I alright?
The comedian says that a day without lights just...
I'm so, I'm so lonely for her
I'm so, I'm so lonely for her
I'm so lonely for her
I'm so lonely
My one and only
I'm so [when the rain comes], i'm so lonely for her [I'm gonna fall and that's ohkay]
I'm so lonely for her
I'm so [and when the sun comes out], i'm so lonely for her [it's gonna be a beautiful day]
i am so lonely for her
i'm so, i'm so lonely, i'm so lonely
i am so... all i know is i am so lonely for her, for her
Open my window oh oh oh
I'm ready to live with this
Then you walk by my window oh oh oh
You give me something to miss
Right next to the touch
Where you hurt me so much
In the song Lonely for Her, Jack’s Mannequin expresses the feeling of loneliness and regret after losing a loved one. The lyrics describe the singer’s inability to cope with the loss of his loved one, as every day feels like he’s waiting for her to return, but she never does. He tries to be strong but finds himself struggling to hold on as he grows weaker every day. The clock is a constant reminder to him of how time is slipping away, and he’s still alone. He describes himself as being so lonely for her, and he can’t help but miss her every time he sees someone who reminds him of her.
As the song progresses, the singer compares his loneliness to a puzzle that adds up to scandal. He has trouble handling even three nights without her, and the thought of it turning into weeks is overwhelming. The singer also mentions a comedian who says that a day without lights is intolerable, but the singer feels like he’s been living a lifetime without her. The song ends with the singer saying he’s ready to live with the loneliness, but as soon as he opens his window, he sees her walking by, and the pain returns.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I'm thinking 'bout the day coming 'round
Every time I think about the future
Well, I'll be strong
I will try to be brave
Well that's the day that passes
But eventually that day goes by
And then it's like
And then it seems like
i can't hold on
I can't stop feeling sad
i can't hold on
I can't let go of my sadness
I'm uneasy
I feel anxious
And I'm weak in the knees
I am so upset it feels physical
And I try not to breathe
I don't want to think about it
Not believing
It's hard to accept that
Not believing you're gone
You're really gone and I can't believe it
And that I was the one to let you
And it's my fault you left
I'm so, I'm so lonely for her
I feel extremely lonely without her
So lonely for her
I am only missing her specifically
I'm staring at the clock
I am fixated on time passing
But the clock doesn't talk it just stands still
But time doesn't change anything and it's frustrating
A head full of fuzz and a puzzle that adds up to scandal
I have a jumbled mess of thoughts and they are hard to make sense of
No I can't handle three nights
I can't handle even a short amount of time without her
So I shudder to think when nights turn to weeks
I am terrified of how difficult it will be in the long run
Am I alright?
I'm not sure if I'm okay
The comedian says that a day without lights just...
Even though someone says things could be worse, it doesn't help me feel better
I'm so lonely for her
I am still so unbelievably lonely without her
My one and only
She was my everything
I'm so [when the rain comes], i'm so lonely for her [I'm gonna fall and that's ohkay]
I am so lonely for her no matter what happens
I'm so lonely for her
I am still just as lonely without her
I'm so [and when the sun comes out], i'm so lonely for her [it's gonna be a beautiful day]
Even if things get better, I am still missing her
i am so lonely for her
My loneliness is consuming
i'm so, i'm so lonely, i'm so lonely
I can't stop feeling lonely
i am so... all i know is i am so lonely for her, for her
All I know is I can't handle being without her
Open my window oh oh oh
I try to get some fresh air
I'm ready to live with this
I'm going to have to accept this reality
Then you walk by my window oh oh oh
But when I see you, it hurts even more
You give me something to miss
Because I miss you so much
Right next to the touch
You used to be so close to me,
Where you hurt me so much
But now all I feel is pain
Contributed by Claire E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.