Joseph Arthur (born September 28, 1971) is an American contemporary singer-… Read Full Bio ↴Joseph Arthur (born September 28, 1971) is an American contemporary singer-songwriter from Akron, Ohio. He is known for his melodic compositions combined with swirling choruses. He was discovered by Peter Gabriel in the mid-'90s and signed to Gabriel's Real World label in 1996. Arthur's first album, Big City Secrets, was released in 1997 to critical acclaim.

In 2006, Arthur's song "In the Sun" was covered by Michael Stipe (of R.E.M.) and Coldplay singer Chris Martin. Released for a Hurricane Katrina Relief program, the EP includes six versions of the cover, one of which has Arthur himself singing with Stipe.

Arthur established his own record label, Lonely Astronaut Records, in 2006, and released two studio albums, Let's Just Be (2007) and Temporary People (2008) with backing band The Lonely Astronauts. Arthur subsequently returned to performing and recording as a solo artist, releasing The Graduation Ceremony in 2011 and the double album, Redemption City in 2012.

Arthur is also an acclaimed painter and designer. His artwork has graced the sleeves of his entire discography; the sleeve design for his 1999 album entitled Vacancy was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package.

Favorite Girl
Joseph Arthur Lyrics

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In your version of this world
Your everybody's favourite girl
But that don't mean i'll be the victim
Of any pain you are inflecting today

I don't know what I should do
I've been so happy being
So unhappy with you, but I just had a revalation

My heart's been dying of starvation
I need somebody who will feed me

And if salvation only comes when you fall
Oh lord
It's so hard for me to believe
Oh lord
I'm still waiting for you to call
Oh lord
Trapped inside my memory
Oh lord

Pretending to be someone
You know nothing about
Oh, i wish you were
Someone i knew nothing about

Your looking for any explanation
Your words only find a meaning in between

what's real and what will only ever be
You dream

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Joseph Arthur's "Favorite Girl" is about the painful realization of being in a one-sided relationship. The singer's partner is everybody's favorite girl and perhaps a player in their world. The singer doesn't want to be a victim to any pain that their partner may inflict on them. The singer longs for someone who can feed them emotionally and end their starvation. The lyrics also mention the idea of salvation and waiting for a call that may never come. The song speaks to the struggles of feeling trapped in a memory while pretending to be someone you are not. The singer wishes their partner could be someone they didn't know anything about to escape the pain.

Line by Line Meaning

In your version of this world
You have a certain view of the world.

Your everybody's favourite girl
You seem to be everyone's favorite.

But that don't mean i'll be the victim
But that does not mean I will be a victim.

Of any pain you are inflecting today
Of any pain you are causing today.

I don't know what I should do
I am unsure of what to do.

I've been so happy being
In the past, I was happy being

So unhappy with you, but I just had a revalation
unhappy with you, but now I realize something.

My heart's been dying of starvation
I feel like my heart is starving for something.

I need somebody who will feed me
I need someone to fulfill that emptiness.

And if salvation only comes when you fall
If salvation only comes when something bad happens.

Oh lord
Oh God.