The band was formed in late 2009 and was earlier known as "The Groves" but they later changed their name to "Lawson" when Dr. David Lawson performed a life-saving brain surgery on the lead singer Andy Brown. Lawson began recording material in early 2010. Acoustic versions of their early original material as well as covers of artists such as Bruno Mars and Adele built up an online fanbase. They soon began playing gigs around the United Kingdom, including the Wireless Festival and the Ultrasound Festival.
On 8 September 2011, it was announced that the band had been signed to Polydor Records, with a lucrative two-album deal on the cards. After signing to a major label, Lawson were tasked with opening for acts such as The Wanted, Will Young, Avril Lavigne, and Jessie J. The band toured extensively at the beginning of 2012, fitting in a headline tour of the UK in January and another in May as well as a one-off intimate show at Monto Water Rats in London which was streamed worldwide in April. During this time the band worked on material for their debut album with writers and producers such as Carl Falk and John Shanks.
The band's first official single "When She Was Mine", was released in May 2012 and reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. Following the single release, the band undertook their second headline tour, selling out venues in London, Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield and Birmingham. The band's second single, "Taking Over Me", was released on in August 2012, peaking at number three in the UK. In the summer of 2012, Lawson performed at T in the Park, V Festival and alongside Bruce Springsteen at Hard Rock Calling. They also announced a Hometown Tour, playing dates from October through November in their respective home towns and London, where they reside now. In October 2012, the band released their third official single, "Standing in the Dark", which reached number six in the UK. The band later revealed that their debut album, Chapman Square, would be released on 22 October. Guitarist Joel Peat said of the album: "We're all so excited to release our debut album, we've been building up to it for the past four years, and the album's title for us is special, because it is the first place that we played together as a band. Going out on tour to support the album is amazing too. Doing shows in our home towns feels like the perfect way to celebrate. Performing live is what we love the most, so to be able to play our biggest venues to date in the cities where we grew up is very special." Lawson cited many inspirations for their debut album, including John Mayer and Taylor Swift. On 22 October 2012, Lawson released Chapman Square, peaking at number four in the UK Albums Chart. The album was later certified gold. The band finished the year performing at the Oxford Street Christmas Lights switch on with Robbie Williams and at the Capital FM Jingle Bell Ball where their performance was watched by Taylor Swift.
At the beginning of 2013, Lawson played their first headline shows in the US and Canada selling out New York's Bowery Ballroom, The Troubadour in LA and The Mod Club in Canada. In February, they embarked on the Chapman Square tour, playing 18 sold out shows in the UK and Ireland. While working on new tracks for the repack of Chapman Square they visited South East Asia and Australia as well as announcing numerous festival dates including T in the Park, V Festival and Hard Rock Calling for the second year running and Isle of Wight Festival for the first time.
"Brokenhearted", featuring American rapper B.o.B, was released as the lead single from the repackaged version of Chapman Square in July 2013, reaching number six in the UK. B.o.B flew over to the UK to perform Brokenhearted with the band at Wembley Stadium for the Capital FM Summertime Ball. The band announced their second single, "Juliet", while on tour in the US for the second time in 2013. The track was released on 13 October 2013. British model and actress Kelly Brook stars as the titular character in the video. The band were included in the line-up of the iTunes Festival 2013, opening for Jessie J. Lawson began their biggest headline tour to date, the "Everywhere We Go Tour", in September 2013. The repackaged version of their debut album titled Chapman Square / Chapter II was released on 21 October 2013. The reissue featured all twelve of the songs from standard edition of the Chapman Square (though not the full sixteen of the deluxe edition), plus six new songs. The deluxe edition of Chapter II includes a second disc including acoustic songs and a short tour film.
In 2014, according to the updates at Facebook by Ryan Fletcher, he wrote " Lawson have been in Iceland to do a photo shoot for their new album, and maybe to film a video... More news soon!" Currently in December 2014, they are at Nashville, TN, USA doing some records. It is expected that the album to release at early of 2015 and to do a tour soon. The name for the album is still unknown. On 2 February 2015 Lawson announced via Twitter that there first gig (after releasing the new album) would be at live at Leeds on 2 May 2015.
The Girl I Knew
Lawson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I saw you face to face
When you looked at me that way
In coven garden that day
What did I do wrong to make you doubt me
Why did you change
The girl I knew wanted my first child
The girl I knew wouldn't make me cry
But she's gone and left home tonight
Left me on my own tonight
Of all the days we spent together
And the endless movie nights
Said we'd always last forever
And I never thought you'd lie
How did I lose my best friend
And what happens now
The girl I knew always made me smile
The girl I knew wanted my first child
The girl I knew wouldn't make me cry
But she's gone and left home tonight
Left me on my own tonight
The girl I knew wouldn't want more things that I ever had
The girl I knew told me I could always make her laugh
Now she's living on her own
And she's listening to sad songs
And I'm waiting for the day she calls my phone
And she says that she was wrong
The girl I knew always made me smile
The girl I knew wanted my first child
The girl I knew wouldn't make me cry
But she's gone and left home tonight
Left me on my own tonight
The girl I knew please come home tonight
The girl I knew always made things right
The girl I knew I can't live without
And I need you home tonight
Just us, just you and I
The lyrics to Lawson's song "The Girl I Knew" tell a story of a man who thought he had found love with a girl he met in Covent Garden. He remembers how they spent endless movie nights together, and how she always made him smile. However, suddenly she's gone and left home without a word of explanation, leaving him feeling lost and confused. He wonders where he went wrong and what could have made her doubt him. He reminisces about the girl he knew and how she wanted to have his first child. He can't understand why she would do this to him, and he longs for her to come back home.
The theme of heartbreak and abandonment is prominent in this song, as the singer struggles to overcome the pain of being abandoned by someone he loves. The lyrics also reflect on how love can be fragile and how easily it can be lost. The singer is left to wonder what happened and how he might have done something differently to prevent the heartache of losing the one he loved.
Overall, the lyrics to "The Girl I Knew" are a poignant reminder of how easily love can be lost and how it can leave someone feeling alone and confused. The song is a melancholy tribute to the joys and sorrows of romantic relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Thought love had come my way
I believed that I had found true love
When I saw you face to face
The moment I met you
When you looked at me that way
The look you gave me
In coven garden that day
In the garden where we met
What did I do wrong to make you doubt me
I'm unsure what I did to make you question my loyalty or honesty
Why did you change
Why did you become different or distant from me
The girl I knew always made me smile
The person I once knew had the ability to bring joy to my life
The girl I knew wanted my first child
The person I once knew dreamed of starting a family with me
The girl I knew wouldn't make me cry
The person I once knew would never intentionally cause me pain
But she's gone and left home tonight
The person I once knew has left and I'm alone
Of all the days we spent together
All the time we shared
And the endless movie nights
All the movies we watched together
Said we'd always last forever
We made promises of forever
And I never thought you'd lie
I trusted that you would always be truthful
How did I lose my best friend
I am wondering how my closest companion is gone
And what happens now
I'm unsure of what the future holds
The girl I knew wouldn't want more things than I ever had
The person I once knew wasn't materialistic
The girl I knew told me I could always make her laugh
The person I once knew appreciated my sense of humor
Now she's living on her own
The person I once knew is living independently
And she's listening to sad songs
The person I once knew is listening to melancholic music
And I'm waiting for the day she calls my phone
I hope to receive a phone call from the person I once knew
And she says that she was wrong
I hope to hear an apology from the person I once knew
The girl I knew please come home tonight
I'm requesting the return of the person I once knew
The girl I knew always made things right
The person I once knew had a way of resolving issues
The girl I knew I can't live without
I need the person I once knew in my life
And I need you home tonight
I need the person I once knew back in my life
Just us, just you and I
It would be ideal for just the two of us to be back together
Contributed by Kayla M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Oliver Lam
This is absolutely beautiful!
AlwaysStayPositive
OMG I love Andy's voice sooo much <333333333
Lilly Rose
just newly heard this song and im already in love with it x
janine greenwood
i love this song so much <3
Stefanie
This song is sooo beautiful! I'm crying! :'(
JORDÁN Ó SIRIDEÁIN
I miss her very much I’m hoping she eventually changes her mind and takes me back some day.
Lotti Con
This song makes me cry! :( choose me Andy and I'll live you forever and I will anyway :) I love this song and love Lawson!! ❤️ xxx
Pamilyang Anico Vlogs
Ompph!! *cries* I feel you Andy :'( Don't you worry. Just choose me. I'll never leave you ;)
Seethewaymaggiecees
Oh goodness this song... so sad and heartbroken, my heart aches for him... </3
Julienne Viray
hmmm.. i dont know what to say ... but this song reminds me of someone I just want to say sorry to him because im too emotional... sorry im not worth it for you...