Her somewhat contentious relationship with Green himself would be captured for audiences to see in the 2005 documentary film Rock School. Even at that young age, Madi had forceful ideas about her music, an instinct that has served her well in avoiding lazy categorization.
Green's School of Rock led to a scholarship at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where Madi would spend the next three years. Beyond musical education, it was at Berklee that she met producer Frank Charlton and engineer Martin Cooke, with whom she would record her first solo album, Skin and Bone, in early 2007. Joining her for the sessions was another Berklee student, Kyle Ryan, her songwriting and performing collaborator ever since.
Skin and Bone is a sparkling debut, capturing a rootsy side of Diaz as singer-songwriter and drawing comparisons to the work of artists like Patty Griffin. But just as soon as Skin and Bone arrived, Diaz was already moving forward. She and Ryan began co-writing with others, and the pair, often joined by bass player Adam Popick, started to play regularly in and around Boston. A chance meeting at a show in New York City lead Madi to her manager Ty Stiklorius (part of John Legend's management team) and in turn to a publishing deal with Cherry Lane (Ryan, too, signed with Cherry Lane).
With support from her new management and publisher, doors began to open and interest in Madi grew, especially after people saw her perform at places like the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival, WXPN Phildelphia's XPoNential Music Festival and the Living Room in New York City's Lower East Side.
Diaz and Ryan began co-writing with folks like Sarah Siskind, Garrison Starr and David Mead, and recording demos with producers Gary Paczosa (Dixie Chicks, Alison Krauss), Marshall Altman (Matt Nathanson) and Jay Joyce (Patty Griffin). Those sessions eventually spurred Diaz and Ryan to uproot from Boston and move to Nashville, where they continued to write new material and ingratiate themselves into the local scene through local gigs at The Basement and Mercy Lounge. Nashville producers, Ian Fitchuck and Justin Loucks (Landon Pigg, Griffin House, De Novo Dahl) became friends and soon collaborators, the first byproduct of which is Diaz and Ryan's new EP, Ten Gun Salute.
The sound of Ten Gun Salute might surprise those who have heard Skin and Bone, as Madi and Kyle veer off into new sonic territories. Toy pianos plink. Fat basslines oomph. Americana overtones give way to imaginative pop structures. All the while there's that amazing voice weaving through. From the simple and sublime "Heavy Heart," to the instantly memorable "Nothing At All," the evocative storytelling of "Love You Now" to the damn-near-epic title track, Ten Gun Salute finds Diaz soaring.
The First Time
Madi Diaz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turned the lights out on the first night
I waited too long when you told me lies
Now it feels like it's the last time
Fight me so I won't regret
Our bridges burning like you burned our bed
I'll climb ‘em ‘til I'm strong enough to fall
Remember when you called my name
How it thundered like a symphony
All the pictures that I used to save
Too many echoes of our ending
Fight me so I won't regret
Our bridges burning like you burned our bed
I'll climb ‘em ‘til I'm strong enough to fall
Fight me so I won't go on
Holding all the hurt you gave my heart
We divided now we only battle on
Ahh
Feel my heart beat slowly
Feel my heart beat slowly
Feel my heart beat so lonely
Feel my heart beat slowly
You were the one's who I held on tight
Turned the lights out on our first night
I waited too long when you told me lies
But it feels just like the first time
Feels just like the first time
Ahh
Feels just like the first time
The song "The First Time" by Madi Diaz tells the story of a failed relationship. The opening lines "You were the one so I held on tight, turned the lights out on the first night" suggests that the singer had high hopes for the relationship with their partner. However, it later becomes clear that the relationship was full of lies, and now the singer feels hurt and alone. They remember the good times when their partner called their name, which was like a symphony to them. But, now they have to fight to not feel regretful for holding onto a relationship that was doomed to fail. The bridge "Feel my heart beat slowly, feel my heart beat so lonely" conveys the emotional turmoil that the singer is going through.
The chorus "Fight me so I won't regret, our bridges burning like you burned our bed, I'll climb 'em 'til I'm strong enough to fall" shows that the singer is willing to stand up for themselves and confront their partner, who has burned a bridge between them. The line "I'll climb 'em 'til I'm strong enough to fall" suggests that the singer is willing to risk everything to move forward and find a way to heal from the heartbreak. The ending "You were the one's who I held on tight, turned the lights out on our first night, I waited too long when you told me lies, but it feels just like the first time" shows the irony that even though the relationship ended in a painful way, the singer still finds themselves feeling nostalgic for the early stages of it.
Line by Line Meaning
You were the one so I held on tight
You were the person I thought I could rely on, so I held onto you tightly.
Turned the lights out on the first night
We ended our first night together by turning off the lights.
I waited too long when you told me lies
I knew you were lying to me but I didn't accept it until it was too late.
Now it feels like it's the last time
The end is near and it feels like this is the last time we'll be together.
Fight me so I won't regret
Engage with me in conflict so I won't have any regrets about how things ended.
Our bridges burning like you burned our bed
Our relationship is falling apart just like our physical connection did.
I'll climb ‘em ‘til I'm strong enough to fall
I'll push myself to the limit even if it means I'll inevitably fail.
Remember when you called my name
Recall the moment when you called out my name for the first time.
How it thundered like a symphony
The sound of you calling my name felt like a great, orchestrated performance.
All the pictures that I used to save
The memories I held close and cherished are now gone.
Too many echoes of our ending
The memories I have keep reminding me that we're over.
Fight me so I won't go on
Engage with me in conflict so I won't keep holding onto our past.
Holding all the hurt you gave my heart
The pain you caused me is still present and it's hard to let go.
We divided now we only battle on
Our relationship is over, but we still fight each other as if we're still together.
Feel my heart beat slowly
My heart is beating slowly and steadily, despite the pain and turmoil.
Feel my heart beat so lonely
My heart is beating with a sense of loneliness and sadness.
Feels just like the first time
Despite everything, it feels like we're back to where we started and reliving the beginning of our relationship.
Writer(s): DIAZ MADI, RUTH NICHOLAS OLIVER
Contributed by Jack J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
elise gehosky
Love this song omg
I sing along to all of Madi’s song
ann nomonous
LOVE IT ! BEST COAST-ISH - PHANTOM IS SUCH A DIVERSE PLEASURE !
Shew
The first 😜