"One of my earlier memories of music is my mom sitting at the piano late at night, playing us to sleep with Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata,'" Marc says. With a father who preached and led worship and a mother who led the church choir and played piano, Marc was raised in a music-intensive environment.
His parents instilled a love for music in him that followed him throughout his childhood through eight years of piano lessons, through Disney duets he would sing with friends, through hours he spent alone teaching himself guitar all the way to a small college in Saskatchewan, where he formed the band Downhere with his roommate Jason Germain and a few close friends in 1999.
"Our friendship was always based around music," Marc says. "We really hit it off musically... we realized we shared a lot of the same taste in music, while also bringing different influences."
Downhere developed their sound while touring on behalf of the college, which would send them out on the road with production, lighting, sound, and even a vehicle and trailer. After four years of college, the band left their Canadian roots behind and relocated to Nashville, TN, where they signed with Word Records. Downhere has since gone on to win multiple Juno Awards and a Dove Award. They have released 10 albums, including their latest release, On the Altar of Love, which reflects a different approach to songwriting than their previous releases.
"For me it used to be all about being musically complex and artsy," Marc says. "And then I had a real perspective-shifting experience. At one of our shows there was a little girl standing front-center with her mother. When I said the next song was "How Many Kings," her face lit up as she looked up at her mom and grabbed her hand. She sang along to every word. I thought to myself, 'I've got to write more songs like THAT.'"
In September 2011, Marc entered a competition to join Roger Taylor, original drummer for the legendary rock band Queen, on stage for the Queen Extravaganza Live Tour. Throughout his career with Downhere, concertgoers have often approached Marc insisting he sounds just like Freddie Mercury, legendary singer of the rock band Queen.
"I don't think I've done a show in the last five or six years where five to ten people haven't come up to me and said, 'Hey, anyone ever tell you that you sound like Queen?' or 'that guy from Queen' or 'Eddie Mercury,'" he says laughingly. "In the list of great rock signers, he is considered one of the best if not the best and it's always just a huge compliment when people tell that to me."
It seems that Downhere concertgoers aren't alone in their thinking, as Marc's entry for the Queen Extravaganza contest, a video of Marc singing along with the Queen classic "Somebody to Love," generated more millions of views on YouTube after being up for only a few days.
Whether it's onstage with Downhere or on a computer screen, Marc has a message and a voice that has captured millions for the past decade. Through music, Marc is after the one thing people are always looking for a connection.
"There is always time for exploring new soundscapes and interesting arrangementsā¦but the song has to connect with people or there's not much point to it. I'm really trying to stay in that magic equilibrium now as I write, the union of intriguing artistry combined with strong human connection."
I Want to Break Free
Marc Martel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want to break free
I want to break free from your lies
You're so self satisfied I don't need you
I want got to break free
God knows, God knows I want to break free
I've fallen in love
And this time I know it's for real
I've fallen in love
God knows, God knows I've fallen in love
Oh
Strange but it's true, yeah
I can't get over the way you love me like you do
But I have to be sure
When I walk out that door
Oh, how I want to be free, baby
Oh, how I want to be free
Oh, how I want to break free
But life still goes on
I can't get used to living without, living without
Living without you by my side
I don't want to live alone, no
God knows, I've got to make it on my own
But baby can't you see
I've got to break free
Now baby can't you see
God knows I want to
God knows I want to
God knows I want to
Break free
Break free
The lyrics to Marc Martel's "I Want to Break Free" express a deep desire for freedom from someone who has been lying and self-satisfied. The opening lines repeat the phrase "I want to break free" three times, emphasizing the strength of the singer's desire for liberation. He no longer wants to be held back by the untruths he has been told and the complacency he has observed in others. He wants to be free to pursue his own path without the influence of those who have held him back.
The lyrics also describe a newfound love that the singer is experiencing. He claims that this time, he knows it's for real, and he has fallen in love for the first time. However, despite his feelings of love, he still feels the need to break free. He must be sure of his love before he can fully commit to being with this person. He sings, "Oh, how I want to be free, baby. Oh, how I want to break free." The lyrics suggest that while he desires a life full of love and connection, he does not want to be held back by anyone or anything.
These lyrics speak to the human desire for independence and self-determination. They suggest that we all have a need to break free from the lies and limitations that hold us back, even when we are experiencing love and connection. The song urges us to pursue our deepest desires and find a way to be true to ourselves, even in the face of obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to break free
I desire to liberate myself from your oppression
I want to break free
I fervently wish to break free
I want to break free from your lies
I want to break away from you and your falsehood
You're so self satisfied I don't need you
You're an ego-centric person, I am better off without you
I want got to break free
I am desperate to break free from your domination
God knows, God knows I want to break free
I sincerely hope that God acknowledges my aspiration to free myself from you
I've fallen in love
I've found love
I've fallen in love for the first time
This is the first time I've truly fallen in love
And this time I know it's for real
This time I believe it's actual and valid
God knows, God knows I've fallen in love
I hope God recognizes that I've fallen in love
Strange but it's true, yeah
It might seem strange, but it's certainly true
I can't get over the way you love me like you do
I can't stop thinking about how much you love me
But I have to be sure
But my decision needs to be confirmed
When I walk out that door
When I leave you behind
Oh, how I want to be free, baby
Oh, how much I crave my freedom, my dear
Life still goes on
Life persists regardless
I can't get used to living without, living without
I can't adjust myself to living without you
Living without you by my side
Existing without your presence next to me
I don't want to live alone, no
I am not content with being alone
God knows, I've got to make it on my own
God knows, I must endure by myself
But baby can't you see
But can't you see, my dear?
I've got to break free
I need to liberate myself
Now baby can't you see
Don't you see, my love?
God knows I want to
God knows, I yearn to
God knows I want to
God knows, I wish to
God knows I want to break free
God knows, I desire to liberate myself from you
Break free
Liberate myself
Writer(s): John Deacon
Contributed by Grace W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@100JAD.
Greeting to all the "Vocal Coaches" who are going to react to this.
@ethanlawrencesamonte685
TRUUUUU HAHAHAHAHAHA
@89190jprice
Please don't.
@kevinrey07
Exactly, who gives a shit about their react?
@ruudla12
Those people have to stay away from YouTube videos. Itās funny how they react and criticize people like Marc or AXL ROSE who has made a career and its known in every corner of the world and they try and tell tjem how they should sing
@Olivier81961
Ye
@devinroi3886
If I were his neighbor I would complain if he stopped singing
@BarryD1993
ššššš
@nicolaevic
If i were*
@zanyreyes7992
Gale Storm