"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 arrangements…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."
Impersonator
Marc Martel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wonder if my own eyes would recognize
Whatever I become when I leave your lies
I should′ve made a break, for the far escape – warning signs I didn't take
And all the things you bought – just a break
But I am the impersonator
You can be the reason for my insanity
I am the impersonator
Whatever makes you happy
What′s done is done, this is what I become
And now you would not have me any other way – so why stay?
Let me go on, like nothing's wrong, just to keep you holding on
A flash before my eyes as I fade away – and I fade away
I am the impersonator
You can be the reason for my insanity
I am the impersonator
I give you everything you want from me
Whatever makes you happy
And so I, I put on my show with my life
I whether wait on my disguise, try out the silence
So you never read the signs
I lose myself to have you, and you don't even have a clue
I am the shadow, who keeps you in the light
And I am the impersonator
You can be the reason for my insanity
I am the impersonator
I give you anything you want from me, cos′ you know
I′ll never make you happy
Whatever makes you happy.
By jenkins joos (Franco J.)
The lyrics of Marc Martel's song Impersonator delve into the complexities of a toxic relationship, where one partner becomes exactly what the other wants them to be, at the cost of their own identity and sanity. The singer questions their own sense of identity, wondering if their own eyes would recognize them if they were to leave the lies of their partner behind. They regret not heeding the warning signs of the relationship and becoming an impersonator to keep their partner happy. They feel trapped, wanting to escape but also wanting to keep their partner holding on. The song ends with the acknowledgement that they will never make their partner happy, yet they continue to strive towards it.
The lyrics are a poignant reminder of the damaging effects of a toxic relationship and the importance of maintaining one's sense of self. The singer is aware of their own role in the relationship, but is unable to break free from it. The use of the term "impersonator" adds another layer of complexity to the lyrics, suggesting that the singer is not just putting on a façade, but is actively losing a part of themselves in the process.
Overall, the lyrics of Impersonator are a haunting reminder of the dangers of losing oneself in a relationship and the importance of maintaining one's sense of identity.
Line by Line Meaning
I wonder if my own eyes would recognize
I am unsure if I would even recognize myself after being influenced by your lies.
Whatever I become when I leave your lies
I am not sure what kind of person I will become after distancing myself from your deceitful ways.
I should′ve made a break, for the far escape – warning signs I didn't take
I regret not leaving earlier despite seeing warning signs that things were not right.
And all the things you bought – just a break
All the material things you provided for me were just a temporary distraction from the reality of our situation.
But I am the impersonator
I have become someone else entirely in order to survive in this situation.
You can be the reason for my insanity
Your actions have driven me to madness and instability.
I give you everything you want from me
I have sacrificed my own happiness and identity in order to provide everything you desire.
Whatever makes you happy
My sole focus is making you happy, even if it means losing myself in the process.
What′s done is done, this is what I become
There is no going back now, I am forever changed by the experience of being with you.
And now you would not have me any other way – so why stay?
You have grown accustomed to the impersonator that I have become, but I question why I should continue to stay in this role.
Let me go on, like nothing's wrong, just to keep you holding on
I act as if everything is normal in order to keep you satisfied and dependent on me.
A flash before my eyes as I fade away – and I fade away
I am slowly losing myself and my identity before my very own eyes.
And so I, I put on my show with my life
Every aspect of my life has become a performance for your benefit.
I whether wait on my disguise, try out the silence
I am constantly hiding my true self and testing different ways of convincing you that the impersonator is who I truly am.
So you never read the signs
I try to ensure that you never pick up on the warning signs that I am not who I pretend to be.
I lose myself to have you, and you don't even have a clue
My desperation to keep you in my life has caused me to lose my sense of self, all while you remain oblivious to this fact.
I am the shadow, who keeps you in the light
I exist to make you shine and appear better than you truly are.
I give you anything you want from me, cos′ you know
You have taken advantage of my willingness to provide everything you want, because you know that I will never stand up for myself.
I′ll never make you happy
Despite my efforts to please you, I know that I will never truly make you happy because I have lost myself in the process.
Writer(s): John Randall Fields, Lily Kershaw, Marc A. Martel
Contributed by Max W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.