"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."
One Beat from a Heartbreak
Marc Martel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dust in my mouth, I, I just wanna go home
Home, just wanna go home
I lost and found and then I lost it
Once shy, twice burned by ones I trusted
Oh, oh by ones I trusted
And none too close for comfort
One step from a fall
One letdown from giving up
And not trying at all
Left my spirit tonight
Let's go back on time
And I can catch my breath from living
One beat, one beat from a heartbreak
From a heartbreak
I used to run on reckless abandon
Fresh face, so creed, hot like a cannon
Oh, oh hot like a cannon
And it's a long way down from there to here
One beat from a heartbreak
One step from a fall
One letdown from giving up
And not trying at all
Left my spirit tonight
Let's go back in time
And I can catch my breath from living
One beat, one beat from a heartbreak
From a heartbreak
One beat, one beat from a heartbreak
From a heartbreak
Tears gonna run
Thieves gonna try and try to steal
O darling don't let go
Be still and know
What you can and cannot control
One beat from a heartbreak
One step from a fall
One letdown away from giving up
And not trying at all
I left my spirit tonight
Let's go back in time
So I can catch my breath from living
One beat, one beat from a heartbreak
From a heartbreak
One beat, one beat from a heartbreak
From a heartbreak
One beat, one beat, one beat
The lyrics of Marc Martel's song "One Beat from a Heartbreak" reflect on the difficult times that the singer has endured while trying to find his way back home. He has been beaten down, set up, and trampled, feeling like dust in his mouth. He has lost and found things that are important to him, and has been burned by those he trusted. Despite these challenges, he still tries his best to keep going.
The chorus of "One Beat from a Heartbreak" centers around the idea that it only takes one small thing, one beat, step, or letdown, to be pushed over the brink of despair. However, the song also emphasizes the importance of not giving up, even when things seem bleak. The singer wants to turn back time and catch his breath from living, but he cannot change the past.
As the song concludes, Marc Martel acknowledges that life is unpredictable and full of hardships. Tears may fall, thieves may try to steal, but he urges the listener to remain calm and remember what they can and cannot control. The message of the song is about resilience, the ability to persevere, and to hold on to hope despite everything that may happen.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been beat down, set up, trampled
I have been physically and emotionally defeated and treated unfairly
Dust in my mouth, I, I just wanna go home
I feel defeated and weary, and just want to retreat to a place of comfort
Home, just wanna go home
The singer is emphasizing their desire for comfort and familiarity
I lost and found and then I lost it
The artist experienced a win and then a loss, which was difficult to handle emotionally
Once shy, twice burned by ones I trusted
The artist has been betrayed by people they trusted, and now has difficulty trusting others again
Oh, oh by ones I trusted
The singer is expressing disappointment and hurt due to the betrayal by their trusted ones
And none too close for comfort
The singer is emphasizing their discomfort with being vulnerable and close to others
One beat from a heartbreak
The artist feels as though they are about to experience immense emotional pain
One step from a fall
The artist is close to experiencing a failure or setback
One letdown from giving up
The artist is close to feeling disappointed enough to give up on their goals
And not trying at all
The singer may be tempted to stop trying if they experience another setback or disappointment
Left my spirit tonight
The artist feels as though they have lost their motivation or inspiration
Let's go back in time
The singer wishes they could revisit the past and try to fix or avoid their mistakes
And I can catch my breath from living
The singer wants to take a moment to rest and recover from the stresses of life
From a heartbreak
The singer has experienced emotional pain before and wants to avoid experiencing it again
Tears gonna run
The artist expects to cry due to the negative experiences they have had
Thieves gonna try and try to steal
The artist feels as though there are people who are trying to take advantage of them
O darling don't let go
The singer is reaching out to a loved one for comfort and support
Be still and know
The singer is encouraging themselves and others to find inner peace and strength during difficult times
What you can and cannot control
The artist is reminding themselves and others to focus on what they can control, rather than worrying about things beyond their control
One beat, one beat, one beat
The artist is emphasizing how close they are to experiencing a heartbreak and how important it is to avoid it
Contributed by Julian V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.