"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."
Perfect World
Marc Martel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you′d see the same thing that I see
In a perfect world, you would not forget
That we used to live in a perfect
Perfect world, a perfect world, a perfect world
Every cloud I see is a little bit heavier to me
Now that I've seen it
Every yesterday's a little bit further away
Now that I've seen it
Now that I′ve seen that
Perfect world
In a perfect world, you would have my name
And we′d both be smiling in a picture frame
In another life, when I see your face
It's more than just a trace of a perfect
Perfect world, a perfect world, a perfect world
Every cloud I see is a little bit heavier to me
Now that I′ve seen it
Now that I've seen it
Every yesterday is a little bit further away
Now that I′ve seen it
Now that I've seen that
Perfect world
You used to say
We make the best
Of what we have
I wish the best of us
Was made to last
Every cloud I see is a little bit heavier to me
Now that I′ve seen it
Now that I've seen it
Every yesterday is a little bit further away
Now that I've seen it
Now that I′ve seen it
Now that I know
It′ll always be less than perfect
The lyrics of Marc Martel's song "Perfect World" explore the concept of longing for a world that no longer exists. The singer is reminiscing about a past relationship or time when everything seemed ideal, perfect, and filled with happiness. In this perfect world, the singer and their partner were deeply connected, seeing each other in the same way and sharing a blissful existence.
However, as time has passed, the perfect world has faded away. The clouds in the sky appear heavier, symbolizing the burdens and weight of reality. Each passing day seems to take the singer further from that perfect time, making it harder to hold onto the memories and the feelings associated with that ideal world.
The lyrics suggest that the singer still carries a deep longing for that perfect world and for the connection they once had with their partner. The pain of knowing that the reality will never match up to those memories is evident. Despite their wishes and hopes, they understand that the world will always fall short of perfection.
Overall, "Perfect World" captures the bittersweet nostalgia of a lost ideal, resonating with anyone who has experienced a love or time that seemed perfect but can never be regained.
Line by Line Meaning
In a perfect world, you would look at me
In an ideal world, you would truly see and understand me.
And you′d see the same thing that I see
And you would perceive the world through the same lens as I do.
In a perfect world, you would not forget
In a flawless world, you would always remember.
That we used to live in a perfect
That we once existed in an ideal state.
Perfect world, a perfect world, a perfect world
An impeccable realm, a faultless existence, an unblemished reality.
Every cloud I see is a little bit heavier to me
Every adversity or setback I encounter feels more burdensome and overpowering.
Now that I've seen it
Now that I have experienced it firsthand.
Every yesterday's a little bit further away
Every past memory becomes more distant and unreachable.
In a perfect world, you would have my name
In an ideal world, you would be forever associated with me.
And we′d both be smiling in a picture frame
And we would both display genuine happiness captured in a photograph.
In another life, when I see your face
In an alternate existence, when I encounter your presence.
It's more than just a trace of a perfect
It signifies more than a mere hint of an ideal.
You used to say
You were known for expressing
We make the best
We always strive to create the finest
Of what we have
Out of the limited resources or circumstances we possess
I wish the best of us
I desire the superior aspects of our relationship
Was made to last
To endure eternally
Now that I know
Now that I am aware
It′ll always be less than perfect
Our reality will perpetually fall short of flawlessness
Writer(s): John Fields, Marc Martel, William Mc Auley
Contributed by Joshua L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.