"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."
Stalemate
Marc Martel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got you dead in my sights
All spoils to the crown
Two for wrong, none for right
Intimidation won't faze me
My ammunition's sound
and I won't break this
Can't take your eyes off the other's sins
Stalemate, are we just gonna wait here
Betting each other that we won't pull the trigger
Darling, don't pull the trigger
Across state lines
Retreated to a safe house
Playing bad cop, bad cop
To a truth that won't come out
It never ceases to amaze me
How lovers can be so crazy cruel
Stalemate, nobody wins
Can't take your eyes off the other's sins
Stalemate, are we just gonna wait here
Betting each other that we won't pull the trigger
Stalemate, stalemate
Darling, don't pull the trigger
Stalemate, stalemate
Darling, don't pull the trigger
Can we escape this tired rhythm
What if we give up the right
To be the victim
And just surrendered together
Stalemate, nobody wins
Can't take your eyes off the other one's sins
Stalemate, are we just gonna wait here
Betting each other that we won't pull the trigger
Stalemate, stalemate
Can we surrendered together
And break out of this rhythm
Darling, don't pull the trigger
Baby, don't pull the trigger
Darling, don't pull the trigger
The song "Stalemate" by Marc Martel is about a couple who are at odds with each other and are locked in a tense, dangerous situation. The singer of the song refuses to back down and has his partner in his sights, but he doesn't want to pull the trigger. The song is about how both parties are struggling to find a way out of the stalemate they are in, and the difficulties they encounter along the way.
The lyrics expertly convey the tension of the situation, with the line "Two for wrong, none for right" suggesting that both sides are guilty, and the refrain of "stalemate, nobody wins" highlighting the futility of the argument. The mention of "bad cop, bad cop" suggests that the couple are trying to interrogate each other, but neither will give up any ground. The singer is determined not to let intimidation sway him, but is also aware that he cannot simply win by force.
The song ends on a more hopeful note, with the suggestion that the couple could find a way out if they stopped trying to assign blame and surrendered to each other. The refrain of "darling, don't pull the trigger" is both a plea for the other person to hold back, and a reminder that they are both in this situation together.
Line by Line Meaning
I won't back down
I will not retreat or give up
Got you dead in my sights
I have you under control
All spoils to the crown
The one with the power wins it all
Two for wrong, none for right
We're both wrong and there's no right one
Intimidation won't faze me
Your attempt to scare me will not work
My ammunition's sound
I have what it takes to win
and I won't break this
I will not back down or change my stance
Stalemate, nobody wins
The situation is at a standstill and there is no one winning
Can't take your eyes off the other's sins
We are both guilty of something and are focusing on each other's faults
Stalemate, are we just gonna wait here
We are stuck and not making progress
Betting each other that we won't pull the trigger
We are testing each other to see who will give up
Darling, don't pull the trigger
Please do not give up and make things worse
Across state lines
We are far apart from each other
Retreated to a safe house
We have withdrawn to a secure place
Playing bad cop, bad cop
We are both interrogating each other
To a truth that won't come out
We can't seem to find the real issue
It never ceases to amaze me
It's surprising to see that
How lovers can be so crazy cruel
How two people who once loved each other can be so unkind
Can we escape this tired rhythm
Can we break out of the cycle we're in
What if we give up the right
What if we stop insisting on being right
To be the victim
To stop playing the victim in the situation
And just surrendered together
What if we gave up and surrendered as one
Stalemate, stalemate
The situation is stuck
Can we surrendered together
Can we give up as one
And break out of this rhythm
And get out of this cycle
Baby, don't pull the trigger
Please let's not give up and make things worse
Contributed by Jeremiah J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@szaboehs8151
Honestly, I love your own songs much than Queen's covers. You're unique.
@anamariam.8456
Genial me encanta 🤩😊😁🤗💋🇪🇸❤️
@maryrauschenberger1537
What a beautiful voice🥰‼️
@szczepanbedowski1390
Is beutifull you have the best voice in the world, please make more songs 🌟🎶😍
@spacehunter2945
I love all the queen stuff but I come back every other month and just listen to this song non stop
@patw1795
Great job on this song Marc. This song is really good. Your a really good singer.
@socratesandradeandrade9317
Ouço todos os dias essa canção. Sergipe, Brasil.
@Danlana0703
Beautiful 🇧🇷
@JeffWS
How come this is not on all radio stations around the globe? Even four years later so few people saw this masterpiece.
@wandasta4099
This song deserves far more views.