Marc Martel is Canadian musician and singer. He was born in Montreal, Canad… Read Full Bio ↴Marc Martel is Canadian musician and singer. He was born in Montreal, Canada. He's a member of christian-rock band called "Downhere"

"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."

Take On Me
Marc Martel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We′re talking away
I don't know what
I′m to say I'll say it anyway
Today's another day to find you
Shying away
I′ll be coming for your love, okay?

Take on me (take on me)

Take me on (take on me)
I′ll be gone
In a day or two

So needless to say
I'm odds and ends
I′ll be stumbling away
Slowly learning that life is okay
Say after me
It's no better to be safe than sorry

Take on me (take on me)
Take me on (take on me)
I′ll be gone
In a day or two

Oh the things that you say
Is it live or
Just to play my worries away
You're all the things I′ve got to remember
You're shying away
I'll be coming for you anyway

Take on me (take on me)
Take me on (take on me)
I′ll be gone
In a day

Take on me (take on me)
Take me on (take on me)
I′ll be gone (take on me)
In a day (take me on) (take on me)

Take on me (take on me)

Take me on (take on me)
Take on me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Marc Martel's song "Take On Me" describe a pursuit of love and connection. The singer is reaching out to someone who they've been been admiring from afar ('shying away'), letting them know that they will be coming for their love. They urge them to take a chance and 'take on' the singer, because they will only be gone in a day or two. This sense of urgency is emphasized by the shortness of time that the singer is offering, perhaps speaking to a fear of missing an opportunity.

The second half of the song sees the singer reflecting on the ups and downs of life ('I'm odds and ends') while recognizing the importance of taking chances ('It's no better to be safe than sorry'). They express their desire for the object of their affection, who is 'all the things I've got to remember', and pledge again to come after them despite their hesitancy.

Overall, the lyrics of "Take On Me" create a sense of vulnerability and emotional openness, as the singer puts themselves out there and risks rejection in order to pursue love.

Line by Line Meaning

We're talking away
We are having a conversation

I don't know what I'm to say I'll say it anyway
I don't know the right words to say, but I'll try my best

Today's another day to find you
There is always the chance to meet again another day

Shying away
Avoiding interaction or being hesitant

I'll be coming for your love, okay?
I will pursue your affection, is that alright with you?

Take on me (take on me)
Challenge me, test me

Take me on (take on me)
Engage with me, confront me

I'll be gone, in a day or two
I won't be here for long, just temporarily

So needless to say
It's obvious, goes without saying

I'm odds and ends
I'm different, made up of various parts

I'll be stumbling away
I might struggle or falter in my actions