The band released their second studio album on February 24, 2009 entitled Masterpiece Theatre.
It takes some real cojones to include the word 'Masterpiece' in your album title, but Josh Ramsay isn't too worried. "I suppose I could be digging myself into a hole calling the record Masterpiece Theatre," he chuckles, "but it's tongue-in-cheek. And I'm not the kind of person that people would assume as being an egomaniac. I hope not, anyway."
Given his feverish imagination and comprehensive musical gifts, Ramsay could probably get away with a little egomania. And with the release of Masterpiece Theatre, the frontman of Vancouver's Marianas Trench makes a iron-clad case for a prodigious set of talents - both his own and those of his bandmates, guitarist Matt Webb, bassist Mike Ayley, and drummer Ian Casselman.
Marianas Trench had already elevated itself above the rest of the pack with a 2006 debut, Fix Me, that showcased a knack for colouring outside the lines of factory-issue millenial punk, shrewdly-built pop, and super-adrenalized modern rock. The single and in particular the video "Shake Tramp" was enough to demonstrate these qualities, coupled with Ramsay's uninhibited urge to be the complete song-and-dance man.
But with both the industry and the fans beating down the door for a quick second album, the Trench decided to put on the brakes. "All of a sudden you have six months to do your next record," Ramsay sighs. "So I really had to just put my foot down and say, 'No, I need the time to do this.' I was not interested in putting something out for the sake of putting something out."
Two years later, Marianas Trench has re-emerged with Masterpiece Theatre. And not surprisingly, it's a work of soaring ambition and decisive technical prowess – that easily might not have happened. "It's one thing when you're Chad Kroeger and you just finished writing 'How You Remind Me'," Ramsay states. "I didn't have some mega-platinum song to back up my argument with, so I was lucky that the band and the label trusted me enough to do it."
By "it", Ramsay means he was allowed to indulge a high-concept fantasy for the band's sophomore album, which is built, for starters, around a song called "Masterpiece Theatre". Adopting Brian Wilson's notion of the 'pocket symphony' and then running with it, the three distinct versions of “Masterpiece Theatre” dotted across the record feature an almost perfect balance between the vocal theatrics of Queen and the more hymnal qualities of the Beach Boys.
By the time “Masterpiece Theatre” is reprised for a final, climactic time, every other song on the album is quoted and incorporated into an intricately constructed dramatic revue that swings from pristine pop, to propulsive riff rock, to quasi-doo wop, to robotic new wave, and finally into a wholly satisfying thematic payoff.
"You know in the climax of a musical, there's always that medley at the end, and I thought that would be cool on a rock record," explains Ramsay, "but it turned out to be a lot harder than I thought it would be. I wrote it in the studio as we recorded it, and it took about three weeks."
After a beat, he adds, "But really it took me two years because it draws from all the songs on the whole album."
Bassist Mike Ayley readily admits, "I don't think any of the three ‘Masterpiece Theatre’ songs could have gone on Fix Me had they been written at the time. ‘Masterpiece’ 2 and 3 in particular are amazing songs that really explore the potential of Josh's writing. You really have to hear them to get it. It's like trying to explain ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to somebody who has only heard Kanye West and Katy Perry."
Ramsay agrees. "I really wanted to have a 'Good Vibrations'/'Bohemian Rhapsody’ style song on the first record,” he says, “but I don't think I was a mature enough writer to have written it yet, and I still feel like I was in over-my-head when we did this one, and I just barely made it."
Ramsay is unnecessarily modest; the whole of Masterpiece Theatre demonstrates a startling compositional maturity compared to the Marianas Trench of two years ago.
"Beside You" is a panoramic exercise in big emotions, with a dash of the Dream Academy's "Life In a Northern Town”. "Acadia" begins with a clipped, bright acoustic guitar, and blossoms into something like the Who reconsidered by U2, reimagined for the net generation. In the crunchy "All to Myself", the power ballad "Lover Dearest", and the strident "Good to You" (in which he duets with Kate Voegele), Ramsay pulls out the kind of honeyed vocals more attuned to modern RnB than white, adolescent rock.
"I always had that aspect in my voice but the first record just didn't have songs that were conducive to me singing that way," he states. "I think it's from growing up listening to a lot of Michael Jackson. With these songs, it made sense to stretch out a little more."
On "Cross My Heart" and "Celebrity Status", the band conjures up a kind of perfect pop crossover. Producer Dave 'Rave' Ogilvie was responsible for the latter track, which cops a move he used on Marilyn Manson's "Beautiful People" with three drummers (Casselman, Ramsay and Shane Wilson) playing at once - much to Ramsay's delight. "He's just worked with so many great artists which makes his well of tricks and ideas so vast," he says.
True to Ramsay's quest for "more diversity on this album" - not to mention the indulgence of his record label - Rave was just one of four prominent guest producers eventually roped into Masterpiece Theatre. Their collective resume includes Nine Inch Nails, Sum 41, Iggy Pop, Avril Lavigne, and Hedley among others.
"I feel really fortunate to have worked with all those guys," Ramsay says, "coz they all bring really unique things. Dave Genn and I have a really good working relationship with each other, and he has such a unique style with arrangement and stuff. Greig Nori was a really pleasant surprise. As far as I can tell, he wanted to work with us because he liked our video. The whole time he was just trying to get me to dance around like an idiot. And Raine Maida, man? Raine's a trip!"
Bassist Ayley also credits Maida for encouraging the band to “find a personality-identity that wasn't as evident when we started the production process," while also praising Ramsay for his production efforts. Ramsay took charge of four songs on the finished record. “Josh is really about capturing the emotion and power which isn't surprising considering all the feeling in the writing,” he says.
Oddly enough, Ramsay also wanted Disney's in-house genius Alan (Little Mermaid) Mencken to twiddle the knobs for the climactic version of "Masterpiece Theatre", but admits, "it's a pretty tall order to get an Academy Award winner to come and work on your record."
Still, the album is certainly not diminished by the few things Ramsay didn't get. And once the world gets a load of this Masterpiece, Mencken, Pharrell Williams, Phil Spector... you name it. They'll probably be lining up.
Haven't Had Enough
Marianas Trench Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm just suggesting
You and I might not be the best thing
X'd it, X'd it
Somehow I guessed it right
Right
But I still
Want ya, want ya
If you leave me,
I'll come back and haunt ya
Do you remember?
We turn to center now
Now
Well I just wish we could go back
One more time and begin it
Back before I lost myself somewhere
Somewhere in it
I bitched up
And it was so fun
But it's time to start on
One more last try
I'mma get the ending right
You can't stop this,
And you must admit that you
Haven't had enough,
You haven't had enough
Stuck, it was so fun
But it's time to start from
One more last place
Better get your story straight
You can't stop this,
And you must confess that you
Haven't had enough,
You haven't had enough
I need ya, need ya
Don't mean to tease ya
If you want me,
I'll come back and meet ya
Whisper, whisper
You must admit you want it
You, you want it!
Well I just wish we could go back
One more time and begin it
Back before I lost myself somewhere,
Somewhere in it
I bitched up
And it was so fun
But it's time to start on
One more last time
I'mma get the ending right
You can't stop this
And you must admit that you
Haven't had enough,
You haven't had enough
Stuck, I was so alone
But it's time to start from
One more last place,
You better get your story straight
You can't stop this,
And you must confess that you
Haven't had enough,
You haven't had enough
Don't you need it?
Don't you want this at all?
(Testing, Testing, I'm just suggesting)
Don't you need it?
Don't you want this at all?
(Testing, Testing, I'm just suggesting)
That oh!
Stuck, that was so long
For this gun to start on
One more last time
And you!
(You haven't had)
You never want it,
(You haven't had a)
You never want it all!
(One more last place)
Oh, no baby!
(You better get your story straight, you can't stop this)
Don't you need it?!
(And you must confess that you)
You haven't at all
(Had enough)
Testing, Testing.
I'm just suggesting
You and I might just be the best thing
The song "Haven't Had Enough" by Marianas Trench is a pop-punk anthem about wanting to relive a past relationship. The song starts with the singer suggesting that both he and his partner might not be the best thing for each other. He acknowledges that he guessed it right, but he is still not ready to let go. In the lyrics "want ya, want ya, don't mean to taunt ya, if you leave me, I'll come back and haunt ya," the singer expresses the desperation he feels for his partner not to leave.
In the chorus, the singer talks about wanting to go back to the past where he lost himself in the relationship. He admits that it was fun at that time, but now he wants to do it one more time and get the ending right. The lines "stuck, it was so fun, but it's time to start from one more last place" indicates that the singer wants to move on from the past and start anew, but not without one last try.
The lyrics of "Haven't Had Enough" are quite intense and evoke emotions of longing and desperation for a past relationship that was once fun but is now lost. The song is a relatable anthem for those who can't seem to forget their past relationships and want to relive them one more time.
Line by Line Meaning
Testing, Testing
I am trying to see if you are listening to me carefully
I'm just suggesting
I am making a proposal or a recommendation
You and I might not be the best thing
Our relationship may not be the most ideal
X'd it, X'd it
I have crossed out or cancelled it
Somehow I guessed it right
I had a feeling or intuition that it would turn out this way
Right
That's correct
But I still
However, I continue to
Want ya, want ya
I desire you or have feelings for you
Don't mean to taunt ya
I am not trying to cause you harm or annoyance
If you leave me,
In the event that you depart from me
I'll come back and haunt ya
I will return and remind you of what you left behind
Do you remember?
Can you recall?
We turn to center now
We focus or aim towards the central aspect or priority now
Now
At the present moment
Well I just wish we could go back
I have a desire to return to the past
One more time and begin it
One additional opportunity to start over
Back before I lost myself somewhere
Before I became lost or confused
Somewhere in it
Within the experience or journey
I bitched up
I made an error or mistake
And it was so fun
It was enjoyable despite the mistake
But it's time to start on
However, it is now the appropriate moment to continue
One more last try
One additional attempt or opportunity
I'mma get the ending right
I will make sure the conclusion is satisfactory or correct
You can't stop this,
You do not have the ability to prevent or hinder this
And you must admit that you
You need to confess or acknowledge that
Haven't had enough,
You still want or need more
Stuck, it was so fun
Being stuck was still entertaining
But it's time to start from
However, it is now the appropriate moment to begin from
One more last place
One additional starting point or opportunity
Better get your story straight
You should prepare and organize your explanations or reasoning
You must confess that you
You need to acknowledge or reveal that
Haven't had enough,
You still want or need more
I need ya, need ya
I require you or have a dependency on you
Don't mean to tease ya
I am not attempting to deceive or mislead you
If you want me,
If you have a desire or longing for me
I'll come back and meet ya
I will return and fulfill your wishes
Whisper, whisper
Speaking quietly or secretly
You must admit you want it
You should acknowledge that you desire or crave it
You, you want it!
You definitely have a passion or enthusiasm for it
Stuck, that was so long
Being stuck lasted for a significant period of time
For this gun to start on
For this intense or exciting experience to begin
And you!
And specifically you
(You haven't had)
You have not experienced enough of this
(You haven't had a)
You have not fully or comprehensively experienced this
(One more last place)
One additional opportunity or starting point
Oh, no baby!
Oh, no my dear!
(You better get your story straight, you can't stop this)
You need to organize your explanations or reasoning, but you cannot prevent this from happening
Don't you need it?!
Do you not require or desire this?!
(And you must confess that you)
And you need to acknowledge or reveal that
You haven't at all
You have not experienced this in any way
(Had enough)
You do not have a sufficient quantity or experience of this
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Karime Sauzameda
Testing, testing, I'm just suggesting
You and I might not be the best thing
Exit, exit, somehow I guessed it right, right
But I still want ya, want ya, don't mean to taunt ya
If you leave now, I'll come back and haunt ya
You'll remember, return to sender now, now...
Well, I just wish we could go back one more time and begin it
Back before I lost myself somewhere, somewhere in it
I've been stuck now so long
We just got the start wrong
One more last try
I'ma get the ending right
You can stop this and I must insist
That you haven't had enough
You haven't had enough
Stuck now so long
We just got the start wrong
No more last place
You better get your story straight
You can't stop this and I must insist
That you haven't had enough
You haven't had enough
I still need ya, need ya, don't mean to tease ya
If you want me, I'll come back and meet ya
Whisper, whisper
You must admit you want it
You, you want it
Well I just wish we could go back one more time
And begin it
Back before I lost myself somewhere
Somewhere in it
We've been stuck now so long
We just got the start wrong
One more last try
I'ma get the ending right
You can stop this, and I must insist
That you haven't had enough
You haven't had enough
Stuck now so long
We just got the start wrong
No more last place
You better get your story straight
You can stop this, and I must insist
That you haven't had enough
You haven't had enough
Don't you need it? don't you want this at all?
Testing, testing, I'm just suggesting
Don't you need it? don't you want this at all?...
Testing, testing, I'm just suggesting...
Stuck now so long
We just got the start wrong
One more last try
I'ma get the ending
You can stop this, and I must insist
Testing, testing
You haven't had enough
You haven't had enough...
Stuck now so long
We just got the start wrong
No more last place
You better get your story straight
You can stop this
Don't you need it, don't you want this at all
And I must insist
That you haven't had enough...
You haven't had enough
Testing, testing, I'm just suggesting
You and I might just be the best thing
Summer Sunshine
THIS WAS THEIR BEST ERA
Gavin Ramirez
Agreed
coma2007crisis
Summer Sunshine Nope, fix me.
Sara Smith
Shawarmie agreed
no idea
i respect your opinion but astoria and masterpiece theater exist
alyssa moosetail
Most definitely.
Jude D.M.
Still wonderwing why Marianas Trench ain't getting enough recognition when they have awesome songs like this.
lamp light
cause their a canadian band and most canadian bands / artists don't get international recognition
Liam.
@lamp light Drake, The Weeknd and Justin Bieber are literally the Three biggest male artists on the planet and they’re all Canadian
lamp light
@Liam. i'm saying most that's 3