Heavily influenced musically and politically by mid-1990s vegan straight edge metal/hardcore acts such as Earth Crisis, Day of Suffering, Loxiran and Morning Again, their music also displays influences from metal acts such as At the Gates, Metallica, Sepultura and Slayer.
The year of 1999 saw Maroon releasing a demo cassette entitled The Initiate, signalling a new era of vegan straight edge culture in Germany. All four of the songs were to be found on later releases.
Their first cd, Captive in the Room of the Conspirator, was recorded at Headquarters Studion in Berlin in spring 2000 and released that year on the now-defunct Kerosene Recordings label, featuring songs like The Solution strongly advocating a vegan lifestyle and support for animal liberation and earth liberation. The band began touring Europe, opening for many hardcore acts including their idols Earth Crisis and Morning Again.
Later in the year Maroon released an untitled split 7" with Absidia on the Crap Chords label, featuring the song Wasted. That winter the band went back to the studio to record a split CD with Self Conquest entitled The Key, this time using 101 Studios, also in Berlin. On the heels of this recording, released by Beniihana Records the band went back on the road once more, touring Europe and opening for bands including Heaven Shall Burn and Caliban.
In November 2001 Maroon entered Rape of Harmonies Studios to record their debut full-length, Antagonist, released on legendary US vegan straight edge hardcore label Catalyst Records (http://www.xcatalystx.com). Catalyst is run by Kurt Catalyst, frontman for defunct hardcore legends Birthright and a newer band, Risen. Antagonist featured Maroon's best work to date both musically and lyrically, delivering a number of hard-hitting songs including the vegan straight edge anthem Still Believe in What Has Fallen Apart and a cover of Canon's classic animal liberation rallying call Declaration. The album soon became one of Catalyst's biggest sellers in both the US and Europe, leading to more European tours.
After some line up changes Maroon switched labels to Alveran Records in 2003, who then re-released Antagonist. February 2004 saw the band at Denmark's Antfarm Studio recording a new full length album entitled Endorsed by Hate. Following the recording, original guitarist Marc Zech left the band, and was replaced by Sebastian Rieche. The album was released in Europe in June, and between June and December of 2004 Maroon played 60 shows across Europe, including major festivals such as With Full Force and Pressure Fest. In October the band switched labels again, signing to Century Media Records. In early 2005 Century Media/Abacus released Endorsed by Hate in North America.
Many of Maroon's die-hard vegan straight edge fans felt let down by Endorsed by Hate due to its general lack of overtly topical lyrics, especially after the inspiring "Antagonist". As opposed to previous releases, the new album makes no mention of veganism, straight edge, animal liberation or earth liberation in the lyrics, liner notes or artwork. Another disappointment for these fans was the change of Maroon's website address from "http://www.xmaroonx.com" to "http://www.maroonhate.com", leading many fans to believe that Maroon have "sold out" on straight edge.
2006 saw the release of the new Maroon CD entitled When Worlds Collide which lead to some back-to-the-roots changes a least regarding the lyrics. 24 HourHateor Wake Up In Hell (one of the disco-smashers 2006, deal with animal liberation, while
Like Sword And Bullet advises a life without drugs.
Regarding the music, the new album is more diverse than any of the others. Maroon combine both their old trademarks with some new features (even featuring clean metal-style vocal on Annular Eclipse, even though it somehow lacks the spirit of the older Maroon releaes due to its very clean and sterile production.
In 2009, they released their fifth and last album, called Order.
They announced that they will play their last Tour in 2014, with their last show at the Summerbreeze (15th of August).
The Sun
Maroon Lyrics
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Walking home
Fresh dirt under my fingernails
And I can smell hot asphalt
Cars screech to a halt to let me pass
And I cannot remember
What life was like through photographs
And trying to recreate images life gives us from our past
And sometimes it's a sad song
But I cannot forget
Refuse to regret
So glad I met you and
Take my breath away
Make every day
Worth all of the pain that I have gone through
And Mama I've been cryin'
'Cause things ain't how they used to be
She said, "The battle's almost won
And we're only several miles from the sun"
Oh whoa, yeah
Now, moving on down my street
I see people I won't ever meet
I think of her and take a breath
Feel the beat in the rhythm of my steps
And sometimes it's a sad song
But I cannot forget
Refuse to regret
So glad I met you and
Take my breath away
Make every day
Worth all of the pain that I have gone through
And Mama I've been cryin'
'Cause things ain't how they used to be
She said, "The battle's almost won
And we're only several miles from the sun"
The rhythm of her conversation
The perfection of her creation
The sex she slipped into my coffee
The way she felt when she first saw me
Hate to love and love to hate her
Like a broken record player
Back and forth and here and gone
And on and on and on and on
I cannot forget
Refuse to regret
So glad I met you and
Take my breath away
Make every day
Worth all of the pain that I have gone through
And Mama I've been cryin'
'Cause things ain't how they used to be
She said, "The battle's almost won
And we're only several miles
Said, the battle's almost won
And we're only several miles from the sun"
Yeah, oh, several miles from the sun, oh
Yeah, yeah, whoo whoa, whoa, yeah, yeah
The lyrics of "The Sun" by Maroon 5 talk about the nostalgia that comes with the memories of one's teenage years. The song talks about walking home after school with fresh dirt under your fingernails and the smell of hot asphalt. As the singer walks down the street, they reflect on the people they see on the way, realizing that they might never meet them. The song highlights how life moves on, and we cannot go back to the past, but we can treasure the memories that we have.
The lyrics also talk explicitly about the pain and how life can be tough sometimes, but the singer refuses to regret and chooses to take their breath away. The song is also a celebration of the people we meet in life who make us forget about the pain and make every day worth living. The singer's mother remarks that the battle is almost won and they are only several miles away from the sun, which means that the future is bright.
Overall, the song "The Sun" by Maroon 5 is an emotional journey that highlights the nostalgia, pain, and hope that comes with the memories of our teenage years. The song encourages us to move on and celebrate the people who make our lives better.
Line by Line Meaning
After school
After finishing school
Walking home
Walking towards home
Fresh dirt under my fingernails
Having fresh soil stuck under the fingernails
And I can smell hot asphalt
Able to smell the odor of hot asphalt from the road
Cars screech to a halt to let me pass
The vehicles stopped abruptly to facilitate one's crossing
And I cannot remember
Unable to recollect a fact or an incident
What life was like through photographs
How life would have appeared in the past through photographic evidence
And trying to recreate images life gives us from our past
Attempting to replicate one's past experiences
And sometimes it's a sad song
Occasionally, it's a melancholic song
But I cannot forget
I cannot erase something from memory
Refuse to regret
Refusing to feel remorseful about something
So glad I met you and
Feeling delighted for having met someone
Take my breath away
Rendering someone speechless
Make every day
Ensuring that each day
Worth all of the pain that I have gone through
Is worth all the hardship that I endured
And Mama I've been cryin'
And Mother, I've been sobbing
'Cause things ain't how they used to be
Because things are not the same as before
She said, "The battle's almost won
She said that the fight was almost over
And we're only several miles from the sun"
And we are just a few miles away from the sun
Now, moving on down my street
Now walking down the street
I see people I won't ever meet
Observing people I will never have a chance to meet
I think of her and take a breath
Thinking of her and breathing deeply
Feel the beat in the rhythm of my steps
Feeling the pulsation of one's gait
The rhythm of her conversation
The tempo of her talk
The perfection of her creation
The excellence of her masterpiece
The sex she slipped into my coffee
The sensuality she added to my drink in secret
The way she felt when she first saw me
The emotion she felt when she laid eyes on me for the first time
Hate to love and love to hate her
Hating to love her and loving to hate her
Like a broken record player
Like a dysfunctional music player
Back and forth and here and gone
Going back and forth between different phases
And on and on and on and on
Continuing forever
Several miles from the sun
A few miles away from the sun
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Levine, James Valentine, Jesse Royal Carmichael, Mickey Madden, Ryan Michael Dusick
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind