In 2001, the band regrouped, with guitarist James Valentine added to the line-up, and pursued a new direction under the name: Maroon 5. At this point, Jesse Carmichael switched to playing the keyboards and this has become his main instrument in the band (although he also plays rhythm guitar to this day). After these changes, Maroon 5 signed with Octone Records and released their debut album, "Songs About Jane", in June 2002. The album's lead single "Harder to Breathe", received heavy airplay, which helped the album to debut at number six on the Billboard 200 chart. The band won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2005. For the next few years, the band toured extensively worldwide in support of Songs About Jane and produced two live recordings: 2004's "1.22.03.Acoustic" and 2005's "Live Friday the 13th". In 2006, Ryan Dusick officially left the band after suffering from serious wrist and shoulder injuries and was replaced by Matt Flynn. The band recorded their second album, "It Won't Be Soon Before Long" and released it in May 2007. The album reached number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and the lead single, "Makes Me Wonder", became the band's first number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100.
On September 21, 2010, the band released their third studio album entitled "Hands All Over". It was re-released in 2011 to include the single "Moves like Jagger" (featuring Christina Aguilera). While the original version of the album received mixed reviews, "Moves like Jagger" reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The band released their next album, "Overexposed", on June 26, 2012. All four singles of the album were really successful on the charts - for example, the second single from Overexposed, "One More Night" (released on June 19, 2012), reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2014, the band signed with Interscope Records and released their fifth studio album, "V", with the very-first line-up of six official band members, as keyboardist and backing vocalist PJ Morton became an official member in 2012. The album debuted at top of the weekly Billboard 200 chart. Since its debut in 2002, the band has sold more than 15 million albums in the United States and over 100 million singles and 27 million albums worldwide.
Leaving California
Maroon 5 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Interesting Facts ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's Sunday morning
Said that you were leaving
Letting go of us
Where did we go wrong, oh
And now you say you're leaving California
Gotta head back East and want to leave tonight
Pack your things and go, oh
I won't be alright
Even if the sun crashes into us
I won't let go, I won't let go
And I can be your light
Stay with me tonight
I won't let go, I won't let go
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, yeah yeah yeah
Pick up all the pieces
Fight to hold on
Put them back together, do it all for love, oh
Never let it go
Oh yeah, hm
'Cause I don't need a reason
Just to hold ya
Wipe all of your tears and
Look you in the eyes, oh
Oh baby please don't go
Oh yeah
But if you run away
I won't be alright
Even if the sun crashes into us
I won't let go, I won't let go
And I can be your light
Stay with me tonight
I won't let go, I won't let go
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, yeah yeah yeah
Now you say you're leaving California
The lyrics of "Leaving California” by Maroon 5 describe the anxieties of letting go of a lover who has decided to leave. The song begins on a Sunday morning, and the lover announces they’re leaving California to head back to the east coast. The singer is distressed and cannot comprehend the reasons for his lover leaving. He asks, “Where did we go wrong?” Despite the pain of losing his lover, he still urges them not to go. The singer says he would be heartbroken if his lover runs away, but he can still be their light and wants them to stay with him. Even though things may seem to be falling apart, the singer hopes to pick up the pieces to fight to hold on to the love they once had. The song then ends with the plea to not let go, hinting at the fear of losing what they once had.
This song is a bittersweet take on a breakup, where both the singer and the person leaving share equal parts of blame. The remorse and desperation of the lyricism are amplified by the band's virtuoso performance. Adam Levine expresses an array of emotions with his soulful voice, while the band's instruments provide an intense yet melodious tune.
Interesting facts about "Leaving California":
Interesting Facts
Note: This section uses generative AI, which can be inaccurate.
Line by Line Meaning
You got in so late
You arrived very late at night, almost morning.
It's Sunday morning
The day is Sunday and it's very early in the morning.
Said that you were leaving
You announced that you were going away.
Letting go of us
You declared that you're moving on from our relationship.
Where did we go wrong, oh
We're questioning where our relationship started to fall apart.
And now you say you're leaving California
You're leaving California to start anew.
Gotta head back East and want to leave tonight
You must go east and you want to leave tonight.
Pack your things and go, oh
You must gather your belongings quickly and depart.
But if you run away
If you leave me and our relationship behind.
I won't be alright
I will not be okay without you.
Even if the sun crashes into us
Even if an unprecedented and disastrous event occurs, I will not give up on our love.
I won't let go, I won't let go
I will hold onto you and our love.
And I can be your light
I can be the beacon that leads you through the darkest moments.
Stay with me tonight
Please don't leave me tonight.
Pick up all the pieces
Let's fix our relationship by piecing it back together.
Fight to hold on
Let us strive to persevere through any challenges and maintain our love.
Put them back together, do it all for love, oh
Let's rebuild our relationship, all in the name of love.
Never let it go
Let us never give up on our love for each other.
'Cause I don't need a reason
I don't require any justification to love you.
Just to hold ya
Simply being able to hold you is enough for me.
Wipe all of your tears and
Let me comfort you and help you through your struggles.
Look you in the eyes, oh
I want to look deep into your eyes and reflect on the love we share.
Oh baby please don't go
Please don't leave me and our relationship behind.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Benjamin Levin, Adam Noah Levine, Ammar Malik, Nathaniel Joseph Ruess
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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ain't nothing left to do