The current members of the band are Rob Thomas (vocals, piano), Paul Doucette (drums, now guitar), Kyle Cook (lead guitar, vocals) and Brian Yale (bass). Adam Gaynor (rhythm guitar), who has left the band, performed on their first three albums, as well. Rob Thomas is the principal songwriter and lead singer.
Thomas, Yale and Doucette performed in the band Tabitha's Secret out of Orlando, Florida before splitting apart to form Matchbox Twenty with Cook and Gaynor.
Matchbox Twenty released their first album, Yourself or Someone Like You in 1996. While their first single, "Long Day", was a rock radio-only smash, the album soon spun off several Top 40 hit singles throughout 1997 and 1998, including "Push", "3 A.M.", "Real World" and "Back 2 Good". The album eventually went on to sell over 12 million copies in the U.S. alone, earning diamond status. The band toured relentlessly for several years, performing the songs from their one and only album, along with some beloved cover songs such as Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" and The Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down". Their fan base grew from concert to concert because of their electrifying live performances and the longevity of their hit singles on radio. The same year, Matchbox Twenty recorded a live version of their Top-40 hit "3 A.M." for release on the charity album Live in the X Lounge, benefiting cerebral palsy research.
Before recording their second album, Rob Thomas collaborated with Itaal Shur on a song entitled "Smooth" for Carlos Santana's comeback album, Supernatural. The song had a pop-tinged Latin beat and showcased Thomas' lyrical talents. Thomas was supposed to act solely as songwriter on "Smooth", but Carlos Santana had him sing on it as well after hearing the song's demo recording. "Smooth", was the album's lead single and became a gigantic hit in 1999; Thomas earned three Grammys for writing and performing on "Smooth", including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
In 2000, Matchbox 20 renamed themselves Matchbox Twenty and released their second album, Mad Season. The album featured lush instrumental arrangements and spun off several hit singles, including "Bent" (Number One on Hot 100) and "If You're Gone". The video for "Bent", poked fun of singer Thomas' heightened profile from "Smooth" by showing the other band members assaulting him mercilessly. The evocatively arranged ballad "If You're Gone" became a big hit, especially on adult contemporary formats. The band's next two singles, "Mad Season" and "Last Beautiful Girl" were not particularly successful. Fans also note hearing "Black & White People" receive radio play, despite not being released as a single.
For their third album, More Than You Think You Are, the band returned to a harder rock sound. Thomas shared the songwriting efforts with the other band members on several songs. The album spun off hit singles "Disease", "Unwell", and "Bright Lights".
In May 2004, the band released a live concert DVD, Show: A Night in the Life of Matchbox Twenty, filmed in Atlanta and featuring 20 songs, including all of their hit singles.
In February 2005, rhythm guitarist Gaynor officially left the group, which had been on hiatus to allow other members to pursue side projects. Rob Thomas went on to release a solo album entitled ...Something To Be which became the U.S. Billboard 200 #1 album the first week of its release. The album featured four hit singles: "Lonely No More", "This is How a Heart Breaks", "Ever the Same" and "Streetcorner Symphony".
In January 2007, Rob Thomas released a single entitled "Little Wonders" which he wrote for the Disney movie Meet the Robinsons.
Their "Exile On Mainstream" album was released on October 2, 2007 as a two disc set. The first disc featured 6 new songs, including the hit "How Far We've Come", which could be heard on the accompanying website, along with the music video. The second disc contained 11 of their greatest hits, such as "Push", "Bent" and "Unwell".
The She’s So Mean Songfacts reports that Matchbox Twenty's fourth studio album North is the first record of new material that the band has released for ten years, although they did record seven new songs for their 2007 compilation album Exile On Mainstream. The album was released on September 4, 2012.
www.matchboxtwenty.com
Never Going Back Again
Matchbox Twenty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Made me see where I've been
Been down one time
Been down two times
I'm never going back again
You don't know what it means to win
Been down one time
Been down two times
I'm never going back again
The chain will keep us together
The lyrics of Matchbox Twenty's song "Never Going Back Again" revolve around the idea of moving forward and never looking back. The opening lines, "She broke down and let me in, made me see where I've been," suggest that the singer has had a realization or an epiphany about his past mistakes. He has been given a chance to start over and is grateful for it. The repetition of "been down one time, been down two times" reinforces the idea that the singer has been through tough times but is determined not to repeat his mistakes. The line "I'm never going back again" serves as a kind of mantra, a reminder to himself to stay focused on the future and not dwell on the past.
Line by Line Meaning
She broke down and let me in
She finally allowed me to see her vulnerable side and let me into her life
Made me see where I've been
She showed me the mistakes I had made in the past and made me reflect on my past actions
Been down one time
I've been through tough times once before
Been down two times
I've been through tough times twice before
I'm never going back again
I refuse to revisit my past mistakes and tough times
You don't know what it means to win
You cannot fully appreciate the joy of victory until you have experienced the pain of defeat
Come down and see me again
Please come visit me again and share in the good times as well as the bad
The chain will keep us together
Despite any hardships we may face, our bond and connection will remain unbroken
Contributed by Lincoln N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@SilverWolfMoon
I'm a long-term Fleetwood Mac fan, and I have the "Legacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours" album that this cover was commisioned for, and I have to say that, out of the 11 tracks on the album, this is one of the 3 best.
@victoriasutton9958
if not for this song/album legacy a tribute to rumours i wouldnt know Matchbox 20 ,love how Rob goes,,,,chain keep us together,also never knew the goo goo dolls until i heard their version of i really dnt want to know...the cranberries version of go your own way is brill too,Dolores was well always will be my idol,along with a singer friend of mine Jan Parker x
@tatehansen8332
Wow. One of my favorite bands, covering another one of my favorite bands. BOMB DIGGITY. <3 Awesome cover.
@debfan74
Rob Thomas and Matchbox do a great job! I love the dark feel on this
@MyMuseMoviesAndMusic
All I can say is everyone reads a song in their own way. For me, I've never read joy into this song, and I've been listening to it since the album debuted over 30 years ago. -- it remains one of my favourites. Even listening to it again, I can only find in it an exasperated sense of just having cleared a major hurdle, but having too little energy left to feel the joy of it. That's a personal perspective, and from that perspective Matchbox 20 takes the ball and runs away from joy. I'm ok with it.
@Eyeseelyn
I like Fleetwood Mac, and I don't really like Matchbox Twenty, but this is a GREAT cover. They really made it their own, and it works.
@woohooboy
This is great version of a classic song. "Matchbox Twenty" did a fantastic job with this tune.......
@thefabulousthomasj
Not a fan of Matchbox Twenty, but I love their take on this Fleetwood Mac classic!!!
@blavery
I can't say much about this except I like it. On the surface it doesn't stray much from the original but there is kind of a spooky element to it that appeals to me.
@zackfinta9965
Love when they start singing "The Chain" half way through. Chilling