Matchbox Twenty, originally Matchbox 20 and typeset as matchbox twenty on m… Read Full Bio ↴Matchbox Twenty, originally Matchbox 20 and typeset as matchbox twenty on most official merchandise, is a rock band formed in Orlando, Florida, who have sold in excess of 39 million albums worldwide. The band have been well received in many countries.

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

The Burn
Matchbox Twenty Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I thought about
Leaving but I couldn't even get outta bed
I'm hangin' cause I couldn't get a ride outta town
Now anyone who really wanted me to be down
Come 'round

Thought about
Singin' but I couldn't remember all of the words

Breakin' but I couldn't get the pieces apart
Laughin' never knowing what the joke was about

Now I'm down
And I wonder how I never got the burn
And if I'm ever gonna learn
How lonely people make a life
One strain at a time

Forgot about
Everything and everyone I needed before
Tryin' to get a handle on a reason to shine
Pickin' up the pieces that are falling behind takes time

So I wonder how I never got the burn
And if I'm ever gonna learn
How lonely people make a life
One strain at a time and still shine

And I wonder how I never got the burn
And if I'm ever gonna learn
How lonely people make a life
One strain at a time

And I wonder how I never got the burn
And if I'm ever gonna learn

How lonely people make a life
One strain at a time and still shine

Overall Meaning

The song 'The Burn' by Matchbox Twenty is a raw and emotional song that talks about the struggles of life and how people deal with it. The lyrics talk about the singer's thoughts and emotions when he is feeling down and out. In the first verse, the singer talks about how he thought about leaving but couldn't even get out of bed. He is feeling like he is stuck and can't move on. He is hanging around because he doesn't have a ride out of town. The singer then talks about how anyone who wanted him down has come around now. This implies that there are people who are not happy with the singer and are enjoying the fact that he is not doing well.

In the second verse, the singer talks about how he tried to distract himself from his problems by singing, breaking things, and laughing, but none of these worked for him. He still feels down and wonders how he never got the burn. He wonders whether he will ever learn how to make a life as a lonely person, one strain at a time.

The chorus repeats the phrase "And I wonder how I never got the burn, and if I'm ever gonna learn, how lonely people make a life, one strain at a time, and still shine." The burn refers to the pain and struggle that people go through in life. The singer wonders how he has never experienced this before and whether he will ever learn to overcome it and still shine.

Overall, the song is a powerful reflection on life's challenges and how people cope with them.

Line by Line Meaning

I thought about Leaving but I couldn't even get outta bed
I had the idea of leaving but was feeling so low that I couldn't even bring myself to get out of bed.

I'm hangin' cause I couldn't get a ride outta town
I'm still around because I couldn't find anyone to take me out of town.

Now anyone who really wanted me to be down Come 'round
Anyone who wants me to be sad or upset is coming to see me.

Thought about Singin' but I couldn't remember all of the words
I felt like singing, but I couldn't remember any of the words to any of the songs.

Breakin' but I couldn't get the pieces apart
I wanted to break something apart, but I couldn't figure out how to do it.

Laughin' never knowing what the joke was about
I laughed even though I didn't understand the joke.

Now I'm down And I wonder how I never got the burn
I'm feeling sad and I wonder how I never got hurt before.

And if I'm ever gonna learn How lonely people make a life One strain at a time
I wonder if I'll ever learn how people who are alone manage to make a life for themselves, taking it one day or struggle at a time.

Forgot about Everything and everyone I needed before
I forgot about all the people and things I used to need and rely on.

Tryin' to get a handle on a reason to shine
I'm struggling to find a reason to keep going and to find happiness and success.

Pickin' up the pieces that are falling behind takes time
It takes a while to recover from setbacks and to pick up the pieces of your life that have fallen apart.

How lonely people make a life One strain at a time and still shine
Even though life can be tough and lonely, people manage to find ways to keep going and to find happiness and success.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROB THOMAS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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