In early 2003, Costa's homemade demo reached No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont, who offered to record more demos for Costa in his home studio. Those first recordings led to two EPs that Costa and Dumont distributed themselves. These were later combined and mixed by Phil Ek in order to form Costa's first full-length CD entitled Songs We Sing.
Costa spent the summer of 2005 opening on Jack Johnson's summer tour. He has since toured with Modest Mouse, Oasis, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Death Cab for Cutie. Costa joined Jack Johnson for his 2006 European tour. He has also contributed to the Jack Johnson and Friends Curious George soundtrack; his track is entitled "Lullaby". This song was taken from his The Elasmosaurus EP. Costa has also toured extensively in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Asia and South America.
The video for Costa's first single "Cold December" was released February 2, 2006. On July 31, 2007, he released a song titled "If You Took To Me" as part of the environmentally minded polar bear documentary Arctic Tale and its soundtrack.
On October 7, 2007, Costa released the first single, "Mr. Pitiful," from his record Unfamiliar Faces. The song "Mr. Pitiful" was used during a scene with Paul Rudd in the movie I Love You, Man, the redband trailer for the film Youth in Revolt starring Michael Cera, and the movie Marmaduke. The song is featured during the opening credits of The Answer Man (film). Apple also used an instrumental cut of this song for the worldwide iPhone 3GS ads.
Mobile Chateau, Costa's next album, was released on September 21, 2010, via Brushfire Records. His 2013 self-titled album was recorded at Pheasant Studios in Santa Ana, CA, as Costa's first solo production.
Johnny's Love Of Majik
Matt Costa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But Johnny had a love for majik that just wouldn't end
No, it just wouldn't end
Johnny saw a white owl fly over his head
And Johnny's sister saw the same thing and now she's dead
And now she's dead
And when it burned through all her fingers
Johnny's soap box car race was done
Maggie was a good girl and she was Johnny's friend
But Maggie had a love for tragedies that just wouldn't end
No, it just wouldn't end
She put here hands over her eyes and stared into the sun
Johnny was a good boy and Johnny was my friend
But Johnny had a love for majik that just wouldn't end
It just wouldn't end
The lyrics to Matt Costa's song "Johnny's Love of Majik" tell a story of two friends, Johnny and Maggie, who both have a fascination with things that are magical or mystical. The song begins with the line "Johnny was a good boy and Johnny was my friend", immediately setting a nostalgic and almost mournful tone. The lyrics then go on to describe Johnny's love for magic, which "just wouldn't end", implying that it may have caused some trouble or conflict in his life. The line "And Johnny's sister saw the same thing and now she's dead" adds a darker and mysterious element to the song, suggesting that perhaps something supernatural or unexplained was involved in her death.
Line by Line Meaning
Johnny was a good boy and Johnny was my friend
Johnny was well-liked and well-regarded by those who knew him
But Johnny had a love for majik that just wouldn't end
Despite his good qualities, Johnny was obsessed with magic and couldn't shake his fascination with it
No, it just wouldn't end
His love for magic was so strong that it persisted even though he may have recognized that it was unhealthy
Johnny saw a white owl fly over his head
Johnny had a mystical experience, seeing a white owl flying above him
And Johnny's sister saw the same thing and now she's dead
Johnny's sister experienced the same mystical event, but it led to her death
And now she's dead
This tragic event had a profound impact on Johnny and those who knew his sister
She put her hands over her eyes and stared into the sun
Johnny's sister engaged in a dangerous, self-destructive behavior by staring directly into the sun
And when it burned through all her fingers
Her actions had catastrophic consequences, symbolized by the imagery of her fingers being burned by the sun
Johnny's soap box car race was done
This may represent the end of innocence or childhood for Johnny, as his sister's death and his own mystical experiences may have forced him to grow up too quickly
Maggie was a good girl and she was Johnny's friend
Maggie was another friend of Johnny's and was similarly well-regarded
But Maggie had a love for tragedies that just wouldn't end
Even though Maggie shared Johnny's love of the mystical or supernatural, she was also drawn to darker subjects
It just wouldn't end
Similar to Johnny's love for magic, Maggie's interest in tragedy persisted despite the harm it may have caused her
Contributed by Kaylee E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.