The album may be the follow-up to Matt's 2007 Geffen debut Best Days, but it's truly a formal introduction to the singer-songwriter. Writing and helping to compose the production on every song himself, he decided to go back to his piano roots for It's the Good Crazy, and the results are nothing short of spectacular. "This is really my first record," he declares. "Best Days was essentially chasing a time, and I experimented with a lot of nuances, like playing the guitar on half the record. But, playing the piano has always been my one true love. My parents constantly took me to concerts including The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Elton John, and it was those outings that gave me the itch to start playing the piano. This time, about 80 percent of It's The Good Crazy is done on piano."
Breaking away from modern trends, Matt recorded the entire album on analog tape, allowing any and all happy accidents to stay in the songs. "It was really special to record on analog tape because all of the albums I love were done that way. Tape sounds better, and it's always going to sound better. There's a depth in the sound wave that you can't capture digitally. There were no computers, no Pro Tools and no room for error. If I screwed up, it's on there," he laughs.
"I was dropped from Geffen in the winter of 2009 when I was on tour in Canada. It was a devastating experience for me. So I was depressed for a month, then realized that my happiness was in the music." Matt immediately began composing songs for what would become It's The Good Crazy. In order to capture that edgy tone, he retreated to a church in Woodstock, NY to record with producers David Baron and Henry Hirsch [Madonna, Lenny Kravitz, Mick Jagger].
While in Woodstock, Henry pushed Matt to capture music in the moment, preserving the integrity of each song from its inception. "We were in that church, and Henry really got in my head and helped me evolve," explains Matt. "He said, 'If you can deliver on a performance level, something happens when you play a song live and it's recorded onto a tangible piece of equipment. There's nothing like it'."
Working on the same board that Led Zeppelin II was recorded on and tracking to what might be one of the last 3M tape machines left in existence, Matt stirred up a sound that's evocative of Elton John at times but with a wiseass wittiness. Hence tracks like the bombastic "Therapy."
"Yes, I've gone to therapy," he exclaims. "I'm a New York City kid; people go to therapy! Everyone in their late '20s is trying to get married, and there's this mass hysteria over it in Manhattan. That song is talking to your therapist about that fear of being single. My mom wanted to set me up with my neighbor's daughter after she graduated from college in May. Those things happened, and they're in the songs!"
Meanwhile, during "And The Beat Goes On," Matt chronicles the trials and tribulations of dating in the big city—with a smirk of course. "If you're dating a girl in New York, you're going to be spending a lot of money. I'm a musician, not a banker. I'm happy with chicken fingers. I don't need fancy food."
Midway through recording, Matt teamed up with Ryko for the release of It's The Good Crazy, and he couldn't be happier with this new partnership. He comments, "Everyone at the label genuinely loves music. They’ve been extremely nurturing and supportive on every level. I’m free to be me and not put into a box. I was going to put out this album come hell or high-water, but I sat down with Ruby Marchand (Head of A&R) and we talked about music and the business and she and Ryko felt like the perfect partner."
Since debuting in 2007, Matt's music has been featured in numerous films, TV shows and commercials including What Happens In Vegas, Shrek The Third, McDonald's, The Hills, Brothers and Sisters and One Tree Hill. In addition, his "Songs Of Freedom" became the theme for Gap's "Vote For" campaign, airing on a special electoral episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Best Days also hit #4 on Billboard's New Artist chart and received acclaim from RollingStone and Details. Selling 400,000 digital downloads, he's cultivated a diehard fan base that turns out anytime he hits the stage.
The stage is exactly where he's most charming. Touring and performing alongside everyone from B.B. King and Sheryl Crow to John Mayer and Counting Crows, he's got charisma that brings audiences back for more. Donning flamboyant stage attire and pounding the keys, Matt never fails to deliver a show.
"I play piano with my feet, I play it backwards and I hit it with my elbows and fists. It's a theatrical performance,” says Matt. “That's really what I always wanted to do as a kid.”
The world received its first taste of Crazy when Facebook premiered demos from the album as their music player's very first artist feature. Fan response to the tracks was overwhelming and it proved the perfect platform for the release of "Falling In Love (With My Best Friend)." The single goes to radio this summer, and you'll be humming along to it as soon as you hear it.
Matt grew up immersed in music. His grandmother was the first female orchestra leader in the country, while his great grandfather was responsible for giving Frank Sinatra his first violin.
Matt smiles, "My great grandfather started the Hertz School of Music. He used to give out instruments for free, and it turned out that he gave Sinatra his first violin. My whole childhood was musical. While everybody was watching sports growing up, I was studying the drum sounds of John Bonham from the 1973 live record."
His innate obsession with music is what makes the new album so insanely fun. "I'm the son of a psychiatrist," he goes on. "I connect with the Larry Davids of the world. I love the Annie Hall approach. I like things that are not perfect. I like art made from instinct. I'm definitely crazy. I'm up until six in the morning obsessing over everything, but I think I'm the good crazy."
Paradise
Matt White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to hold on, maybe I'll just give up
All those times when I said I loved you
I only meant to our love was so new
So much
How long can I wait for you?
Our time, I want you to come with me
Paradise, paradise
You and I
Paradise
Want to hold you
Touch you and feel you
Not try to please you
Just like I did before
All those times
I'll sing you these lullabies
It's now or never
Will our love weather?
So much
How long can I wait for you?
Our time, I want you to come with me
You'll see too
Paradise, paradise
You and I
Paradise
Oh, I think we're closer now
Touch me over and over, baby
I just want you to stay this way
Come with me and just take me away
Far away
Paradise, paradise
You and I
Paradise
The song "Paradise" by Matt White is a beautiful track that talks about a feeling of being alone and the hope of finding a paradise with the one you love. The song starts with the singer feeling alone, trying to hold on to something, and considering giving up. He reminisces about the past, recalling how much he loved his partner when their love was new. He doubts whether their love will weather the test of time as he waits for his partner to come with him to their paradise.
The chorus of the song carries the message of the singer's desire for a paradisiacal life with his partner. He wants to hold, touch, and feel them as he once used to without trying to please them. He sings that he'll serenade them with lullabies, and their love should either happen now or never. The song ends with a resolution that the singer feels closer to his partner, and he wants them to touch him over and over again. He urges them to stay with him in this moment and take him away far away to their paradise.
In summary, Matt White's "Paradise" talks about the struggles of a relationship and the hope that lies in finding a paradise with the one you love. Through the lyrics, the singer expresses the desire to return to the past and rekindle the love they once had rather than giving up.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I feel like I am alone now
At times, I have a sense of isolation
Trying to hold on, maybe I'll just give up
It's difficult to keep going but quitting doesn't seem like an option either
All those times when I said I loved you
I remember telling you that I loved you
I only meant to our love was so new
But really, I think I was just caught up in the excitement of our new relationship
So much
There are so many things I'm feeling that are hard to put into words
How long can I wait for you?
I've been waiting for you for what feels like forever - how much longer can I wait?
Our time, I want you to come with me
I've been waiting for this moment - let's have our time together
You'll see too
Eventually, you'll feel exactly how I feel
Paradise, paradise
What we have is like paradise
You and I
It's just you and me
Want to hold you
I long to have you in my arms
Touch you and feel you
I want to feel your touch and just be close to you
Not try to please you
I don't feel the need to do anything special - I just want to be with you
Just like I did before
The way things used to be when it was just you and me
All those times
I remember every moment we've shared
I'll sing you these lullabies
Even if you're not here, I'll sing to you
It's now or never
We need to decide what we want and act on it
Will our love weather?
Can our love survive whatever comes our way?
Oh, I think we're closer now
I feel like we're getting closer to something great
Touch me over and over, baby
Keep touching me - I want to feel connected to you
I just want you to stay this way
I hope things stay just the way they are right now
Come with me and just take me away
Let's get away from everything and just be together
Far away
To a place where it's just you and me
Paradise, paradise
A perfect place where we can be together
You and I
Together, you and I can make paradise a reality
Paradise
Where our love knows no bounds
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, PFIVE Entertainment Mexico, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MICHAEL WHITE, LARETTA WHITE, CURTIS RICHA, SEBASTIAN AUMPHIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MrGarf28
ONE OF THE BEST SONGS I HEARD IN A LONG TIME :))
@birdyyyful
about time!!!!! i love this song
@Cleopatra-yo6sl
💓