The middle child of two semi-professional folk singers, in Plymouth on October 10th 1978, Jay was born into a highly musical family. His parents, Tony and Hilary, performed regularly in a folk band, and when Matthew was only eight years old, he joined the line-up, playing bass, along with his two brothers, Eddy and Pete.
He started writing his own songs as a teenager, and at the end of his final year in high school in 2000, he decided to give his music just one shot before leaving for university to study a nice 'sensible' subject: (optometry). Happily for Jay, after bombarding record labels with his demo throughout the summer, he was signed to EMI. At that point, somewhat unusually, he hadn't even played one solo gig.
While at EMI, Jay released two EPs: 'Four Songs' and 'Friendly Fire,' followed by the critically-acclaimed album 'Draw,' and three singles: 'Let Your Shoulder Fall,' 'Please Don't Send Me Away,' and 'Call My Name Out.' He enjoyed moderate chart success with the singles, and on the strength of this toured extensively throughout Europe and the States, supporting many acts including Starsailor, Travis, Dido and The Divine Comedy.
In 2002 Jay separated amicably from EMI and started work on songs which marked a slight change in creative direction, as he began experimenting with a number of new influences, including hip-hop.
Sadly, in the autumn of 2003, the singer-songwriter died suddenly in the small hours of the 25th of September, in an unexplained fall from his London apartment block. It was a shocking end to what had been a life full of promise, and one built upon a remarkable foundation of accomplishment for one so young.
In 2004, the independent record label Jays Music Ltd released a retrospective album called 'Too Soon': a collection of Matthew Jay early songs and rarities, and followed this in December 2006 with a single: 'What Would Love Do Now,' which was one of the last songs he had recorded.
The new material Jay had been working on until the time of his passing showcased a mature writing style for the artist, which although something of a departure from the tracks on 'Draw,' still maintained his distinctive vocals, and trademark bittersweet and often humourous lyrical style.
An album featuring a selection of these songs is due for release in the spring of 2008, and will be available via his official website.
Become Yourself
Matthew Jay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It will come again
But until it does
Remember this feeling
When everything makes sense
Everything makes sense
I woke up this evening
Feeling really ill
My last Seratonin
Must have deserted me while I was sleeping
I put a dot next to everything that makes any sense
And join the dots, and join the dots
I said
I put a dot next to everything that makes any sense
And join the dots, and join the dots
Remember this feeling
It will come again
But until it does
Remember this feeling
When everything makes sense
Everything makes sense
And then I remember
All the things I did
And it makes me smile
I saw so much beauty
And kissed her red wine lips
It made my Tuesday
I put a dot next to everything that makes any sense
And join the dots, and join the dots
I said
I put a dot next to everything that makes any sense
And join the dots, and join the dots
Remember this feeling
The lyrics of Matthew Jay's song Become Yourself talk about remembering a particular feeling that will come back again. Until it returns, the singer encourages people to hold onto the feeling they have at the moment, when everything makes sense. The singer describes waking up from a previous night feeling sick and suggests that his serotonin levels might have dropped. He then talks about joining the dots of everything that makes sense, an analogy for connecting his thoughts and making sense of his emotions.
The second part of the song talks about the singer remembering all the things he did, which makes him smile. He reminisces about seeing beauty and kissing someone, describing how it made his day better. The song concludes with the reminder to hold onto the feeling when everything makes sense because it will come back again.
Line by Line Meaning
Remember this feeling
Hold onto the feeling of happiness and joy
It will come again
This feeling will return in the future
But until it does
However, until it comes back
Remember this feeling
Remember the good times
When everything makes sense
During the times of clarity and understanding
Everything makes sense
The world and life seem to make perfect sense
I woke up this evening
I suddenly became conscious from a previous state of unconsciousness
From the night before
From the previous night
Feeling really ill
Experiencing discomfort and pain
My last Seratonin
Referring to the hormone that regulates mood
Must have deserted me while I was sleeping
The hormone was lacking, leading to feeling ill
I put a dot next to everything that makes any sense
Marking things that seem logical or rational
And join the dots, and join the dots
Making connections between logical or rational things
And then I remember
Reflecting on past memories
All the things I did
Recalling actions or events that occurred
And it makes me smile
Feeling happy due to the past memories
I saw so much beauty
Noticing the beauty in life
And kissed her red wine lips
Perhaps referring to a past romantic encounter
It made my Tuesday
Feeling happy on an otherwise ordinary day
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MATTHEW JAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind