Perhaps the most underrated singer/songwriter of the past 12 years, Matthew Ryan arrived on the music scene in 1997 with Mayday. A combination of influences from Tom Waits, Waterboys and Bruce Springsteen can all be heard here, but the sound and songwriting are Matthew Ryan's alone.
After being dropped by Interscope Records Ryan started working on demo material with David Henry. The material was stark and bare, Concussion was recorded and mixed in 8 days with Richard McLaurin. It was released in 2001 on Nashville, Tennessee label WaxySilver and features a duet with Lucinda Williams. Ryan was asked by actor/director Edward Burns to contribute a song to his film Ash Wednesday. "Be Thou My Vision" was used on the closing credits of Edward Burns’ film. Ryan opened tours for Kasey Chambers and Lucinda Williams for much of 2001, along with his own headlining shows.
2002 was a quiet period for Ryan, eventually releasing two collections of Stereo-Pak demo recordings, Dissent from the Living Room and Hopeless to Hopeful. These were made available on CDR through Ryan’s website.
Ryan started recording again on February 2003, Regret Over the Wires was released in late 2003 by Hybrid Recordings. In April, Concussion was released in the UK and Europe through One Little Indian Records. This included a UK tour with label mate Jeff Klein. On September 9, 2003, One Little Indian Records also released Happiness in the UK and Europe only, a collection of songs taken from Ryan’s self-distributed collections Dissent from the Living Room and Hopeless to Hopeful. Ryan made another self-distributed release in December entitled These Are Field Recordings, a two-disc collection of live recordings and early tracks.
Matthew Ryan approached Neilson Hubbard in 2004 about a collaboration, which could result in an interesting self-distributed release for fans. The collaboration was much more successful than expected and Strays Don't Sleep was formed with Neilson Hubbard, Brian Bequette, Billy Mercer and Steve Latanation.
In the Autumn 2005 Strays Don't Sleep's debut self-titled album was released in the UK on One Little Indian Records. The release includes a DVD of short films that were directed and shot by professional filmmakers and friends, including Gorman Bechard, The Barnes Brothers, Martin Glenn, Matt Boyd and Jared Johnson. Matthew Ryan and Neilson Hubbard also directed three of the short films with the help of Nashville film student, Matt Riddlehoover. A 5.1 surround sound mix of the entire record and films, by Paul PDub Walton of Björk and Sneaker Pimps fame, is available on the DVD.
Strays Don't Sleep was released to great reviews from Time Out, Uncut, The Sunday Express and The Times. The success helped secure a US release, which was helped further by a placement in the hit CW (former WB) drama One Tree Hill. "For Blue Skies", a song concerning the sentencing of Matthew Ryan’s brother to 30 years in prison, was made available on the One Tree Hill Soundtracks. Strays Don't Sleep toured the UK with Josh Rouse to support the album. Strays Don't Sleep was officially disbanded mid-2006. Their Music Video DVD Album "Strays Don't Sleep" with each song presented by a different director, won the top Award - The Grand Remi for Best Music Video - at the 2006 WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival in April 2006. The group performed in person at the Remi Awards Gala dinner for 500 international filmmakers to a standing ovation. They disbanded shortly after this remarkable performance.
In 2006 Ryan completed recording for another solo album called From a Late Night High Rise. It's a collection of songs inspired by the death of a friend and the sentencing of Ryan’s brother to 30 years in prison. The album feature band members from Strays Don’t Sleep and was self-produced with Neilson Hubbard. From a Late Night High Rise was released on December 5, 2006 through 2minutes59 and iTunes, and Ryan embarked on a US tour with Tim Easton in February 2007. From a Late Night High Rise was met with the strongest wave of critical support Ryan has received to date. It was praised as "A must-hear, have-to-own epic of an album that should be required listening for every songwriter—and music lover—in the world."
Something in the Night
Matthew Ryan Lyrics
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Turn the radio up loud so I don't have to think
I take her to the floor looking for a moment when the world seems right
And I tear into the guts of something in the night
In the street you're born with nothing, and you're better off that way
Soon as you've got something they send someone to try and take it away
You can ride this road 'till dawn without another human being in sight
You're just wasted on, hm, something in the night
I got stuff running 'round my head I just can't live down
When we found the things we loved, they were crushed and dying in the dirt
We tried to pick up the pieces, and get away without getting hurt
But they caught us at the state line, and burned our cars in one last fight
We're left burned and blind, hm, chasing something in the night
Matthew Ryan's song "Something in the Night" tells a story of a person who is trying to escape their thoughts and the harsh realities of life. The lyrics suggest that the singer has been living a difficult life, and the only way for them to cope is to ride down Kingsley and get a drink. As they ride down the street, they turn the radio up loud to avoid having to think. They enter a dance hall, where they take to the floor and tear into the guts of something in the night. The lyrics suggest that they are looking for a moment when the world seems right - a moment of escape from the harshness of reality.
Later in the song, the lyrics suggest that the singer has experienced loss and betrayal. The lyrics say that "when we found the things we loved, they were crushed and dying in the dirt". The singer and their loved one then try to pick up the pieces and get away without getting hurt, but they are caught and burned in one last fight. The song ends with the singer chasing something in the night, left burned and blind.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm riding down Kingsley figuring I'll get a drink
I'm driving down Kingsley street, thinking I need a drink to forget my problems
Turn the radio up loud so I don't have to think
I turn the radio up loudly so that I don't have to hear my own thoughts
I take her to the floor looking for a moment when the world seems right
I dance with my partner, hoping to find a moment of happiness and joy
And I tear into the guts of something in the night
I unleash my emotions and dig deep into my soul, trying to find clarity in the darkness of night
In the street you're born with nothing, and you're better off that way
When you're born, you have nothing and that's actually better because things only get worse as you acquire more
Soon as you've got something they send someone to try and take it away
As soon as you have something of value, someone will try to take it from you
You can ride this road 'till dawn without another human being in sight
You can travel along this road all night and not see another person
You're just wasted on, hm, something in the night
You're feeling lost and confused, possibly due to some inner turmoil or the nightlife itself
Nothing is forgotten or forgiven, when it's your last time around
When you're nearing the end of your life, everything you've done or said will matter and you won't be able to forget or forgive any mistakes
I got stuff running 'round my head I just can't live down
There are things that haunt me and I can't shake them off no matter how hard I try
When we found the things we loved, they were crushed and dying in the dirt
When we found things that we loved, they turned out to be destroyed and disrespected
We tried to pick up the pieces, and get away without getting hurt
We tried to recover from the loss without getting hurt any further
But they caught us at the state line, and burned our cars in one last fight
We were caught at the border while trying to escape, and they destroyed our vehicles after one last struggle
We're left burned and blind, hm, chasing something in the night
We're left hurt and blinded by the experience, but still we continue to seek something that's not clear to us
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind