As a young musician wanting to make a name for himself, Sweet set off to Athens, Georgia in the mid '80s, to attend college and join the vibrant Athens music scene, most famous as the home base for R.E.M. and The B-52's. Sweet worked with R.E.M. leader Michael Stipe at this time, joining Stipe's sister in a band called Oh-OK and then forming another band, The Buzz of Delight. Before long he was signed to a solo recording contract with Columbia Records.
One album, Inside, was released by Columbia in 1986 to little success.
Sweet was then picked up by A&M Records where he released his second album, Earth (1989), again without commercial success. This period marked a personal and professional low point for Sweet, as A&M lost interest and his marriage failed.
Sweet quickly recovered, and put together a new band including Richard Lloyd, Robert Quine, Greg Leisz, Lloyd Cole, and Fred Maher. The new group spent 1990 putting together Sweet's next work, originally titled Nothing Lasts.
In 1990, A&M released Sweet from his contract, and he signed with rival Zoo Entertainment. The album, still under construction, was retitled Girlfriend and released in October 1991. This album featured a classic set of pop-rock songs, was considered by many to be an artistic breakthrough and quickly garnered impressive U.S. sales (spawning a top-10 single with the title track). The video for the title track was aired on MTV and MuchMusic and features Japanese animation (commonly known as "anime"), of which Sweet is a fan. The animated clips in the video for "Girlfriend" are taken from the movie Space Adventure Cobra, and the video for "I've Been Waiting" uses clips of the show Urusei Yatsura featuring the character Lum, of whom Sweet has a tattoo.
Sweet's follow-up album, 1993's Altered Beast, was borne out of an apparent determination not to become mainstream. A more diverse and less immediately accessible album than Girlfriend, the album divided fans and critics who had mixed reactions to emotionally intense and brooding tracks like "Someone to Pull the Trigger" and "Knowing People."
In 1995, Sweet released, 100% Fun, a darkly ironic title alluding to a quotation from Kurt Cobain's suicide note: "The worst crime I could think of would be to pull people off by faking it, pretending as if I'm having 100% fun." The album mixed bouncy pop style with darker lyrics, including a leadoff track, the self-deprecating "Sick of Myself". The track has frequently been covered live by fellow '90s power poppers The Posies.
Decidedly out of the musical mainstream, Sweet would issue a few more albums in the second half of the decade and maintain a devoted core of fans, but critical acclaim and chart success would be hard to come by.
Sweet's international success had been somewhat limited by his fear of flying; however he gained a significant following in Japan and his most recent album, Kimi Ga Suki * Raifu, was a Japan-only release in 2003.
In 2000, Sweet worked with the Canadian band Delerium, to release the song "Daylight" that appears in their album Poem.
In early 2002 he formed the supergroup The Thorns with Shawn Mullins and Pete Droge.
He released a new album of solo material, Living Things in late 2004, though the material on the album was recorded in 2002.
In April 2006 he partnered with Bangles lead singer Susanna Hoffs to release a collection of 1960's classics, titled Under The Covers. Featuring their take on such widely known '60s hits as "Monday, Monday," and "The Kids Are Alright", the album represented a return to the accessible and melodic approach associated with Sweet's early breakthroughs.
He is featured in the release in November of 2006 of the Activision and Red Octane Play Station 2 game, Guitar Hero 2. His hit song "Girlfriend" is featured on the hit game.
Girlfriend
Matthew Sweet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hear you need somebody to love
Oh, I wanna love somebody
I hear you're looking for someone to love
'Cause you need to
Be back in the arms of a good friend
And I need to
I didn't know nobody
And then I saw you coming my way
Oh, I didn't know nobody
And then I saw you coming my way
Don't you need to
Be back in the arms of a good friend?
Oh, 'cause, honey, believe me
I'd sure love to call you my girlfriend
Alright
Don't you need to
Be back in the arms of a good friend?
Oh, 'cause, honey, believe me
I'd sure love to call you my girlfriend
'Cause you got a good thing going, baby
You only need somebody to love
Oh, you got a good thing going
You're only looking for someone to love
'Cause you need to
Get back in the arms of a good friend
And I'm never gonna set you free
No, I'm never gonna set you free
The lyrics of Matthew Sweet's song "Girlfriend" portray a longing for love, companionship, and the fulfillment of basic human needs for intimacy and connection. The singer admits to yearning for somebody to love, and he recognizes that the object of his affection is also in search of someone to love. The lyrics reflect a mutual desire for companionship as the solution to their loneliness, insecurities, and need for comfort.
The lines "be back in the arms of a good friend" and "be back in the arms of a girlfriend" suggest that the singer considers a romantic relationship as a form of friendship, a bond that transcends mere physical attraction. He craves to be in the arms of someone who would make him feel loved, understood, and seen, both as a friend and as a romantic partner. The repetition of the line "don't you need to be back in the arms of a good friend" reinforces the idea that the singer sees intimacy as a crucial aspect of friendship and love.
Overall, "Girlfriend" presents an eloquent expression of the human desire for love and companionship, and the role that these emotions play in people's lives."
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna love somebody
I desire to love and support someone
I hear you need somebody to love
I have heard you require someone who cares about you
Oh, I wanna love somebody
Oh, I truly want to love somebody
I hear you're looking for someone to love
I have heard you're searching for someone to give love to
'Cause you need to
Because it is necessary for you
Be back in the arms of a good friend
To be embraced by someone who deeply cares about you
And I need to
And it is required for me
Be back in the arms of a girlfriend
To be in a romantic relationship with a woman who comforts and loves me
I didn't know nobody
I did not know anyone
And then I saw you coming my way
And then I saw you walking towards me
Oh, I didn't know nobody
Oh, I really didn't know anyone
Don't you need to
Do you not require to
Be back in the arms of a good friend?
To be embraced by someone you can trust and rely on?
Oh, 'cause, honey, believe me
Oh, because, my love, trust what I say
I'd sure love to call you my girlfriend
I would be thrilled to call you my girlfriend
Alright
Alright
Oh, 'cause, honey, believe me
Oh, because, my love, trust what I say
Don't you need to
Do you not require to
Be back in the arms of a good friend?
To be embraced by someone you can trust and rely on?
'Cause you got a good thing going, baby
Because you have found an excellent situation or relationship, darling
You only need somebody to love
You simply require someone who loves you
Oh, you got a good thing going
Oh, you have found an excellent situation or relationship
You're only looking for someone to love
You're simply searching for someone who loves and cares about you
'Cause you need to
Because it is necessary for you
Get back in the arms of a good friend
To be embraced by someone who deeply cares about you
And I'm never gonna set you free
And I'm never going to let you go, my love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MATTHEW SWEET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wrldtrvlr72a1
Be honest....this wasn't a recommended YouTube viewing.....you remembered how awesomely pure and simple this song is and you searched for it....because you're a legend 💪🏽
@TuckerHopkins88
U.S.A, U.S.A
@pauly260
Heard this song ONCE on MTVs 120 Minutes back in the 90s, stuck ever since.
Worth it.
@alistaircooke7000
I've always loved this song. Since the early 90's. 808 state too
@davidriddell5294
Holy shnikes!! Get out of my head!!!
@ksmith1298
Truth
@ericmercaldo7840
I remember thinking how great this song sounded when it came out. Now I realize that it would have sounded great 20 years earlier or 20 years later and beyond. Timeless rock.
@gratefultedd969
I've always said the same...20 years too late or too early, fact is , this is a kick ass song.
@BayAreaJaybo
He had a brief but great run as everyone's favorite guitarist.
@RichardKelly
Still rocks 30 years later!