Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is a power pop musician from Lincoln, … Read Full Bio ↴Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is a power pop musician from Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. He was part of the burgeoning Athens, Georgia music scene in the early and mid-1980s before gaining commercial success during the early 1990s.

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.

Heaven And Earth
Matthew Sweet Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When it shines the sun is hot
And what you need you ain't got
Heaven and earth
Are hardly worth it
We'll begin the race by living in ecstasy

You may have your mind to show
But you've got no place to go

Heaven and earth
Are hardly worth it
We'll begin the race by living a life of ecstasy
We'll begin the race by living in ecstasy

Will you share with me to live
What nobody wants to give
Heaven and earth
Are hardly worth it
We'll begin the race by living a life of ecstasy
We'll begin the race by ripping a rib for you from me

We'll begin the race by living a life of ecstasy
We'll begin the race by living in ecstasy

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Matthew Sweet's song "Heaven And Earth" are reflective of a desire to live in a state of ecstasy and a dismissal of the notion that conventional concepts of success and material possessions hold any real value. The first two lines of the song set the tone for this sentiment, as they suggest that even when the sun is shining, there is still a sense of wanting. The next two lines reflect a disillusionment with the idea of heaven and earth being something to strive for or attain, concluding that they are "hardly worth it." The repeated refrain, "We'll begin the race by living in ecstasy," reinforces that the pursuit of happiness and fulfillment is not a destination or a finite goal, but rather an ongoing, experiential journey.

The second half of the song shifts to a more personal plea, asking if the listener is willing to take on this journey with the singer, even if it means going against societal norms or expectations. Lines like "Will you share with me to live what nobody wants to give" suggest that there is something inherently rebellious or non-conformist about living in ecstasy. The final lines of the chorus, "We'll begin the race by ripping a rib for you from me," convey a sense of unity and sacrifice, suggesting that the pursuit of ecstasy is something that must be shared and given freely.

Overall, the lyrics of "Heaven And Earth" paint a picture of someone who is disillusioned with traditional ideas of success and fulfillment, and who seeks a more experiential, personal definition of happiness. The repeated refrain of "living in ecstasy" suggests that this is not a state that can be achieved through external means or possessions, but through a constant, intentional effort to remain present and connected to the world around us.

Line by Line Meaning

When it shines the sun is hot
The sun is hot when it shines

And what you need you ain't got
You do not possess what is necessary

Heaven and earth
The realm of divine and the mortal world

Are hardly worth it
They are barely valuable

We'll begin the race by living in ecstasy
We will commence the competition by living in euphoria

You may have your mind to show
You can present your intellect

But you've got no place to go
You have nowhere to go

Will you share with me to live
Would you accompany me in living?

What nobody wants to give
What nobody else desires to provide

We'll begin the race by ripping a rib for you from me
We will start the competition by sacrificing for each other

We'll begin the race by living a life of ecstasy
We will commence the contest by living in joy