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.
Looking at the Sun
Matthew Sweet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Run away with me?
Would you really like to
Run away with me?
I can feel very clearly
But no longer see
For oh, looking at the sun
Watched you getting nearer
Like I knew it was in my heart
'Til the damage was already done
Looking at the sun
Burned my eyes out
And I'm blind now
I was looking for somebody
That you couldn't be
I was looking for somebody
That you will never be
I was so sure that there was
Nothing wrong with ne
For oh, looking at the sun
Waiting for you to appear
Watched you getting nearer
Like I knew it was in my heart
'Til the damage was already done
Looking at the sun
Burned my eyes out
And I'm blind now...I'm blind
Do you really want to
Run away with me
I can feel very clearly
But no longer
Oh, looking at the sun
Waiting for you to appear
Watched you getting nearer
Like I knew it was in my heart
'Til the damage was already done
Looking at the sun
Burned my eyes out
And now I'm blind
Waiting for you to appear
Watched you getting nearer
Like I knew it was in my heart
'Til the damage was already done
Looking at the sun
Burned my eyes out
And I'm blind now
Yeah I'm blind now
The lyrics of Matthew Sweet's song "Looking at the Sun" explore the theme of unrequited love and the painful aftermath of pursuing someone who cannot reciprocate your feelings. The song opens with the question "Do you really want to run away with me?" suggesting that the singer is aware that the object of his affection may not feel the same way. He acknowledges that he can feel clearly but can no longer see, indicating that he is aware of his emotions but cannot fully see the situation for what it is.
The chorus begins with the line "Looking at the sun, waiting for you to appear," which is a metaphor for the futility of the singer's pursuit. The sun represents the object of his affection, which is unattainable and ultimately causes him harm. The line "watched you getting nearer, like I knew it was in my heart" shows the singer's delusion that the person he loves will eventually come to him, even though he knows deep down that it is unlikely. The damage of his obsession is already done, and he is blind to the reality of the situation.
The second verse repeats the same themes, with the singer acknowledging that he was looking for someone who the object of his affection could never be. He was sure that there was nothing wrong with him, and the problem lay with the other person's inability to love him back. The chorus is repeated, building on the theme of the sun burning his eyes out, leaving him blind and unable to see the reality of the situation.
Overall, "Looking at the Sun" is a poignant exploration of the pain that can result from unrequited love. The metaphor of the sun burning the singer's eyes out is particularly effective in conveying the self-destructive nature of his obsession.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you really want to
Are you seriously considering running away with me?
Run away with me?
Leaving everything behind to start a new life together, are you up for it?
Would you really like to
Do you have the desire to escape this life and run away with me?
I can feel very clearly
My emotions are truly intense and clear to me.
But no longer see
But I cannot see clearly through my own feelings anymore.
For oh, looking at the sun
Metaphorically or literally, staring at something too bright that can cause damage to your senses.
Waiting for you to appear
Longing for this person to show up in my life or change who they are in some way.
Watched you getting nearer
Started seeing true colors and noticing undesirable traits as this person got closer to me.
Like I knew it was in my heart
Subconsciously, I knew this all along but refused to accept it until now.
'Til the damage was already done
By the time I realized the truth, it was too late and damage had already been inflicted.
Looking at the sun
Continuing to pursue this person even when I know it's detrimental to my own well-being.
Burned my eyes out
Resulted in painful consequences and suffering.
And I'm blind now
I cannot see the situation clearly anymore.
I was looking for somebody
I was searching for a certain type of person to fill a void in my life.
That you couldn't be
But this person is not capable of filling that role for me.
That you will never be
It's impossible for this person to change or become the person I want them to be.
I was so sure that there was
I was convinced that this person was the answer to my problems.
Nothing wrong with me
But in reality, the problem was with me and my unattainable expectations.
And now I'm blind
In the end, I became ignorant to reality and now suffer the consequences of my own self-deception.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MATTHEW SWEET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind