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.
REACHING OUT
Matthew Sweet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you could imagine
Broken when everyone took you for a fool
It gave you a reason
To find something strong enough to feel
You're reaching out (reaching out)
You're reaching out (reaching out)
Beaten by a child
You can't even know when
Now you can never be free from what was done
You can't even hate them
You'll find something big enough to steal
You're reaching out (reaching out)
You're reaching out (reaching out)
You're reaching out
And if I can't know you
All my dreams are through
Every waking hour is filled with lead
I'm dead
I've counted every star
That you could imagine
Broken when everyone took me for a fool
It gave me a reason
To find something strong enough to feel
You're reaching out (reaching out)
You're reaching out (reaching out)
You're reaching out
And if I can't know you
All my dreams are through
Every waking hour is filled with lead
I'm dead
I'm dead
These lyrics evoke a sense of pain and struggle, as indicated by the references to brokenness, being beaten by a child, and feeling dead. The lines "You've counted every star/That you could imagine" and "I've counted every star/That you could imagine" suggest a shared experience of pain or trauma. The repeated refrain "You're reaching out" suggests a desire for connection and support in the face of this pain.
The line "It gave you a reason/To find something strong enough to feel" can be interpreted as a message of hope: that even in the darkest moments, there is the possibility of finding meaning and strength. This idea is echoed in the line "You'll find something big enough to steal" - stealing in this context represents taking control and finding a way to overcome the past.
The final stanza, with its repetition of "And if I can't know you/All my dreams are through/Every waking hour is filled with lead/I'm dead" creates a sense of desperation and longing, highlighting the importance of human connection and the need for understanding.
Overall, the lyrics of "Reaching Out" speak to themes of pain, trauma, and the search for meaning and connection in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
You've counted every star
You've tried to exhaust all possibilities.
That you could imagine
You've stretched your imagination as far as possible.
Broken when everyone took you for a fool
You were hurt when people underestimated you.
It gave you a reason
It motivated you to find a purpose.
To find something strong enough to feel
To discover something that could make you feel alive and resilient.
You're reaching out (reaching out)
You're asking for help and support.
Beaten by a child
Harmed by someone who is young and defenseless.
You can't even know when
You're unsure about exactly when it happened.
Now you can never be free from what was done
Now you can't forget or escape the harm that was done to you.
You can't even hate them
You can't even hate the people who hurt you.
You'll find something big enough to steal
You'll find something that can help you recover what was taken from you.
And if I can't know you
If I can't truly understand you and connect with you.
All my dreams are through
All my aspirations and desires become meaningless.
Every waking hour is filled with lead
Every moment feels heavy and painful.
I'm dead
I feel emotionally and spiritually dead.
I've counted every star
I've tried to exhaust all possibilities.
That you could imagine
I've stretched my imagination as far as possible.
Broken when everyone took me for a fool
I was hurt when people underestimated me.
It gave me a reason
It motivated me to find a purpose.
To find something strong enough to feel
To discover something that could make me feel alive and resilient.
You're reaching out (reaching out)
You're asking for help and support.
And if I can't know you
If I can't truly understand you and connect with you.
All my dreams are through
All my aspirations and desires become meaningless.
Every waking hour is filled with lead
Every moment feels heavy and painful.
I'm dead
I feel emotionally and spiritually dead.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MATTHEW SWEET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind