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.

Walk Out
Matthew Sweet Lyrics

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When you look into a mirror
The reflection that you see
Is a shell of what you were
It's not who you want to be

But you're gonna change
You've just about made up your mind
(You're gonna change)

You're gonna change
And when you leave it all behind
What will the past remember?
What will the future bring?
When you walk out
When you walk out

You were brought into this world
With a head full of good ideas
But the person you became
Well you just couldn't be for real

But you're gonna change
You've just about made up your mind
(You're gonna change)
You're gonna change
And when you leave it all behind
What will the past remember?
What will the future bring?
When you walk out
When you walk out

But you're gonna change
You've just about made up your mind
(You're gonna change)
You're gonna change
And when you leave it all behind
What will the past remember?
What will the future bring?
When you walk out
When you walk out
When you walk out

When you walk out
When you walk out

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Matthew Sweet's song "Walk Out" deal with the idea of change and transformation. The song seems to be addressed to someone who is not happy with who they are and the person they have become. The first lines of the song describe looking into a mirror and seeing a reflection that is not what they want to be. The mirror becomes a metaphorical representation of their self-image, and they feel trapped within the shell of their current self.

The chorus repeats the idea that change is coming, and the person has made up their mind to leave their current self behind. They wonder what the past will remember them for if they walk out and what the future will bring. The lyrics seem to hint at the idea that the person has been living a life that is not authentic to who they really are, but they are determined to change and become the person they were meant to be.

The second verse reinforces this idea, describing the person as having been born with good ideas and potential, but somewhere along the way, they became someone who was not real or true to themselves. The repetition of the chorus shows that the idea of change is central to the song's theme and that the person is committed to making a transformation.

Overall, the lyrics of "Walk Out" by Matthew Sweet explore the idea of self-discovery and transformation. They encourage listeners to take a hard look at themselves and determine if they are truly happy with who they are. The lyrics suggest that if someone is not happy with themselves, they have the power to change and become the person they were meant to be.

Line by Line Meaning

When you look into a mirror
When you examine yourself from within

The reflection that you see
What is seen on the mirror is just a visual representation of yourself

Is a shell of what you were
The person you currently see on the mirror is not the one you used to be

It's not who you want to be
The reflection on the mirror doesn't fulfill your own expectations about yourself

But you're gonna change
You already made the decision to modify who you are

You've just about made up your mind
You've almost finished the process of deciding what changes to implement

(You're gonna change)
Reinforces the idea that you will modify your current state

And when you leave it all behind
When you abandon the current version of yourself

What will the past remember?
What will people think of the person you used to be?

What will the future bring?
What things will happen if you change accordingly?

When you walk out
When you eventually leave your old self behind