Mike Ness (born Michael James Ness, born April 3, 1962) is a country music … Read Full Bio ↴Mike Ness (born Michael James Ness, born April 3, 1962) is a country music singer and guitarist, best known as the vocalist, guitarist, and chief songwriter for the American punk rock band Social Distortion.

Ness was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts and raised in Fullerton in Orange County, California. Kicked out of his parents' home in Fullerton at the age of fifteen, he dabbled in drugs and petty crime, involving himself in the punk scene and founding Social Distortion in 1978. The band signed a contract with Posh Boy Records in 1981, releasing the Mainliner/Playpen 7" record. Then the band moved to 13th Floor Records in 1982 and released the album Mommy's Little Monster (1982).

By this time, Ness's drug addiction and self-destructive behavior had deepened to the point that the band almost broke up. The turmoil was captured on a video, Another State of Mind, which chronicled a cross-country tour. Five years passed before Social Distortion released their next album, 1988's Prison Bound, on Restless Records but Ness emerged from the time off free of his addictions and ready to work.

In 1989, Social Distortion signed a deal with Epic Records and released four albums with that label: the self-titled album (1990), Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992) and White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996).

The band left Epic Records after White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996) and joined Time Bomb Recordings, releasing Mainliner: Wreckage From the Past (a collection of old recordings and singles that were done in the early '80s) and Live at the Roxy (1998).

In 1999, Ness released his first solo album, Cheating at Solitaire. Although Social Distortion's music had contained country inflections as far back as Prison Bound, Cheating at Solitaire was an unalloyed expression of Ness's country side. 'Solitaire' included guest appearances by rock icon Bruce Springsteen, former Stray Cat Brian Setzer and drumming legend Josh Freese as well as members of Royal Crown Revue. Springsteen had touted Social D's 'Heaven and Hell' as his favorite record of the year in a Rolling Stone interview in 1992. Ness continued in this vein, releasing a compilation of country covers entitled Under the Influences that same year. Both albums came out on Time Bomb Recordings. Ness toured extensively in the U.S. in support of these albums, backed partially by the present-day (2006) incarnation of Social Distortion; Charlie Quintana (drums) Brent Harding (standing & electric bass) and Johnny Wickersham (guitar tech). Ness and the band played at Woodstock '99. After that, his bandmate and guitarist Dennis Danell died on February 29, 2000 due to an aneurysm, but Social Distortion did not completely disband.

In 2004, Social Distortion came back with a live DVD called "Live In Orange County," and then recorded an album titled Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll, which was released on Time Bomb Recordings. These efforts marked the first recordings with a line up consisting of Ness on Guitar and vocals, Wickersham on guitar, and Quintana on drums and also consisted of songs co-written by Ness and Wickersham. This is the first time Ness collaborated with another songwriter since 1990's self-titled album, on which he and then bassist John Maurer wrote 'Let it be Me'. The band's lineup changed twice after Maurer left the band, just a month before the release on Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll. He was replaced by Operation Ivy/Rancid bassist Matt Freeman until early 2005 and current member Brent Harding joined as his replacement.

In February 2006, Ness broke his wrist while skateboarding in Las Vegas. T.S.O.L. guitarist Ron Emory is filling in on guitar duties while Mike's wrist heals. Mike is still performing, just not playing guitar.

Social Distortion is currently working on their next studio album, which is due for release in late 2006/early 2007.

Ness currently lives in Santa Ana, California with his wife Christine Marie, and two sons Johnny and Julian. He is also a hot rod enthusiast, driving a chopped 1954 Chevy leadsled, a 1936 Ford, and a 1960 Chevy Impala.

(from Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Ness).

Once a Day
Mike Ness Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When you found somebody new I thought
I never would
Forget you more that I thought I never could
But times takin all the pain away
Until now I'm down and hurting once a day
Once a day
All day long
And once at night

From dusk til dawn
The only time
I wish you weren't gone
Is once a day everyday alll day long
I'm so glad I'm not like a friend I knew one time
He lost the one he loved
And slowly lost his mind
He sat around and cried his life away
Lucky my I'm only crying once a day
Once a day
All day long
And once at night
From dusk til dawn
The only time
I wish you weren't gone

Is once a day everyday all day long
Is once a day everyday all day long

Overall Meaning

The Mike Ness song "Once a Day" deals with the pain and suffering that comes with a broken heart. The opening lines suggest that the singer has moved on from their love, but their inability to forget their ex has left them hurt and vulnerable. The chorus "Once a day, all day long, and once at night, from dusk till dawn" is a powerful repetition that reinforces the daily reminder of the singer's pain. They state that they only wish their ex wasn't gone "once a day" which illustrates the extent of their heartache as they can only bear to entertain thoughts of them in small doses.

The second verse introduces a friend who has suffered a similar loss, but their pain has affected them permanently. Ness sings, "He lost the one he loved and slowly lost his mind." This furthers the concept that the pain of love is all-consuming, and can be easy to become overwhelmed by if left unchecked. The final chorus reaffirms the singer's resilience, expressing gratitude that they are not succumbing to the same fate as their friend.

Overall, the song is quite melancholic and captures the essence of heartbreak. The repetition of the chorus and the simple, straightforward lyrics add to the emotional punch of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

When you found somebody new I thought
I never believed that you would move on and find someone new after we ended our relationship.

I never would
I never would have thought that you would leave me behind and start anew with someone else.

Forget you more that I thought I never could
Initially I believed that I could never forget you, but as time went on, I realized that the pain of losing you slowly faded away.

But times takin all the pain away
As time passed by, the pain of missing you started to fade away, leaving me with only a few moments of sadness.

Until now I'm down and hurting once a day
However, even now I find myself feeling down and hurting once a day due to the memories of our past relationship.

Once a day
Everyday, I find myself feeling sad and thinking about the past, but only once a day.

All day long
Even though I only feel sad once a day, the feeling lingers with me all day long.

And once at night
Even in my dreams, I find myself feeling sad and hurt due to the memories of our past.

From dusk til dawn
The sadness I feel stays with me from sunset to sunrise, affecting my entire day.

The only time
The only time that I wish things were different and you hadn't left me, is once a day.

I wish you weren't gone
I long for the times when you were with me and we were happy.

Is once a day everyday alll day long
This feeling follows me throughout the day, making it hard for me to move on even though it happens only once a day.

I'm so glad I'm not like a friend I knew one time
I'm grateful that my situation isn't as bad as a friend of mine, who lost his loved one and became consumed by his grief.

He lost the one he loved
My friend lost the person he loved the most, and it shattered him.

And slowly lost his mind
Over time, his grief consumed him and he lost touch with reality.

He sat around and cried his life away
He spent his days crying and thinking about the past, unable to let go of what was lost.

Lucky my I'm only crying once a day
Thankfully, I'm not consumed by my grief to the point where I'm crying all day, like my friend did. I only feel sad once a day.

Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bill Anderson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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