The band's moniker comes from a discarded coat James saw while walking through the remains of his favorite bar the morning after it burned down. The coat had the letters "MMJ" embroided on it. The band has released seven albums so far: "The Tennessee Fire" (1999), "At Dawn" (2001), "It Still Moves" (2003), "Z" (2005), "Evil Urges" (2008), "Circuital" (2011) & "The Waterfall" (2015). The band's breakthrough came when their 2003 single "One Big Holiday" became one of the most played songs on college radio that year. 2008's "I'm Amazed" was also a sizable hit, peaking at #6 on Billboard's Triple A (adult album alternative) Singles chart.
The Circuital songfacts reports that "Circuital" was recorded inside a church’s converted gymnasium in the band's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Said frontman Jim James: “I hate the phrase ‘going back to our roots’, but for this record we came home and made it in Kentucky. And it just felt a lot like it did when we were first starting out.”
James co-produced the record with Tucker Martine. The pair first worked together when James appeared on Laura Veirs ' album "July Flame" in 2010, which Martine, Veirs’ husband, also produced.
My Morning Jacket guest stared in the American Dad Episode "My Morning Straitjacket" where Stan Smith becomes obsessed with them and decides to become a groupie. The edisode was first aired November 22 2009.
All The Best
My Morning Jacket Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I guess I wish you all the best
I wish you don't do like I do
And ever fall in love with someone like you
'Cause if you do like I did
You'd probably run around the block like a little kid
But kids don't know, they can only guess
How hard it is to wish you happiness
You decorate a tree you throw it in the yard
And it decays and dies and the snowmen melt
Well, I knew love, I knew how love felt
Yeah, I knew love, love knew me
And when I walked, love walked with me
And I got no hate and I got no pride
And I got so much love that I just can't hide
Well, I got so much love that I just can't hide
Say you drive a Chevy, say you drive a Ford
Say you drive around the town till you just get bored
And then you change your mind for something else to do
Then your heart gets bored with your mind and it changes you
Well, it's a doggone shame and it's an awful mess
I wish you love, I wish you happiness
I wish you love, I wish you happiness
I guess I wish you all the best
"My Morning Jacket's song All The Best" is a song about a failed relationship. The singer is wishing his former lover "the best", but at the same time he is warning them not to make the same mistakes he made in his relationship. He wishes that they don't fall in love with someone who will make them run around like a little kid. He also compares love to a Christmas card which is decorated and then thrown away after decaying. The singer reflects upon his own experience of love and how it has brought him both joy and pain.
He also gives the example of a person who drives around town in their car until they get bored and then change their mind, he emphasizes how it is a mess and a shame. This metaphor explains how a person may change their mind about their love and how such actions may eventually lead to the end of the relationship. The lyrics convey a sense of regret and melancholy that the singer feels upon realizing that the relationship has ended. He has no hate or pride but only a lot of love that he cannot hide.
The song is about finding closure after a difficult breakup. It encourages the listener to reflect on their own relationships and to learn from their mistakes. It reminds them to be careful when it comes to love and to treat it with respect. The overall message is that sometimes the best thing to do is to wish your ex-lover well and move on.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish you love and happiness
I hope you find both love and happiness in your life
I guess I wish you all the best
I assume that all the best is what you truly deserve and hence, I wish you that.
I wish you don't do like I do
I hope you do not follow in my footsteps and make the same mistakes as me.
And ever fall in love with someone like you
And never fall in love with someone like me, because I know the pain and it’s unbearable.
'Cause if you do like I did
Because If you go through the same things that I went through,
You'd probably run around the block like a little kid
You'd probably have to run around here and there like a kid in order to escape from those feelings of love.
But kids don't know, they can only guess
But kids don't have any idea about such things, they can only guess what's going on.
How hard it is to wish you happiness
how difficult it is to want someone's happiness and still not have them for yourself.
I guess love is like a Christmas card
I think that love is like a Christmas card, that when used is thrown away after its expiration date.
You decorate a tree you throw it in the yard
You decorate the tree but in the end, throw it away like trash.
And it decays and dies and the snowmen melt
Similar to how the Christmas decorations wear away and ultimately get destroyed, love also fades away eventually.
Well, I knew love, I knew how love felt
I too was once in love and experienced the feeling that love is.
Yeah, I knew love, love knew me
Love had come into my life before and engulfed me in its warmth.
And when I walked, love walked with me
Love was the element that kept me alive and kept my spirits high, it accompanied me through my every step.
And I got no hate and I got no pride
I have no reason to maliciously hold a grudge towards you or anyone else in this world, hate isn't my cup of tea.
And I got so much love that I just can't hide
The abundance of love that I have inside of me is so immense that it just can't be contained and needs to be shared with the world.
Well, I got so much love that I just can't hide
The love that I have in my heart is infinite and far more than what one can fathom.
Say you drive a Chevy, say you drive a Ford
It doesn't matter if you drive any brand car or ride anything, what matters is what's in your heart.
Say you drive around the town till you just get bored
It's okay if you do things in your time, and eventually, they no longer excite you.
And then you change your mind for something else to do
So you start doing other things, and follow different paths for exploring.
Then your heart gets bored with your mind and it changes you
Eventually, you phase out of different things because what excites you from the heart eventually takes over what your mind wants or more precisely, what it doesn't want anymore.
Well, it's a doggone shame and it's an awful mess
That is a sorry state of affairs and a complete chaos that this is how love ends, just like this.
I wish you love, I wish you happiness
I hope that you find the kind of love and happiness that you desire and deserve.
I wish you love, I wish you happiness
My best wishes are with you and I hope you stay happy and loved always.
I guess I wish you all the best
Through thick and thin, all I truly wish for you is nothing but the very best in life.
Writer(s): PRINE
Contributed by Dominic I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rob P.
The lyrics of this song are so beautifully bittersweet. The realization of love ending or being unreciprocated is something every human being will, or has gone through. Coming to that painful realization and finally accepting that fate is something that rocks us to our core. And this song illustrates that feeling so well. Brilliant cover by MMJ.👍🏼
peaco1000
Jim James really does have one of the most remarkable voices.
Anne Detweiler
he sure does, tears at my heart as soon as he opens his mouth
Pamela Darlene Woodward
Thank G-d for my morning jacket and Mr.Prines songwriting skills.I have liked them from the beginning. I can't think of anyone who could have brought Mr.Prines lyrics,to a whole new generation of younger folks.
Marcus
I think of all the tracks, Yim Yames really embodied what John is about. A lot of his songs are like he's talking to you, more than sing to you and this song he really is telling you a story rather than trying to belt out a melody. I think a lot of the other tracks lost that.
Jason B
Great cover MMJ> You guys are amazing. REally appreciate your musical talents. Thanks for busting out some John Prine!
Rightcoast Mike
There is nothing sad about great covers, long live cover bands!
james jeffers
Rightcoast Mike they're the greatest original band on the planet. They're also the greatest cover band on the planet. They've cut their teeth and work insanely hard to achieve what they had. They could only do covers and I'd be okay with it
Bill Bill
Rest In Peace, John Prine.
zenaida Z
now that I’m heartbroken it hurts to the bones to listen to it, but I’m a masochist since I love the song