After gaining a following as a popular live act on college campuses, the band has gained popular success since signing to Lava Records in 2005, with their singles "Love and Memories" and "Shattered (Turn the Car Around)" gaining mainstream radio airplay. Speaking with Songfacts in an interview, Roberge explained "Love and Memories" was inspired by the Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet movie, The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
The members of O.A.R. first came together in Rockville, Maryland in the basement of drummer Chris Culos' childhood home in 1996. As a young group of musicians, they were the prototype of the modern, self-starting band--taking charge of their fate by working the internet and building an identifiable sound. The band’s music, a rock/reggae fusion, consisted of songs that were fully accessible, yet teasingly elusive. Attracting fans all across the country, the band members toured relentlessly, pushing their album sales through boundless dedication and word-of-mouth appeal, never waiting for the industry to catch up. O.A.R. owes much of their success to piracy and Napster, the mp3 sharing engine. Around 2000, O.A.R.'s popularity greatly increased among college students because their song "Crazy Game of Poker" was a huge hit on Napster.
By the time the band had reached their 10 year anniversary together, they had sold over 1.2 million albums and performed in front of over 1 million people. Their studio record, Stories of a Stranger, produced radio favorites “Love and Memories” and “Heard the World” as well as mtvU’s Most Downloaded Video of 2006, “Lay Down.” The band followed up the successful release with a live double disc CD and DVD set, Live From Madison Square Garden, recorded during the band’s second sold-out performance at the prestigious arena.
Early in 2008, the band members holed themselves up in a studio in Los Angeles to work on their next project, All Sides. The album was released on July 15th.
The Heaven Songfacts reports that the first single from O.A.R.'s seventh studio album, King was released on June 7, 2011 on Wind-Up Records.
. For more information about O.A.R., go to www.ofarevolution.com.
City On Down
O.A.R. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We will all be together again
Clutching onto my hand,
In a valley we'll stand,
Just living again
And in a while we'll smile,
March on another mile
On hallowed hills, attached to
No one's ever gonna say a thing
And we'll be together, together again
Taking off to the city on down
Just a while ago my soul was confused,
Amused at what it did not know
Days went by,
And amusement cried,
I decide to let
My soul fly on by itself,
Pick happiness up and
Bring it back to the shelf
We'll be okay one day,
In a valley we will stay
No more moving on
I knew it was right here all along
Won't have to hold your crown,
No more looking around
Just holding you tight in the city on down
Just a while ago my soul was confused,
Amused at what it did not know
But days went by and amusement cried
I decide it's time, I got to move on now
But I was so scared
I was frightened,
Somewhat enlightened
So I changed shoes
Now I walk through a valley of color
Much better than the other
Way I did not know,
But now we can be united
Miracle, miracle sighted,
And I'm pulling it in
I know by now we can all walk together
At a regular speed
Do you dare to be excited,
Are you somewhat delighted?
Are you aware somewhat delighted?
At what you did not know
Let's take it to the city on down
The lyrics to O.A.R.'s song City On Down depict the idea of finding inner peace and contentment with oneself after a period of confusion and uncertainty. The singer talks about how in the end, they will all be together again, holding hands in a valley, just living and smiling, walking another mile, and finally finding stillness on hallowed hills attached to the land. The idea of being attached to the land is significant as it indicates a connection to nature, which brings a sense of calmness and serenity.
The singer then talks about how they were confused and amused at what they did not know earlier, but over time, they let their soul fly on by itself, picking happiness up and bringing it back to the shelf. They are now certain that they will be okay one day and will stay in a valley. They no longer have to hold anyone's crown or look around; they can hold someone tight and head to the city on down, signifying the beginning of a new journey.
The lyrics of City On Down are significant as they portray the idea of finding inner peace and accepting life's journey, no matter how confusing or uncertain it may seem. It encourages the listener to let go of their fears and embrace happiness, even if it means taking a different path. The song also portrays the importance of being connected to nature and finding stillness within oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, in the end my friend,
Eventually, my friend,
We will all be together again
We will reunite once more
Clutching onto my hand,
Holding my hand tightly
In a valley we'll stand,
We'll be in a valley
Just living again
Living in the moment
And in a while we'll smile,
We'll smile after some time
March on another mile
Keep going forward
On hallowed hills, attached to
The hills are special to us
The land we'll be still
We'll be calm on the land
No one's ever gonna say a thing
Nobody's going to speak
And we'll be together, together again
We'll reunite once more
Taking off to the city on down
Heading to the city
Just a while ago my soul was confused,
My soul was lost for a moment
Amused at what it did not know
It found the unknown amusing
Days went by,
Time passed
And amusement cried,
The amusement faded
I decide to let
I decide to allow
My soul fly on by itself,
My soul to fly alone
Pick happiness up and
To choose happiness
Bring it back to the shelf
To keep it for later
We'll be okay one day,
Things will be alright one day
In a valley we will stay
We'll remain in the valley
No more moving on
No more leaving
I knew it was right here all along
It was always here
Won't have to hold your crown,
No more protecting yourself
No more looking around
No need to search
Just holding you tight in the city on down
Holding you close in the city
But days went by and amusement cried
Time passed and the amusement faded
I decide it's time, I got to move on now
I decide it's time to move forward
But I was so scared
I was afraid
I was frightened, somewhat enlightened
I was scared and yet learned something
So I changed shoes
I took a different path
Now I walk through a valley of color
Now I see the beauty around me
Much better than the other
This is much better than before
Way I did not know,
I didn't know this side of things
But now we can be united
Now we can come together
Miracle, miracle sighted,
A miracle can be seen
And I'm pulling it in
I'm taking it all in
I know by now we can all walk together
We can all journey together now
At a regular speed
At a normal pace
Do you dare to be excited,
Are you willing to be excited
Are you somewhat delighted?
Are you somewhat happy
Are you aware somewhat delighted?
Do you understand and happy
At what you did not know
About what you didn't know before
Let's take it to the city on down
Let's go to the city
Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: MARC ANDREW ROBERGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wvoltaren5556
This is one of the hidden gems of the Internet.
@kellenpies160
absolutely incredible. one of the best songs ever maxe
@kellenpies160
made*
@AVPyrotechnics
Agreed. OAR for life.
@caioswim
Such a beautiful intro
@migs671
I still remember listing to this song for the first because they were opening up for tribal seeds or rebelution here in San Diego I was blazed out of my mind and can never forget how amazing this song was live!!
@bradleystevens9833
This is the version I I first heard. I like it, both are great but this one. 👌
@drakonisasmrtist9471
This is the first O.A.R. song I ever heard, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
@bradleystevens9833
@@drakonisasmrtist9471 I can see why. My best friend introduced me to them with, Black Rock. I was hooked from then.
@rochesterjohnny7555
@@drakonisasmrtist9471 cool the first one I heard was a crazy game of poker, it was a big hit when I was rushing college fraternities in 2002, good band