Biography:
Once upon a time, four people decide to make music...they decided to become friends...they decided to make better music. One True Thing has been around the block more times than they can count, but they just can't stop. Not yet. Started in 1990-something by guitarist Milan Millevoy and a 16 year old Melanie Wills on vocals, One True Thing has been through a number of line up changes. In 2001, just in time to go into the studio to record their first full-length, Ray Greene of hardcore heavyweight Fahrenheit 451 joined the band on drums. One True Thing had been through more than their share of heartache and disappointment, and now they had the chance to write it all down. Recorded in various studios during various days over the course of two months with producer Tom Soares (Erykah Badu, Sick of it All) the tender teen romantic comedy soundtrack entitled "Finally" was born. After recording "Finally," Melanie appeared on the From Autumn to Ashes records "Too Bad You're Beautiful" as a guest vocalist on "Short Stories With Tragic Endings" and as the main vocalist on "Autumn's Monologue" from "The Fiction We Live." Both appearances brought OTT a little bit of recognition, but they still couldn't seem to break through. In 2005, Mike Pilato, formerly of From Autumn to Ashes, filled in the void on bass for One True Thing and they started putting the finishing touches on a new batch of songs. This time they decided to do things the old fashioned way. They holed themselves up in a basement studio somewhere in NJ for four days and pounded out the songs. No producer, no label, no pressure...turns out to be the first recording they've ever been proud of. Go figure. Writing an undeniably catchy brand of rock, this band continues to be ridiculously honest with themselves and their fans. The lyrics read like a diary that we can all relate to"I swear I'll meet you in the next life, smiling deep and sharp as knives and I'll carve your heart into my lucky charm. I'm going down, I'm sinking low, into depths I've never known; this is what happens when I'm all alone " (Greasy Jungle); "I am the monster beneath your bed, I am the skeleton in every closet. All the things you hide, don't want no one to see...are the things that make up me" (Monster). You don't need to hear the whole storyit's far too long. You don't need to know who they've worked with, who's managed them, who influenced them, who produced every little major label-funded demo they ever did...you just need to hear the music. Thanks for listening.
Source: www.myspace.com/onetruething
Dearest
One True Thing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shoulders shudder in my cold.
Hid my bruises, hid my secrets
In my heart for too long.
Well, I'm standing on my own.
Your house never was my home.
That was yesterday,
And memories don't fade away.
There's a picture on the wall,
Father's arms around his daughter.
She pleads, â??Father, Daddy, when will you be a man?â??
Be a man. A man.
When you kicked me down the stairs,
To my haven underground.
Said I wasn't worth
The dirt under your fingernails.
When you said you wanted more,
Then you labeled me a whore.
And these days forget,
But nothing mutes the wound inside!
There's a picture on the wall,
Father's arms around his daughter.
Her eyes brim with tears,
But smile to hide the hate inside her heart.
There's a picture on the wall,
Daddy's arms around his Princess.
She pleads, â??Daddy, go away!â??
Away, away.
Dearest, Daddy's gone away.
Take me away!
There's a picture on the floor,
Broken glass shards in my toes.
My blood stains the carpet,
My bloodstain's a memory.
There's a picture on the floor,
Broken glass rings through my soul,
Dad, these scars won't fade away!
One True Thing's song Dearest tells the story of a girl who has suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her father. The song reveals her pain and feelings of betrayal but also her strength as she stands up for herself and separates herself from her toxic home environment. The lyrics show the internal struggles the girl has faced as she has tried to hide her bruises and secrets for too long. There is a sense of longing to leave her past behind but still feeling the emotional wounds of her traumatic experiences. The lines "That was yesterday, and memories don't fade away" represents the lasting impact of abuse on the psyche.
The second verse of the song highlights the physical abuse the girl has undergone, including being kicked down the stairs. It also indicates that her father saw her as an object that he ultimately discarded as a 'whore' when she no longer served his purpose. The chorus depicts the visual of a picture on the wall, showing a loving relationship between a father and his daughter, which is contrasted with the reality the girl has lived. The image she sees is a lie, and the smile is a facade to hide the pain she feels inside. The chorus ends with a somewhat desperate plea to be taken away from the horrors of her past.
Line by Line Meaning
As I stand here all alone,
Standing alone and isolated, feeling the cold and shaking shoulders
Shoulders shudder in my cold.
Feeling so alone, my body quivers from the cold
Hid my bruises, hid my secrets
I've kept my pain and secrets hidden away
In my heart for too long.
My secrets and pain have been kept in my heart for far too long
Well, I'm standing on my own.
I am standing independently, without any support from you
Your house never was my home.
Your house never truly felt like my home
That was yesterday,
The past is the past
And memories don't fade away.
Even though time has passed, the memories still remain
There's a picture on the wall,
There is a picture hanging on the wall
Father's arms around his daughter.
The father has his arms wrapped around his daughter
She pleads, 'Father, Daddy, when will you be a man?'
She desperately asks her father to be a responsible and caring man
Be a man. A man.
She begs him to be a real man, proving himself as a good and kind father
When you kicked me down the stairs,
You pushed me down the stairs, causing me great harm
To my haven underground.
I retreated to my safe place, to escape from you
Said I wasn't worth
You diminished my value and worth
The dirt under your fingernails.
You saw me as less important than the dirt under your nails
When you said you wanted more,
When you demanded more from me
Then you labelled me a whore.
You insulted and degraded me, calling me a whore
And these days forget,
These days have passed and been forgotten
But nothing mutes the wound inside!
Despite the passage of time, my emotional pain is just as deep and real
Her eyes brim with tears,
Tears flood her eyes
But smile to hide the hate inside her heart.
Even though she hates him inside, she tries to hide her emotions by smiling
Daddy’s arms around his Princess.
Her father has his arms wrapped around her in a loving embrace
She pleads, 'Daddy, go away!'
She begs her father to leave her alone, to get away from her
Away, away.
She pleads with him to go far away from her
Dearest, Daddy's gone away.
Father has left and is not coming back
Take me away!
She wishes to leave her current situation and pain behind
There's a picture on the floor,
There is a picture lying on the floor
Broken glass shards in my toes.
My toes are cut and bleeding from stepping on the broken glass
My blood stains the carpet,
The carpet is now stained with my blood
My bloodstain's a memory.
The bloodstain will remain as a reminder of what happened
Broken glass rings through my soul,
The sound of the breaking glass echoes deeply in my soul
Dad, these scars won’t fade away!
The emotional and physical scars from my father's abuse will never disappear
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BenChanNYC
I remember seeing you guys as Scarab and loved seeing you guys at the Continental when you became OTT... I hate that you guys never took off, but I'm still listening...