June 14, 2011 will be a bigger day.
On the former, they decided to put off the next year of college, giving themselves 365 days to make a career out of rock n' roll.
On the latter, Paradise Fears will release "Yours Truly," their debut full-length album, as one of the most potent and rapidly-growing young pop rock acts in the country.
In July 2010, just months after the majority of the band's high school graduation, they released Make Them Believe EP, produced by Jordan Schmidt (All Time Low, Sing it Loud). In just 8 months, the album has sold several thousand copies nation-wide, and the band's career has taken off. They've completed nation-wide tours with Quietdrive and Floral Terrace across 32 different states, and have shared the stage with acts like Stereo Skyline, The Audition, and You, Me, and Everyone We Know.
Coming from a town of 3,000 year round residents in a state noted for its lack of a music scene, nothing has come easy. But these six kids grew up fast. "It's been an entirely self taught process...with a very steep learning curve. We've had to teach ourselves how to promote, how to book shows, how to tour, how to record, everything…but it gives us a very unique approach, because in our area, what we're doing is so unprecedented that we haven't fallen victim the generic, cookie-cutter career path, and instead we've received a tremendous amount of support from our home town." explained lead singer Sam Miller.
Though they may be young, Paradise Fears has several things going for them:
First, an incredibly energetic and engaging live show that can win over even the most uninterested bystander, described by one Battle of the Bands judge as "N'Sync meets a UFC cage match." They were crowned champions of a 65-band, Midwest-wide Battle of the Bands in October, sponsored by Rawkzilla magazine, scoring them $14,000 in endorsements, equipment, and cash. Their performance, described by Paul Pederson (Prince, Steve Miller band), was "absolutely spectacular, one in a million, and completely breath-taking."
Second, an arsenal of infectiously catchy and musically developed rock-pop songs, some of which received airplay on top 40 radio stations throughout the Midwest. David Hooper of Music Business Radio described Make Them Believe as "catchy and remarkably polished, particularly given the age [of the members.]"
Third, an incredibly loyal internet following of all different ages. In just 8 months, their Facebook, Twitter, and social networking profiles have acquired tens of thousands of fans/ followers, and are still rapidly expanding by hundreds daily. "One of the best parts about our style of music has always been that it's not limited - it's the kind of music that someone can appreciate with their 12-year-old sister or their 70-year-old grandmother," said keyboard-player Michael Walker.
Finally, and most importantly, an insatiable drive for success. Paradise Fears is constantly touring or recording, and when they aren't, they're exploring new and creative ways of expanding their fan base. Most recently, the band split into three teams, racing around the country following large tours in a competition to meet the most potential listeners. 50,000 miles, 10,000 demos, and 5,000 CDs later, their "Amazing Race" has created both hundreds of fans and a Paradise Fears buzz in every major market in the United States.
The large-scale release of a full-length album will be a huge step forward in the band's career. Recording time for "Yours Truly" was split between Schmidt and Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount (Mayday Parade, Cartel). It will feature 11 new songs, tremendously evolved in music and lyrics. "It's a new found maturity for us...these songs are real. We wrote songs about people we love, songs about people we hate, songs that tell stories…it's an album full of songs we really love," described guitarist Cole Andre.
But why so independent? Says Miller, "That's the way we want to do it, and the dream we've always envisioned. We're financing it, we're writing it, we're releasing it, we're promoting it. It started out as just the six of us, and come good or come bad, we've still always got that. We're committed to being able to make it ourselves."
I Tried
Paradise Fears Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were my muse, my everything
I never was too good at make-believing,
Never one to accept defeat and
What you want is what you got
And what I need is what you're not
All alone, I sang my songs
You messed with my heart all along
You were meant for bigger things
You built relationships on foundations of dreams
And I don't know if it's possible
To live with the consequence
How can you live like this?
How am I supposed to feel this hollow?
I'm just an addict of your love
I tried, I tried, I tried
I'll never get it back to where we used to be tomorrow
The truth is so hard to swallow
I tried, I tried, I tried, I'll never get it right
I tried, I tried, I'll never get it right
A song where love is honest,
Sing it loud so she hears the promise
The confidence that walls my heart is paper thin
Couldn't find the strength enough to keep you in
Because with you I never had the best luck,
Tried so hard but you don't really give a f*ck,
It's time to face the music,
Because the music's all I have
How am I supposed to feel this hollow?
I'm just an addict of your love
I tried, I tried, I tried
I'll never get it back to where we used to be tomorrow
The truth is so hard to swallow
I tried, I tried, I tried, I'll never get it right
I tried, I tried, I'll never get it right
Say your love was only for your gain
And now you do it all over again
Insanity makes my heart beat for only you alone
(I tried, I tried, I tried, I'll never get it right
I tried, I tried, I'll never get it right)
How am I supposed to feel this hollow?
I'm just an addict of your love
I tried, I tried, I tried
I'll never get it back to where we used to be tomorrow
The truth is so hard to swallow
I tried, I tried, I tried, I'll never get it right
I tried, I tried, I'll never get it right
I tried, I tried, I'll never get it right
I tried, I tried, I'll never get it right
The song "I Tried" by Paradise Fears is about a failed relationship, where the singer sings about his difficulty in moving on from his ex-lover. The song opens with the lines "You always were my only tragedy, You were my muse, my everything," indicating that the subject of the song was someone whom the singer held in high regard but whose actions led to the break-up of their relationship. The singer then sings about the mismatch in their wants and needs, stating that what his ex-partner wanted was not what he needed. Despite this, he sings about trying his best to make their relationship work and keep their love alive. However, his efforts were futile, and his ex-partner didn't seem to care about his feelings or his attempts to make things right.
The chorus of the song reflects on the feelings of the singer, who believes he is addicted to his former partner's love. He sings about the futility of trying to get things back to where they used to be, acknowledging that he can never make it right - "I tried, I tried, I tried, I'll never get it right." The verses of the song suggest that the singer has found solace in music, and that's what's keeping him going. He sings, "All alone, I sang my songs, You messed with my heart all along," implying that he found comfort in writing songs even though his ex-partner continually hurt him.
In conclusion, the song "I Tried" by Paradise Fears is a heartfelt and emotional tribute to a failed relationship. The lyrics delve deep into the emotions of the singer, who is unable to move on from his ex-partner. Despite his best efforts, the relationship couldn't be salvaged, and the singer finds solace in music to cope with his heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
You always were my only tragedy
You were the only tragic thing in my life
You were my muse, my everything
You were my inspiration and my whole world
I never was too good at make-believing,
I was never good at pretending
Never one to accept defeat and
I never gave up easily
What you want is what you got
You got everything you wanted
And what I need is what you're not
But what I need, you cannot be
All alone, I sang my songs
I sang my songs by myself
You messed with my heart all along
You played with my heart the entire time
You were meant for bigger things
You were destined for great things
You built relationships on foundations of dreams
You established relationships based on aspirations
And I don't know if it's possible
I'm unsure if it's feasible
To live with the consequence
To live with the outcome
How can you live like this?
How can you live with the results of your actions?
How am I supposed to feel this hollow?
How am I supposed to handle this emptiness?
I'm just an addict of your love
I'm a slave to your love
I tried, I tried, I tried
I did my best, I tried so hard
I'll never get it back to where we used to be tomorrow
I'll never be able to restore our relationship to its past glory
The truth is so hard to swallow
The reality is difficult to accept
I'll never get it right
I'll never be able to fix things
A song where love is honest,
A song where love is truthful
Sing it loud so she hears the promise
Sing with conviction so she can hear the commitment
The confidence that walls my heart is paper thin
The defense around my heart is weak and fragile
Couldn't find the strength enough to keep you in
I couldn't muster up enough strength to keep you in my life
Because with you I never had the best luck,
Because with you, things never went well for me
Tried so hard but you don't really give a f*ck,
I tried my best but you didn't care
It's time to face the music,
It's time to confront the reality
Because the music's all I have
Because music is all I have left
Say your love was only for your gain
Say that you only loved me for your own benefit
And now you do it all over again
And now you're repeating the same patterns
Insanity makes my heart beat for only you alone
My irrational love for you still persists
Writer(s): Samuel Miller Copyright: Sam Miller Pf
Contributed by Hunter L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
skyified
I wish they were more popular!
Kalanit Saidon
it took 6 years but uh, first comment :P