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."
What You Want Me To
Paradise Fears Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could just relax and better yet,
I'd be cured from the ache that ensues every time that I wake
And I find that I'm still missing you
And those little lies you told,
The complex truth I hold
If it's true that you were always through
Then who are you to push us back in time
Watch me fall back down into the mess you made me
So this is love, and if so,
What's the point of being in it at all?
When it hurts, we let go
And I just can't leave my heart with you,
I will always do what you want me to
Well you're everything, but you're nothing new,
I will always do what you want me to
Can I be blamed if this is what I need to get me through a tough time,
Which is all the time because when I'm with you, I'm alone,
And when you're gone I'm feeling just the same
With all your little games and all the stupid things you do,
Every time I think it through,
I get strong enough to burn the bridge from me to you
Made up my mind, take it back let's rewind
To a time when things between us weren't so crazy,
Looking back they always were that way we know
This is love, I guess so
What's the point of being in it at all?
When it hurts, we let go
And I just can't leave my heart with you,
I will always do what you want me to
Well you're everything, but you're nothing new,
I will always do what you want me to
There's been a breakdown, a miscommunication,
Because I just can't be everything you want
If there's a brighter side to this than I can't see it
Is there something that I've missed?
And I just can't leave my heart with you,
I will always do what you want me to
Well you're everything, but you're nothing new,
I will always do what you want me to
The lyrics of Paradise Fears's "What You Want Me To" tell the story of a complicated relationship filled with lies, games, and miscommunication. The singer is haunted by their feelings for someone who has hurt them, and the pain they feel when they wake up without them. They wonder if love is even worth it when it hurts so much, and question why they are still holding onto a relationship that only causes them pain. They express a desire to move on, burn the bridge between them and their love interest, but at the same time cannot resist the pull they feel towards them.
The lines "And I just can't leave my heart with you, I will always do what you want me to" suggest that even if the singer knows they should move on, they cannot help but follow the desires of the person they love. The song also touches on the theme of self-preservation versus self-sacrifice in relationships. The singer struggles with the idea of giving up their own autonomy for the sake of love and wonders if that sacrifice is worth it.
Overall, "What You Want Me To" is a poignant and emotional exploration of the complexity of human relationships and the struggle to navigate them.
Line by Line Meaning
If alcohol had been prescribed to aid this fluttering inside my chest,
If there was a medication that could calm the anxiety inside me,
I could just relax and better yet,
I could finally feel at peace,
I'd be cured from the ache that ensues every time that I wake
I wouldn't feel the pain that consumes me every morning when I wake up,
And I find that I'm still missing you
And I realize that I still long for you,
And those little lies you told,
And the small deceptions you used to cover up your true feelings,
The complex truth I hold
The complicated emotions and thoughts that I can't express,
If it's true that you were always through
If it's really over between us like you say it is,
Then who are you to push us back in time
Then why are you trying to make me go back to our past when there's no point?
You tie me up inside, pick me up just to drop me,
You make me feel trapped, lift me up only to let me fall,
Watch me fall back down into the mess you made me
And I end up back where I started, in the chaos that you created for me,
So this is love, and if so,
So this is what love feels like, and if that's true,
What's the point of being in it at all?
Then why do we bother being in love if it only brings us pain?
When it hurts, we let go
When the pain becomes too much, we have to move on and let go.
And I just can't leave my heart with you,
And I can't bear to leave my heart with you,
I will always do what you want me to
I always end up doing whatever you ask of me, no matter how much it hurts me.
Well you're everything, but you're nothing new,
You mean everything to me, but this situation is nothing new - it's always the same cycle.
Can I be blamed if this is what I need to get me through a tough time,
Can I really be at fault for doing what I need to do to get through the pain?
Which is all the time because when I'm with you, I'm alone,
Which is all the time because even when I'm with you, I still feel alone and disconnected.
And when you're gone I'm feeling just the same
And even when you're not here, I still feel alone and empty.
With all your little games and all the stupid things you do,
With all the games you play and the foolish choices you make,
Every time I think it through,
Every time I try to make sense of it all,
I get strong enough to burn the bridge from me to you
I find the strength to cut off all ties with you and move on for good.
Made up my mind, take it back let's rewind
I've made a decision - let's go back to the way things were before,
To a time when things between us weren't so crazy,
To a time when we were happy and things between us were simple,
Looking back they always were that way we know
But looking back, we know that things were never really that simple between us.
There's been a breakdown, a miscommunication,
We're not on the same page anymore - there's been a breakdown in communication,
Because I just can't be everything you want
Because I can't live up to your expectations and be everything you want me to be,
If there's a brighter side to this than I can't see it
If there's a good side to this situation, I can't seem to find it.
Is there something that I've missed?
Maybe there's something I'm not seeing or understanding.
Writer(s): Samuel Miller Copyright: Sam Miller Pf
Contributed by Cole R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
CloVeR
If alcohol had been prescribed to aid this fluttering inside my chest,
I could just relax and better yet,
I'd be cured from the ache that ensues every time that I wake
And I find that I'm still missing you
And those little lies you told,
The complex truth I hold
If it's true that you were always through
Then who are you to push us back in time
You tie me up inside, pick me up just to drop me,
Watch me fall back down into the mess you made me
So this is love, and if so,
What's the point of being in it at all?
When it hurts, we let go
And I just can't leave my heart with you,
I will always do what you want me to
Well you're everything, but you're nothing new,
I will always do what you want me to
Can I be blamed if this is what I need to get me through a tough time,
Which is all the time because when I'm with you, I'm alone,
And when you're gone I'm feeling just the same
With all your little games and all the stupid things you do,
Every time I think it through,
I get strong enough to burn the bridge from me to you
Made up my mind, take it back let's rewind
To a time when things between us weren't so crazy,
Looking back they always were that way we know
This is love, I guess so
What's the point of being in it at all?
When it hurts, we let go
dontknow
Thank you so much for making this wonderful lyric video! I truly love this song and this lyric video! I was always feeling miserable about this guy friend I have whenever I thought about him, I seriously thought I was going to have mental problems soon if this kept going on. But this song described mainly everything I was going through and it gave me hope. I love it, and I am definiteley feeling much better now! Well, this is love! <3 :) Hopefully everything will go back to our awesome times again :)) This song also gives me a nostalgic summer vibe! I also love the pre chorus, I could never get tired of it! Have a most wonderful day everyone!
Jules Beauty & Vlogs ⭐️
First time to hear them ever! LOVING it!!! O.M.G. I LOVE THIS BAND!!!!
Nevannas Princess
I love this song.....I've never had anyone who loved me nor have I loved, but this song somehow gives me hope for my hopeless life....and shows me how to love myself
Brynn Marcellino
God loves you so much that He gave up his son Jesus on the cross! ❤❤❤ You are loved! ❤❤❤
Lorraine Posey
I remember meeting Sam and I was wearing a flower and he said when I see them he wishes I would wear flowers just for them. That melted my heart <3
crazyizi
Just wanted to let you know that I'm adding all these Paradise Fears videos to a playlist because I'm not sure their album is out in the UK yet + these videos are awesome. :D♥
Anna Marie
I think it is safe to say that i am obsessed with Paradise Fears <3
GoFar
My friend showed me this band while we were in his car. This was the first song that he played. I knew this was going to be one of my all time favorite songs by listening to it :). Now everytime we go out and eat, I play that song Over and Over.
jos and
I love it when he says when it hurts we let go he says it soo cute!! And I love it
dontknow
I agree, love them <3