Paul Dempsey formed Something For Kate just after leaving high school in 1994 with school friend, drummer Clint Hyndman. They then found bass player, Julian Carroll from an advertisement in a record store. The three played only a couple of shows and released a demo tape before they were approached by Chris Dunn, then A&R representative for Sony subsidiary label Murmur records who signed them instantly. All members were 17 years old. Dempsey wrote all songs and lyrics and after releasing 2 EP's, the band went to New Zealand to record their first album, Elsewhere for Eight Minutes. In 1998, he then released a solo album under the name Scared of Horses for which he wrote and played all the music whilst inviting guest vocalists to record the vocals. After this came album number 2, Beautiful Sharks for which Paul and the band won a Music Critics Award for Best Australian Album and Best Australian Live band and 2 ARIA nominations. This album gained much critical acclaim in particular for Paul's insightful lyrics and unique and understated observations on science, physics, astronomy and a general questioning nature. It was album no. 3 Echolalia, that really propelled Paul into being recognized as one of Australia's most gifted songwriters. He was voted Best Male Vocalist in Rolling Stone and the album was nominated for 5 ARIA Awards. It debuted at No.2 and has gone on to sell double platinum. Paul experienced writers block and depression (see below) at around this time. He and the band toured the U.S and Europe while he tried to write lyrics for the band's fourth album. No doubt feeling the pressure from the band's success, it wasn't until 2003 that The Official Fiction was released. Debuting at Number 1, this album displayed Paul's lyrical talent and maturity and a sense of anger at the political events of the time.
In 2003 Paul also produced and played drums, bass, guitar and keyboards on the Givegoods' 2003 album I Want to Kill a Rich Man , the side project for Tom Morgan and Evan Dando.
In 2005 after another bout of writer's block and debilitating depression, Paul and the band went to Los Angeles to make album number 5, Desert Lights which again displayed another leap in Paul's songwriting abilities and unique observations on the world around him. The album was released in 2006 and again debuted at Number 1 pointing to the longevity of the band and Paul's uniqueness in an ever changing musical climate.
In 2007 Paul began writing his first official solo album and produced the debut album for Melbourne singer-songwriter Brendan Welch titled The Gleaner.
Paul has also appeared on several of Melbourne Dance Artist T-Rek albums, playing a variety of instruments on the albums as well as playing keyopards on Melbourne band, The Nation Blue's album, 'Protest Songs'.
Recording was completed for Paul's debut solo album in April 2009 in Los Angeles with Mix engineer/ producer, Doug Boehm. The first song to be released from the album is titled Out the Airlock and was initially given away as a very limited free download on http://www.pauldempseymusic.com. The single was released through "itunes" May 15 2009.
The Daily Telegraph revealed on May 29 that the title of Dempsey's album is Everything Is True and is to be release on August 14 2009
The Great Optimist
Paul Dempsey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tried to be dependable everytime,
So it's hard - to understand why
You're the one who should find - it harder to sleep at night
And get needled by the thought
That you may have been mistaken all along,
While you wait - wait and wait for a call
It would be something if
If somehow after this
You could still call yourself - the great optimist
So you find somewhere to be
Where you don't feel you're caught between
And where you won't get crushed by the counterweight
That's gonna buckle under the strain of all your disbelief
And light comes through the leaves
Like bandits shooting at your feet
And indeed, there's honour among thieves
And the good guys always win the day eventually
It would be something if
If somehow after this
You could still call yourself - the great optimist
In "The Great Optimist," Paul Dempsey highlights the feelings of doubt and uncertainty that can arise when we have done everything right, yet things still do not go as planned. The song focuses on the struggle to maintain hope and optimism in the face of disappointment, as the singer questions whether he may have been mistaken in his beliefs all along. The lyrics convey a sense of frustration and helplessness, as the singer waits for a call that never comes and seeks a place where he can escape the weight of his doubt and disbelief without getting crushed.
Despite these struggles, the singer still yearns to hold onto his optimism, hoping "the good guys always win the day eventually." The final line, "It would be something if...you could still call yourself - the great optimist," serves as a call to action, urging listeners to strive to maintain a sense of hope and positivity despite life's challenges.
Overall, "The Great Optimist" is a poignant and introspective exploration of the human experience, highlighting the importance of resilience and self-reflection in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Y'know you did everything right
You always did your best
Tried to be dependable everytime,
You strived to be reliable in every situation,
So it's hard - to understand why
It's difficult to comprehend why
You're the one who should find - it harder to sleep at night
You should have trouble sleeping more than anyone else
And get needled by the thought
And be bothered by the idea
That you may have been mistaken all along,
That you could have been wrong this whole time,
While you wait - wait and wait for a call
As you wait and wait for a phone call,
But the phone it doesn't cry from it's cradle at all
But the phone never rings despite being on the cradle
It would be something if
It would be significant if
If somehow after this
If, in a way, after experiencing all this
You could still call yourself - the great optimist
You could still label yourself as an optimistic person
So you find somewhere to be
So you seek a place to exist where
Where you don't feel you're caught between
You don't feel trapped in between different things
And where you won't get crushed by the counterweight
And where you won't get overwhelmed by the opposing force
That's gonna buckle under the strain of all your disbelief
That's going to give in under the weight of your lack of faith
And light comes through the leaves
And the light filters through the leaves
Like bandits shooting at your feet
Like outlaws aiming at your feet
And indeed, there's honour among thieves
And truly, even criminals can be noble
And the good guys always win the day eventually
And in the end, the heroes always triumph
It would be something if
It would be worth noting if
If somehow after this
If, in a certain way, after all this
You could still call yourself - the great optimist
You could still describe yourself as a positive person
Contributed by Aubrey C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.