1.) Tinashe Fazakerley (b… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists with this name:
1.) Tinashe Fazakerley (born April 4, 1984), now professionally known as Rationale is a Zimbabwe-born British singer-songwriter, formerly known as Tinashé. He is known for his soulful R&B and indie pop style with electric influences. His alias Tinashé, was known for his synthpop sound and his African influences.
Fazakerley was born in the Harare township of Highfield. At the age of 9, he and his three siblings moved to the United Kingdom in the Camberwell district of London, where his single mother was working as a nurse. Later, at the age of 11, he moved to the London borough of Hackney and music began to play a more significant role in his life as he learned to play the guitar. His influences were varying, ranging from Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Pat Metheny, Donnie Hathaway and Al Green, to Tupac Shakur, A Tribe Called Quest and the Notorious B.I.G.
In 2010, after releasing two EPs and three singles, Fazakerley released the album Saved under the stage name Tinashé, but it had limited success.He took a break from singing and went on to become a songwriter and producer, working with producer Mark Crew, while writing songs for blues artist Rag'n'Bone Man, among others. He also wrote songs for the Swiss version of The Voice talent show.
In 2015, he relaunched his career as Rationale, releasing songs such as "Fast Lane" and "Something for Nothing" on Soundcloud and Spotify. It was on these streaming platforms that he gained notable recognition, with a mention by Pharrell Williams on his Apple Music Beats1 radio show, OTHERtone, calling him someone who had "found the beauty in their voice". This elevated Fast Lane to No. 2 within its first week on the Spotify Global Viral Chart, reached No. 1 on Hype Machine, and amassed more than 1.3 million views on Soundcloud. Rationale also received praise from Justin Timberlake and Elton John. He became one of the first artists to be signed to Dan Smith of Bastille's new record label, Best Laid Plans. His debut self-titled album is due for release in 2017, under exclusive license to Warner Music UK.
2.) Chicago pop-punk allies Dan Lambton (vocals, Real Friends), Joe Taylor and Ryan Rumchaks (guitar/vocals and drums, respectively, of Knuckle Puck) have aligned for rationale. They released their debut ep, "confines" on December 9, 2015.
Quarter Life
Rationale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
everything falls through the cracks in my hands.
the sand hits the glass and there isn't much left.
i feel as plain as the walls.
my age clings to my frame
and i still feel as plain as the walls that i'm staring at.
it's about time and it's not on my side.
i thought that the deck wouldn't run out.
some times we're too hard on ourselves,
but most times i hate myself.
it's about time and it's not on my side.
all this time i've been occupied with the hands dealt and i thought that the deck would never run out.
i thought that the deck wouldn't run out.
In Rationale's "Quarter Life," the lyrics express the singer's emotions of feeling lost and overwhelmed by time, something that slips away from him like sand. The sand is a metaphor for the amount of time he has and how he can't seem to hold onto it. Everything in life seems to slip through his grasp, and he feels stuck, plain, and unremarkable. He feels like he's stuck, watching the world go by, and time is relentlessly ticking away.
The second verse intensifies the emotions described earlier. The time isn't on his side, and he feels like he's given too much time to things that haven't changed the outcome of his life. The phrase "the deck would never run out" suggests that he was hoping that he would always have time to make something of his life, but now he's worried that time has run out. This realization has hit him hard and causes him to reflect on his life, leading him to feel more remorseful.
Overall, "Quarter Life" is a humble and introspective song that many listeners can relate to. The fear of running out of time or being left behind in life is a common concern, and the lyrics evoke a sense of existential angst that's relatable.
Line by Line Meaning
time is the sand i can't grasp.
The passing of time is something I cannot control or hold on to.
everything falls through the cracks in my hands.
I feel like everything I try to hold onto slips away from me.
the sand hits the glass and there isn't much left.
As time goes by, I realize that there isn't much time left to accomplish my goals.
i feel as plain as the walls.
I feel unremarkable and insignificant.
my age clings to my frame
I am becoming more aware of my age and it is weighing on me.
and i still feel as plain as the walls that i'm staring at.
Even as I become more aware of my age, I still feel unremarkable and insignificant.
it's about time and it's not on my side.
I am realizing that time is not on my side to accomplish my goals.
all this time i've been occupied with the hands dealt and i thought that the deck would never run out.
I have been focused on the cards life has dealt me and thought I had all the time in the world to make something of myself.
i thought that the deck wouldn't run out.
I believed that there would always be time to accomplish my goals, but I am realizing that is not the case.
some times we're too hard on ourselves,
Occasionally, we can be overly critical of ourselves.
but most times i hate myself.
More often than not, I have a strong dislike for myself and feel unworthy.
Contributed by Jason O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.