Adams dropped out of high school at age 16 to work in a shoe shop and make music. He formed a band named Whiskeytown in 1994; they disbanded in 1999 having released two full albums, Faithless Street and Strangers Almanac. Adams went on to put out his first solo record, Heartbreaker, in 2000. After a long delay, in 2001 Whiskeytown's third album Pneumonia was finally issued.
In 2002, Ryan contributed backing vocals on Butterfly in Reverse, from the Counting Crows album, Hard Candy; after Adam Duritz (Counting Crows lead singer) appeared on the album Gold.
Ryan is highly prolific, and in 2005 released one double album and two regular albums: Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights and 29, respectively. His album, 29, was produced by friend Ethan Johns (who also produced his first two albums, Heartbreaker and Gold). In between those two releases and his 2005 triple-header, Ryan released Demolition (a collection of out-takes), Love Is Hell and Rock N Roll. Unreleased studio albums include 48 Hours, Exile On Franklin Street and Suicide Handbook.
In addition, Adams worked with Jesse Malin to form the punk-rock group The Finger (under the pseudonyms, "Warren Peace" and "Irving Plaza" respectively), who released two E.P.s which were collected together to form We Are Fuck You, released on One Little Indian Records in 2003.
In 2006 Ryan went on a minor UK-tour and a minor US-tour along the west-coast and has streamed 11+ mini albums on his website, under numerous jokey pseudonyms (DJ Reggie, Werewolph, The Shit, Rhoda Ro, Ghetto Birds).
The following solo record, entitled Easy Tiger, was released on June 26, 2007. The newest and last record with his backing band The Cardinals, Cardinology, was released in October 2008 and followed by extensive touring through the UK, US and Australia.
In January 2009 he announced that he would be going on an indefinite hiatus from music. The Kindness Songfacts reports that the major reason for Adams’ temporary retirement was his struggles with Ménière’s disease, a disorder of the inner ear that wrecks havoc on hearing and balance. Adams resumed performing in October 2010, and released his thirteenth studio album, Ashes & Fire, on October 11, 2011. His now ex-wife, pop singer and actress Mandy Moore, contributed some backing vocals.
Breakdown Into the Resolve
Ryan Adams Lyrics
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Wow, you probably heard I went away
Where do we start from?
I know
From the breakdown, into the fold
The breakdown, another black hole
Like a shadow in the light,
I was born to be betrayed,
It's clear that I'm clearly afraid of
So its one for every year
Its pitiful what I hold dear, I throw away
And so, it still comes and goes
It's better now, that I get these bad ideas,
I get my dreams confused, wishes
Bad ideas, bad ideas to lie me down and get into the resolve
I forgot, how long it was since I had a thought that wasn't
Dark yet I know I hate myself a lot
The breakdown into the fold
Breakdown, another black hole
Like a shadow in the night
The shows over shows over
I was born to be afraid, alright
And so,
Its one for every year its pitiful what I hold dear,
I throw away
No, it still comes and goes
It's better but I get these bad ideas
I get my dreams confused with my wishes
Bad ideas
Bad ideas
To lie me down and get into the resolve
Do the resolve, do the resolve
Do the resolve, do the resolve
Do the resolve, do the resolve
The song “Breakdown Into The Resolve” by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals is a melancholic reflection of the artist’s internal struggles with self-esteem and self-worth. The lyrics start with a somber note as the singer tries to reconnect with his audience after a long hiatus. He admits that he has been away for a while but assures his fans that he will not disappoint them. However, he seems to be battling with a recurring problem that hinders his creativity and happiness. Instead of starting from where he left off, the singer admits that he needs to go back to the beginning, having a breakdown, and then evolve into a stronger resolve.
Throughout the song, there is a palpable sense of inadequacy and self-doubt. The singer talks about how he was “born to be betrayed” and how he fears the unknown; the journey toward the resolution seems to be long and difficult, with many pitfalls and black holes. He acknowledges that he has a lot to discard and that he has been holding onto things that are pitiful, and as he goes through these destructive behaviors, he comes up with bad ideas and bad dreams. But he knows that he needs to confront these issues to resolve them, to move beyond them, and to emerge as the best version of himself. The song ends with a somber note as the singer repeats “Do the resolve” three times, emphasizing the importance of taking action to overcome one’s problems.
Line by Line Meaning
Hi, hello, its me again, don't worry I'll talk slow
I am back and I will speak slowly.
Wow, you probably heard I went away
You must have heard that I was gone.
Where do we start from?
What is our starting point?
I know
I understand.
From the breakdown, into the fold
We start from a breakdown, and move on to the next stage.
The breakdown, another black hole
The breakdown is like falling into a dark hole.
Like a shadow in the light,
The breakdown is like a shadow in the light.
Stand up and be counted
Be brave and face the challenge.
I was born to be betrayed,
I was destined to be let down.
It's clear that I'm clearly afraid of
It is evident that I am afraid of something.
So its one for every year
There is one problem for every year of my life.
Its pitiful what I hold dear, I throw away
What I hold dear is not valuable, and I discard it.
And so, it still comes and goes
Even though I move on, the problem still returns.
It's better now, that I get these bad ideas,
It is better to have bad ideas than none at all.
I get my dreams confused, wishes
I mix up my dreams and my wishes.
Bad ideas, bad ideas to lie me down and get into the resolve
I have bad ideas that lead to my downfall, but also help me find the way to resolve the issue.
I forgot, how long it was since I had a thought that wasn't
I cannot remember the last time I had a positive thought.
Dark yet I know I hate myself a lot
Despite my negative thoughts, I still hate myself.
The breakdown into the fold
Moving on from the breakdown to the next stage.
Breakdown, another black hole
The next stage is like falling into another dark hole.
Like a shadow in the night
The next stage is like a shadow in the night.
The shows over shows over
The show is over, there is nothing left to do.
I was born to be afraid, alright
I am destined to be afraid.
No, it still comes and goes
The problem still persists.
It's better but I get these bad ideas
Although things have improved, I still have bad ideas.
Do the resolve, do the resolve
I must resolve the issue.
Do the resolve, do the resolve
I must resolve the issue.
Do the resolve, do the resolve
I must resolve the issue.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RYAN ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind