Smith's debut studio album, In the Lonely Hour, was released in May 2014 on Capitol Records UK. The album's lead single, "Lay Me Down", was released prior to "La La La". The album's second single, "Money on My Mind", became Smith's second number one single in the UK. The third single, "Stay with Me", was an international success, reaching number one in the UK and number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, while their singles "I'm Not the Only One" and "Like I Can" reached the top ten in the UK. The album won four awards, at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album, Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and nominations for Album of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.
For Smith's and Jimmy Napes's song "Writing's on the Wall", the theme for the James Bond film Spectre (2015), Smith won the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Smith's second studio album, The Thrill of It All, was released in November 2017 and debuted atop the UK and US album charts. The lead single, "Too Good at Goodbyes", reached number one in the UK and Australia and number four in the US. They released the single "Promises" with Calvin Harris, which peaked at number one in the UK. Smith released "Dancing with a Stranger" with Normani in 2019, which reached the top ten in the UK and the US and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2020 Brit Awards, and followed it by releasing a string of commercially successful singles "How Do You Sleep?", "To Die For" and "I'm Ready" with Demi Lovato; all of which feature on Smith's third album, Love Goes.
Smith has won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, and an American Music Award, as well as a Golden Globe and an Academy Award through their career. Smith has been publicly gay since 2014, genderqueer since 2017, and has used they/them pronouns since 2019.
All This Madness
Sam Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had a dream in a panic you came running out
For a moment you were sure I'd die on you
For a moment I believed you loved me too
But life is never like this, and you're never strong
Too much of a good thing won't be good for long
Although you made my heart sing, to stay with you would be wrong
Watch where I tread before I fall
We'd talk maybe 20 times a day
And still I never say what I want to say
I thought I wouldn't need to
I guess I read you wrong
Too much of a good thing won't be good for long
Although you made my heart sing, to stay with you would be wrong
Too much of a good thing won't be good anymore
Watch where I tread before I fall
You refuse to see this, don't see it anymore
I have made the decision not to answer your calls
'Cause I put everything out there and I got nothing at all
Too much of a good thing isn't good and you know
I watch where I walk before
I fall
The lyrics of Sam Smith's song "All This Madness" tell a story of a relationship that may have been too intense and overwhelming for the singer. The first verse describes a dream where the singer is mugged outside of their partner's house, and their partner comes running out in a panic. In that moment, the singer believes that their partner loves them and cares deeply for them. However, they soon realize that life is not as dramatic as their dream, and their partner may not be as strong as they thought.
The chorus repeats the phrase "too much of a good thing won't be good for long," which suggests that the intensity of the relationship may have been unsustainable. Despite the happy moments they shared, the singer admits that staying with their partner would be wrong. The second verse refers to their constant communication throughout the day, but despite all the talking, the singer never said what they wanted to say. They admit they read their partner wrong and that too much of a good thing won't last.
In the bridge, the singer decides to stop answering their partner's calls because they gave everything but got nothing in return. The song ends reiterating that too much of a good thing isn't good and that they will watch where they walk before they fall again.
Overall, the lyrics convey the idea that even though a relationship may seem perfect, it may not be enough to sustain a healthy and happy relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I had a dream I was mugged outside your house
I had a nightmare where I was in danger near your home
I had a dream in a panic you came running out
In my dream, you showed concern for my safety and tried to help
For a moment you were sure I'd die on you
You briefly thought that I might not survive the attack
For a moment I believed you loved me too
I briefly thought that you cared about me as much as I do for you
But life is never like this, and you're never strong
In reality, life is unpredictable and you're not always capable of protecting me
Too much of a good thing won't be good for long
Having too much of something positive can have negative consequences
Although you made my heart sing, to stay with you would be wrong
Even though being with you feels great, it's not the right choice for me
Too much of a good thing won't be good anymore
Experiencing something enjoyable excessively can lead to it losing its appeal
Watch where I tread before I fall
I need to be careful and cautious in my actions to avoid getting hurt
We'd talk maybe 20 times a day
We used to communicate frequently throughout the day
And still I never say what I want to say
Despite talking often, I still don't express my true feelings
I thought I wouldn't need to
I assumed that you would understand my emotions without me having to explicitly state them
I guess I read you wrong
I misinterpreted your actions and assumed you felt the same way as me
You refuse to see this, don't see it anymore
You're in denial and don't acknowledge the problems in our relationship
I have made the decision not to answer your calls
I have chosen to distance myself from you and avoid communication
'Cause I put everything out there and I got nothing at all
I opened up and gave my all to you, but received nothing in return
Too much of a good thing isn't good and you know
You're aware that too much of something positive can have negative consequences
I watch where I walk before
I am cautious and attentive in my actions to avoid getting hurt
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paula Morgan
on Stay with Me
this man has the most amazing voice
Laura Salomon
on Stay with Me
Love this song...
Chanty Medina-Cuesta
on Stay with Me
love this man
Jeannie Smith
on Stay with Me
I like this.