Near its inception, Sleeping At Last's amateur debut album, Capture, was noticed by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, who helped expose the music to the major-label world. Soon after, the band signed to Interscope Records and released 2003's Ghosts , their first official full-length album. Two independently-released full-length records followed: 2006's Keep No Score and 2009's Storyboards . In between the writing and recording of albums, the band has established a reputation for a pitch-perfect live show, successfully headlining several U.S. tours and sharing the stage with such artists as Switchfoot, Yellowcard, Something Corporate, Billy Corgan's Zwan, Alanis Morrisette, Lifehouse, and Phantom Planet, just to name a few. The creative process has always been protected, as the band self-produced each record, working with respected mixers such as John Goodmanson and Alan Moulder.
After the departure of drummer Chad O'Neal in 2011, the remaining duo embarked on the ambitious Yearbook project, in which O'Neal and Perdue released three songs on the first of every month in individual EPs. After its completion, all EPs were compiled into an LP and published independently. However, upon the final release of the Yearbook series, Perdue stepped down from the duo, leaving Ryan O'Neal a solo artist under the group's pre-existing moniker.
On December 10, 2012, O'Neal announced his largest project to date: the Atlas series, a three-part project approaching the themes of the origins of the universe and human development. Similar to 2011's Yearbook compilation, each set of new songs would be released as individual EPs until each part's completion, at which time the compilation of songs would be released as an LP. Up to now, 2014's Atlas I and 2019's Atlas II remain as stellar examples of O'Neal's accomplishments as a solo independent artist. Production on Atlas III is in progress, and its first two songs, "Overture III" and "Awake" have been released as singles.
Besides the Atlas series, O'Neal has kept busy with other projects, including three albums of covers commissioned by ABC's "Grey's Anatomy", in which Sleeping At Last has appeared a whopping 77 times. Sleeping At Last also produced the scores for the documentaries Many Beautiful Things (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) and charity:water's The Spring (Original Score). Finally, O'Neal has released multiple singles surrounding significant astronomical events, published as a compilation in 2020 under the title of Astronomy, Vol. 1.
Sleeping At Last has long been a beacon shining brightly on behalf of independent artists. In the ever-changing climate of the music industry, the quest for a successful independent career seems evermore difficult to attain. From his new home in L.A., O'Neal pursues this challenge relentlessly through his commitment to musical integrity in his songwriting, and in this way nurtures a unique and personal relationship with his listeners. He has remained true to the things that brought him to music in the first place: his love of melody and the power of words. His music and lyrics emerge from a place that is honest, raw, and spiritual: Says Ryan, "Our faith is a big part of who we are, but we have always intended our music to be for anyone that cares to listen, no matter who they are or what they believe in. Everyone hears a song in a different light."
In keeping with this, Ryan's lyrics ask every important question that occurs. While he promises no fast, sure answers, he somehow always offers hope as the consistent, overarching theme.
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Sleeping at Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of the feelings I have for her in my heart
Every time that I come near her
I just lose my nerve as I've done from the start
Every little thing she does is magic
Every thing she does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Do I have to tell the story
Of a thousand rainy days
Since we first met?
It's a big enough umbrella
But it's always me that ends up getting wet
Every little thing she does is magic
Every thing she does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now, I know my love for her goes on
I resolve to call her up a thousand times a day
And ask her if she'll marry me in some old fashioned way
But my silent fears have gripped me
Long before I reach the phone
Long before my tongue has tripped me
Must I always be alone?
Every little thing she does is magic
Every thing she does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now, I know my love for her goes on
Every little thing she does is magic
Every thing she does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now, I know my love for her goes on
The lyrics of Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic by Sleeping at Last express the intense emotions and love that the singer has for someone, who he describes as having a magical effect on him. The persona finds it difficult to express his feelings for her, despite having tried before to tell her how he feels. Every time he is near her, he loses his courage, reverting to the same timidness he initially had.
The persona reminisces about the many "rainy days" he and his beloved have had since they first met. He speaks of the challenges they've faced, figuratively referencing the weather, and compares it to the protective measures they put in place, which always seem to fail and leave him exposed.
The song ends with the singer contemplating calling his beloved to ask her to marry him. Still, his thoughts of rejection take hold, and he becomes gripped by fear, ultimately leading him to doubt his ability to make a genuine connection and love someone wholly. Despite his fear, the singer's love for her remains powerful and persistent, cementing his desire always to be with her.
Line by Line Meaning
Though, I've tried before to tell her
Despite having attempted to express my feelings to her in the past
Of the feelings I have for her in my heart
The emotions I possess for her deep within me
Every time that I come near her
Whenever I am in close proximity to her
I just lose my nerve as I've done from the start
I become anxious and hesitant as I have always been
Every little thing she does is magic
Her actions are enchanting and captivating
Every thing she does just turns me on
Every gesture and behavior of hers arouses my affections
Even though my life before was tragic
Despite my past misfortunes and sorrows
Now, I know my love for her goes on
I am certain that my love for her persists
Do I have to tell the story
Must I narrate the sequence of events
Of a thousand rainy days
About the numerous days filled with precipitation
Since we first met?
Since the moment we initially encountered each other?
It's a big enough umbrella
The umbrella is of adequate size
But it's always me that ends up getting wet
However, I am always the one getting soaked
I resolve to call her up a thousand times a day
I am determined to ring her phone multiple times everyday
And ask her if she'll marry me in some old fashioned way
And request her to wed me in a traditional manner
But my silent fears have gripped me
Nevertheless, my unvoiced apprehensions clutch me
Long before I reach the phone
Well before I reach the device to make a call
Long before my tongue has tripped me
Much earlier than I stumble upon my words
Must I always be alone?
Am I doomed to remain isolated?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Gordon Sumner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ronya Viitanen
I've tried before to tell her
Of the feelings I have for her in my heart
Every time that I come near her
I just lose my nerve as I've done from the start
Every little thing she does is magic
Every thing she does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on
Do I have to tell the story
Of a thousand rainy days
Since we first met
It's a big enough umbrella
But it's always me that ends up getting wet
Every little thing she does is magic
Every little thing she does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on
I resolve to call her up a thousand times a day
And ask her if she'll marry me in some old fashioned way
But my silent fears have gripped me
Long before I reach the phone
Long before my tongue has tripped me
Must I always be alone?
Every little thing she does is magic
Every thing she does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on
Ronya Viitanen
I've tried before to tell him
Of the feelings I have for him in my heart
Every time that I come near him
I just lose my nerve as I've done from the start
Every little thing he does is magic
Every thing he does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for him goes on
Do I have to tell the story
Of a thousand rainy days
Since we first met
It's a big enough umbrella
But it's always me that ends up getting wet
Every little thing he does is magic
Every little thing he does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on
I resolve to call him up a thousand times a day
And ask him if she'll marry me in some old fashioned way
But my silent fears have gripped me
Long before I reach the phone
Long before my tongue has tripped me
Must I always be alone?
Every little thing he does is magic
Every thing he does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for him goes on
Maymoona Rashid
Honestly, it's not the fandom that brings me to music. It's the fact that I hear the songs on the shows, and then I get obsessed with the lyrics. So thank you to the directors, producers, and whoever puts the music on the show. The music you guys choose for the scenes...seem to be absolutely perfect for that scene which helps hook the many viewers to the songs. And the bands.
aleshita19foreva
Oh God, I love this version. Even if it is a cover, I feel like it belongs to him.
aleshita19foreva
***** Yep, the original is by The Police.
aleshita19foreva
***** Not at all, hope you liked that, too.
aleshita19foreva
+MC-Karabyne FLOKI
yep, the band is amazing. Each version has a very deep cute thing, tho. have you heard chasing cars? that cover is soooo good.
aleshita19foreva
***** Ya should. It's precious!
Sting6312
I gotta agree...This is a song too on how I feel about my girlfriend.
Lilla Kocsmaros
This song is beautiful,no suprise shows love to use it.
-Supergirl
-Greys Anatomy
-Legacies
And probably many more
Klojamir
The Good Witch
Albelys
@Klojamir omg! Finally someone from the good witch!