Their debut album, Lemonade and Brownies, was released in 1995. It failed to produce a major hit. Their early work was strongly influenced by funk, punk, alternative rock and straight-up rhythm and blues, not a particularly fashionable combination at the time.
Sugar Ray's first mainstream hit came in the summer of 1997 with their song "Fly", which was released on the album Floored and featured notable reggae artist Super Cat. "Fly" was notable for not sounding anything at all like the rest of the tracks on the album and received frequent (some called it "constant") radio play. As a result of the success of "Fly", Floored sold extremely well and was certified double platinum. By the end of 1997, critics, skeptical that the band could put out another successful song, had labeled Sugar Ray as a one-hit wonder.
The band's sardonic reply to these accusations was given in the form of their 1999 album, 14:59; the album's title, with a "fame clock" reading 14:59, implied that their fifteen minutes of fame were not quite up. The song "Every Morning", which received widespread comparisons to "Fly", rose to similar success in late 1998, while their follow-up single, "Someday", received extensive airplay during 1999. This album, which outsold its predecessor and was certified triple platinum, proved that Sugar Ray was not a one-hit wonder after all. Though Sugar Ray was also set to play at Woodstock '99, they had to cancel due to illness.
Their 2001 self-titled album Sugar Ray produced another hit with "When It's Over" and reached the same level as their previous singles. Sugar Ray's 2003 effort In the Pursuit of Leisure, and the first single from that album, "Mr. Bartender (It's So Easy)" received a lukewarm reception. In 2005, Sugar Ray released a greatest hits album, with two new songs, including the single "Shot of Laughter".
After a five year hiatus, Sugar Ray returned with Music For Cougars, reiterating the band’s signature sound. As ever, musical styles – from dancehall to disco, punk to pure pop – are mixed and matched, resulting in a collection that is distinctively Sugar Ray, including songs such as the first single, “Boardwalk,” and the Rivers Cuomo-penned “Love Is the Answer”. “I’m not going to say we made the best record of our career,” beams singer Mark McGrath. “That’s just so clichéd. But we did!”
Since their 1995 Lemonade And Brownies debut, Sugar Ray had become stuck in a biennial cycle of touring and recording, touring and recording. 1997’s RIAA double platinum-certified sophomore effort, Floored, and its follow-up, 1999’s triple platinum 14:59 were trailed by 2001’s self-titled collection and 2003’s In The Pursuit Of Leisure. By the release of 2005’s The Best Of Sugar Ray, the band had earned a break.
Having devoted themselves to the band since its 1986 inception as The Shrinky Dinks, each member took the time to explore new creative terrain – McGrath stayed in the spotlight as co-host of the nationally syndicated entertainment news program, Extra. Craig “DJ Homicide” Bullock relocated to Florida, where became a hugely in-demand club DJ; drummer Stan Frazier worked as a songwriter and A+R exec; bassist Murphy Karges became a video director; and guitarist Rodney Sheppard taught music to neighborhood kids. Perhaps more importantly, Sheppard, Karges, and Frazier started families, with all living within a two mile radius from one another in their hometown of Newport Beach. “It was just the natural course to sort of lay back for a while,” Sheppard says, “We had a good run up to that time and we’d gotten to the point where we welcomed a break. It just ended up being a bit longer than we thought.”
Sugar Ray was quite active during their hiatus, busting out hits at private corporate events, county fairs, and countless summer festivals. By 2008, the band was itching to get back into the studio. In July, McGrath left Extra in order to devote more of his time to Sugar Ray. At the same time, the band’s longtime friend, producer Josh Abraham (Velvet Revolver, Limp Bizkit, and Linkin Park), invited them to cut a new album for his just-launched label, Pulse Recordings. “All the stars lined up for us,” Sheppard says. “We always said we would never force ourselves back on the public, but everything just fell together nicely. It was an opportunity for us to make some new music again so we grabbed it.” With Abraham at the helm, the band immediately set to work at the producer’s Pulse Recordings in Los Angeles. The producer pushed the band to reach down deep and refine their songwriting, penned, as ever, in various combinations of band members.
Perhaps more importantly, Abraham hooked Sugar Ray up with Pulse in-house producer/songwriter Luke Walker (The Deftones, Alkaline Trio, Filter, Elliot Yamin, and From First to Last), whom the band enthusiastically credits for helping to both energize and focus the album. “The guy’s a genius,” McGrath enthuses. “He’s an amazing songwriter and he really infused a new attitude, a new creativity, a new way to get songs done and get ‘em done quickly. Luke is the MVP of the whole project.” “We really clicked with Luke,” Sheppard says, “separately and together. A lot of time in the past, the band would come up with a song and get it three-quarters of the way there. With Luke, we were able to realize all our ideas. He was an important ingredient in the song-crafting.”
The sessions spanned close to a year, a leisurely process that enabled Sugar Ray to take their time with both songs and sonics. “Being the underdog again really frees up your creativity,” McGrath explains. “We had so much fun making the record. There was no pressure. It was purely about the love of songwriting and getting into the studio.”
Music For Cougars sees the band ping-ponging though pop’s innumerable permutations. “Love 101” is classic El Lay harmony pop a la Ricky Nelson, while “She’s Got The…” recalls the days when rock giants like Kiss and the Kinks dared to dip a toe into disco’s forbidden waters. Elsewhere, the band displays their mastery of cross-pollinated island rhythms and raps with the delightful “Girls Were Made To Love.” The track – built upon a sample from the 1962 hit, “(Girls, Girls, Girls) Made To Love,” written by Phil Everly and performed by child star Eddie Hodges – was an instant favorite among the bandmates, though they all sensed it needed something more to push it into classic status. McGrath suggested reaching out to Bermuda-based dancehall star Collie Buddz. The band sent the unfinished track to their friend Native Wayne, host of Indie 103.1’s “Native Wayne’s Reggae Smoke-In,” and within days, Buddz had promised to record his parts at the next earliest convenience. True to his word, Collie spent an April afternoon at Pulse, laying down his rapid-fire rhymes. “It’s amazing that when you reach out to people they sometimes actually say yes,” Sheppard says, “To have him on the record, it’s an honor. I think it’s the best song on the record now. The guy just came through big time.” “It’s something people would expect to hear from us,” McGrath says of the track, “but updated. I know there are people who are gonna say, ‘Oh great, Sugar Ray is doing dancehall again. Whatever.’ But to me, you can never have enough songs that sound like ‘Fly.’”
Sugar Ray has always reveled in teaming with fellow artists spanning a wide swath of genres, counting hip-hop heroes like Run DMC and KRS-One, reggae/dancehall superstars Shaggy and Super Cat, alternative rock musician Nick Hexum from 311, and pop royalty The Wilson Sisters. Along with the aforementioned Collie Buddz, Music For Cougars features a number of new alliances, including “Going Nowhere,” co-written with Tim Pagnotta of Sugarcult, and “Dance Like No One's Watchin',” a collaboration with surfing singer/songwriter Donavon Frankenreiter – an old friend of the band’s and Sheppard’s cousin by marriage. Perhaps the album’s most striking partnership is “Love Is The Answer,” an original song gifted to the band by Weezer honcho Rivers Cuomo.
Sugar Ray can claim credit for some of the most indelible pop hits of the previous decade, including the unforgettable #1 smashes, “Fly” and “Every Morning”. McGrath is proud of the band’s body of work. “I’ll be self-deprecating about myself and about the band,” he says, “but we wrote some fucking amazing songs. We wrote songs that people fell in love to, that people got married to, that people had sex to for the first time. The songs became bigger than the band. They’re the world’s property now and we need to be humbled by that.”
Sugar Ray are now getting set to take their classic songs – both new and old – on the road for their first full-scale tour in years. Music For Cougars allows the band to live up to its mission statement from the very beginning – to hang out together and make high-energy rock ‘n’ roll. “We have no misconceptions about what this record may do,” McGrath says. “It was strictly about making another record because we had great new material and the fact that we still enjoy playing together. “This is my life’s work,” he notes. “People say, ‘You’re still in the band?’ This is what I do! I’m gonna be in Sugar Ray till I die! I’ve been lucky enough to fit a uniform, I’m gonna wear it till the wheels fall off!”
Time After Time
Sugar Ray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And think of you
Caught up in circles confusion is nothing new
Flashback
Warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcases of memories
Time after
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear
What you've said
Then you say
Go slow
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds
[Repeat: x2]
If you're lost you can look
And you will find me time after time
If you fall I will catch you
I'll be waiting
Time after time
After my picture fades and darkness has
Turned to gray
Watching through windows
You're wondering
If I'm OK
Secrets stolen from deep inside
The drum beats out of time
[Repeat: x3]
If you're lost you can look
And you will find me time after time
If you fall I will catch you
I'll be waiting
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Sugar Ray's version of "Time After Time" is a cover of Cyndi Lauper's 1984 classic hit song. The song talks about the lingering memory of a past lover and the confusion and nostalgia that come with it. The opening lines "Lying in my bed I hear the clock tickin' and think of you" paint a vivid picture of the singer's restless night as they struggle to get over an "almost left behind" past love. The line "caught up in circles confusion is nothing new" is a reference to the cyclical nature of relationships, as the singer finds themselves stuck in a perpetual cycle of confusion and heartache.
The song's chorus, "If you're lost you can look and you will find me, time after time. If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting, time after time," is a beautiful expression of the sentiment that true love will always find a way back to you, no matter how much time has passed. The singer recognizes that the connection they share with their past love is too strong to fade away, and affirms that they will always be there to catch and support them, no matter what.
Overall, Sugar Ray's version of "Time After Time" is a beautiful rendition that captures the essence of Cyndi Lauper's original classic. The song's melancholic melody and relatable lyrics make it a timeless masterpiece that continues to resonate with listeners from all generations.
Line by Line Meaning
Lying in my bed I hear the clock tickin
The singer is in bed listening to the sound of the clock ticking which reminds them of something.
And think of you
The sound of the clock ticking makes the singer think of someone they care about.
Caught up in circles confusion is nothing new
The singer feels trapped in a cycle of confusion and is used to feeling this way.
Flashback
The artist suddenly remembers something from the past.
Warm nights
The artist remembers a specific time during warm weather.
Almost left behind
The singer almost lost a specific memory.
Suitcases of memories
The singer has an abundance of memories stored away like packed suitcases.
Time after
Time keeps moving forward and the artist keeps remembering.
Sometimes you picture me
The artist imagines that the person they are thinking of sometimes pictures them.
I'm walking too far ahead
The artist is moving too quickly in life and leaving the person they care about behind.
You're calling to me, I can't hear
The person the singer cares about is trying to get their attention but they can't hear them.
What you've said
The artist can't understand what the person they care about is saying.
Then you say
The person the singer cares about speaks up.
Go slow
The person the singer cares about tells them to slow down.
I fall behind
The singer slows down but falls behind.
The second hand unwinds
Time keeps moving forward, even though the artist wishes it would slow down or stop.
If you're lost you can look
The person the artist cares about can always find them when they are lost.
And you will find me time after time
The person the singer cares about will always be there for them.
If you fall I will catch you
The person the singer cares about promises to catch them when they fall.
I'll be waiting
The person the artist cares about will always be there for them.
After my picture fades and darkness has
The artist's memory is fading and things are becoming unclear.
Turned to gray
The artist's memories are dull and lifeless.
Watching through windows
The person the singer cares about is watching them through a window.
You're wondering
The person the artist cares about is wondering how they are doing.
If I'm OK
The person the singer cares about is worried about their well-being.
Secrets stolen from deep inside
Someone has taken the singer's secrets and feelings without their consent.
The drum beats out of time
The rhythm of life is off in some way.
Time after time
The cycle of memories and emotions continues to repeat.
Time after time
The cycle of memories and emotions continues to repeat.
Time after time
The cycle of memories and emotions continues to repeat.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Robert Hyman, Cyndi Lauper
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
stardude692001
wow, I thought this was a single and there would be a video but a little searching reveals otherwise.
I do love covers though
Irene Entia
so many have coverd and this one of the best
Devin Nelson
Despite it not being like the original I like this cover.....
00R
from when the feelings actually mattered in most of society, such a gem and such a great cover!
Benny Beyerle
I couldn’t agree more
Lona 98
I think this one is the best than the original. Who thinks?
max2082
This may the best song no one knows they did.
Arthur Jay
nice cover <3
Sammy McSamsquamsh
Love and miss you too kiddo. I'm always here for you, no matter what.
JeffnRaquel C
You kids don't seem to understand that Cyndi doesn't let anyone cover her music unless they can do it right. So this is not just a normal cover, enjoy it there won't be another.