Lead vocalist Danny Wilde began his musical career as the lead singer of The Quick, an L.A.-based punk and power pop inspired combo briefly popular in the late 70s, breaking through with their song "Pretty Please Me". The musical duo of Danny Wilde and Phil Solem had roots in an early 80s new wave/power pop band, called Great Buildings, which released a single critically-lauded album on Columbia in 1981. Although spawning minor hits in "Hold On To Something" and "Maybe It's You", major success eluded the outfit.
After they disbanded, Wilde released a series of slick 80s solo albums before rejoining with his former partner to form the Rembrandts. Initially, the band was heavily indebted to simplistic guitar pop reminiscent of early work from The Beatles and The Everly Brothers. They also took serious inspiration from pop contemporaries such as Squeeze and Crowded House. Their first, self-titled album, released in 1990, featured the surprise #14 hit "Just the Way It Is, Baby", which managed to claw its way onto top 40 playlists despite sounding out of place for the time. Follow-up singles "Someone" and "Save Me" also garnered some airplay.
Their second record, released two years later (and titled, humorously, 'Untitled') also spawned minor hits in the brooding, violin-spiked "Johnny, Have You Seen Her?" and the breezy "Rolling Down the Hill". Both songs showed the band's partial influence from alternative rock groups. In 1995, however, the Rembrandts became a surprise, seemingly-overnight success when they recorded the theme song to the program 'Friends', a ditty reminiscent of British invasion groups called "I'll Be There For You",
The song became an instant smash based on its thirty-second TV version. Interestingly enough, they recorded the full-length version of "I'll Be There For You" only after the shorter version was recorded specifically for the TV show. The band was busy prepping their third release, 'L.P.', at the time that "I'll Be There For You" became so successful, and it was shoehorned last minute onto the end of the track order (initial pressings omit the song on the track list). Unfortunately, much of the new audience generated by the hit didn't take a shine to the rest of the low-key pop rock on the disc. The album went platinum and picked up supportive critical reviews, but it has become something of a lost 90s classic. A few follow-up singles, notably "This House Is Not a Home", generated a small amount of interest, but nothing compared to that of the 'Friends' theme.
The sudden shift in the band's fanbase-- where they had gone from being a low-flying critical success to a discarded 'one-hit-wonder' in the popular consciousness-- took its toll on the band, especially Solem. He outright quit several years later. Danny Wilde produced another Rembrandts album without him, but it was a commercial failure. In 2001, however, the duo reunited for 'Lost Together', their fourth album as a duo and fifth overall. A greatest hits compilation was released in 2006, displaying that the band did in fact have a singles history far deeper than the 'Friends' theme. As time has gone on, they've also had a cult following among power pop fans.
Maybe Tomorrow
The Rembrandts Lyrics
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I should have saved up all of my feelings, but I squandered them instead
And in one fragile moment, I could almost see
Just how things might have changed for better
I guess what is, was meant to be
Now I know...it's gonna take some time to let you go-ohhh
Maybe tomorrow, my heart will mend
Maybe tomorrow, we'll be friends
But tonight, it seems like tomorrow, is so far away-oh yeh
Tell me what can I do, to fill the space that once held you?
I see your face in every corner, hear your voice in every room
And I know this feeling, is the ghost of all our tears
Will you be hauntin' me forever...and ever?
I know.....i don't think that I can let you go-no
(chorus)-hey
What am I gonna do without you baby..since you've been gone?-ooh
(chorus)-yeh
Maybe tomorrow
Maybe tomorrow
Maybe tomorrow-who's to say-hey!
But tonight, it seems like tomorrow is so far away
Oh no...there's just no way that I can let you go.....no
The Rembrandts, in their song Maybe Tomorrow, sing about the aftermath of a failed relationship and the difficulty of letting go of someone they were deeply in love with. The opening line, "I tried to win your heart- that's when I lost my head," sets the tone for the rest of the track. It indicates the singer's falling deeply and passionately for someone they ultimately could not be with. They regret not holding back their feelings, and in one vulnerable moment, they see how things could have turned out differently for the better. Despite the realization that the relationship was not meant to be, however, they find it hard to move on.
The chorus sees them grappling with the pain of heartbreak and looking towards the future with the hope that tomorrow, things will be better. They hold on to the hope of a reconciliation or maybe just friendship, but as the song progresses, it becomes clear this hope fades away with the haunting memories of the past relationship. They find themselves unable to escape the memories of their partner: their face is in every corner, their voice echoes in every room, and they worry that they will be haunted by these memories forever. The final lines emphasize this difficulty of letting go: "there's just no way that I can let you go.....no."
Line by Line Meaning
I tried to win your heart-that's when I lost my head
I put too much effort into trying to get you to like me and it clouded my judgment.
I should have saved up all of my feelings, but I squandered them instead
I should have held back my feelings until I knew for sure how you felt about me, but I couldn't help myself.
And in one fragile moment, I could almost see
Just how things might have changed for better
I guess what is, was meant to be
There was a moment where I almost believed things could work out between us, but ultimately fate had other plans.
Now I know...it's gonna take some time to let you go-ohhh
I realize it will be difficult to move on from you.
Maybe tomorrow, my heart will mend
Maybe tomorrow, we'll be friends
Maybe tomorrow, who's to say?
But tonight, it seems like tomorrow, is so far away-oh yeh
I don't know what will happen in the future, but right now it feels like I'll never get over you.
Tell me what can I do, to fill the space that once held you?
I see your face in every corner, hear your voice in every room
I'm struggling to find a way to move on because everything around me reminds me of you.
And I know this feeling, is the ghost of all our tears
Will you be hauntin' me forever...and ever?
This sadness I feel is a reminder of the pain we both experienced in our relationship, and I worry that I'll never be able to escape it.
I know.....i don't think that I can let you go-no
I'm becoming more and more certain that I won't be able to let go of my feelings for you.
What am I gonna do without you baby..since you've been gone?-ooh
I'm struggling to imagine how I'll go on without you in my life.
Maybe tomorrow
Maybe someday in the future things will be different.
Maybe tomorrow
Maybe tomorrow
Maybe tomorrow-who's to say-hey!
I don't know what the future holds, but I'm hopeful that things will get better.
But tonight, it seems like tomorrow is so far away
Oh no...there's just no way that I can let you go.....no
Right now it feels like it will be impossible for me to move on from you.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DANNY C. WILDE, PHIL SOLEM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind