Toad the Wet Sprocket was formed in 1986 at San Marcos High School just outside of Santa Barbara, California, when singer-songwriter Glen Phillips was just a 14-year-old freshman, and the other members were 17-year-old juniors. The band drew its name from the Eric Idle monologue "Rock Notes" on Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album from 1980. Their first public appearance was at an open-microphone talent contest in September 1986 (which they lost).
Toad the Wet Sprocket's first album came out in 1989. Named Bread and Circus, it was their first effort for Columbia Records, who had signed them out of high school. The album spawned the singles "Way Away" and "One Little Girl," which made the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, but did not receive much attention.
The follow-up, Pale, was released in 1990 and saw their sound mature. Featuring the singles "Jam" and the Modern Rock Chart hit "Come Back Down," the album was still not a massive success.
The band finally achieved fame with their third album, Fear (released in 1991), which became the band's first RIAA certified platinum album. Also, the singles "All I Want" and "Walk on the Ocean" reached the top twenty on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1994, after years of heavy touring, the band released their follow-up to Fear, Dulcinea. This album spawned the hit singles "Fall Down", which reached #1 on the US Modern Rock charts as well as #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart, as well as "Something's Always Wrong", which also charted. This album was also certified platinum by the RIAA.
A compilation album of b-sides and rarities, In Light Syrup, was released in 1995; it included the single "Good Intentions", which was featured on the soundtrack for the television show Friends. Largely due to the strength of the single, this compilation was certified as a gold album in 2001.
The release of Coil in 1997 acted much like a follow up to 1994's Dulcinea. Featuring a more electric, rock sound, it contained the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock hit "Come Down", as well as the radio hit "Crazy Life" (which did not chart). The album, despite the success of "Come Down" as a single, failed to reach any sales benchmarks.
Toad the Wet Sprocket formally broke up in July 1998, citing creative differences. Since breaking up, the band performed together in 2002 at a Rape Crisis Center benefit and opened up for Counting Crows. In 2006 they began touring the United States as a band in small-venue, short-run tours each summer.
In 2009, bassist Dean Dinning said Toad the Wet Sprocket was now something each member considered an active project, and though they had not released a new studio album since 1997 and only did small summer tours, they no longer considered themselves "broken up". In May 2010, the band gathered at a California studio to begin re-recording some of their older hits for licensing reasons. Columbia Records owns the masters to the band's albums. Therefore, the band makes little money from them, so to be able to make a living off their own talent again, they made these re-recordings with the goal of having them used in film and TV.
On December 7, 2010, Toad the Wet Sprocket released their first new studio track in 11 years. The holiday track "It Doesn't Feel Like Christmas", a cover of a Sam Phillips original, was posted on their official site, available via Bandcamp, for free download just in time for the holidays, along with a new message on their site: "We're that band that did 'Walk on the Ocean', 'All I Want', 'Something's Always Wrong', and "Fall Down'. The one with the weird name. We're back from a long slumber and look forward to saying hello some time. Keep in touch…" The band had recently signed a deal with Primary Wave to handle their back catalog and any future releases, and on December 11, 2010, the band mentioned, both on stage and in an offstage YouTube interview, that they are currently writing songs for their first new studio album since 1997's Coil. In addition, they began playing two new songs, "Friendly Fire" and "The Moment", which were being worked on for the new album.
On April 12, 2011, Toad the Wet Sprocket released a new greatest hits album titled All You Want in digital and disc form via their official website. The 11-track CD includes brand new studio versions of their hits. The band does not have access to some of the versions they did for Columbia Records in the '90s. However, they did regain full control of the songs from their first two albums, and they planned to re-release them in remastered form on their own label, Abe's Records, following the release of their upcoming studio album.
On March 22, 2013, it was announced via Toad the Wet Sprocket's Facebook page that recording of the new album had been completed. The album was produced and mixed by Mikal Blue at Revolver Studios in Thousand Oaks, California. On June 5, 2013, the band announced the first new single in 16 years on Rolling Stone's website titled "New Constellation". An album of the same name was released on the band's own Abe's Records on October 15, 2013. The band marketed the new album via the crowdsourcing website Kickstarter. The band initially set a fundraising goal of $50,000, expecting it to take about two months to raise that amount. Instead, fans contributed more than $50,000 in less than 20 hours. When the Kickstarter campaign finally came to a close, they had raised a total of $264,762.
In 2014, Toad the Wet Sprocket resumed touring and opened a number of shows for Counting Crows. They showcased some of the new material from New Constellation, the Kickstarter-funded album, including "California Wasted" and the album's title track while playing a number of their earlier hits. During summer 2015, the band went on tour with fellow '90s acts Smash Mouth and Tonic. The band released an EP called Architect of the Ruin on June 16, 2015.
In 2018, Toad the Wet Sprocket announced that they had reissued their albums fear and Dulcinea on a deluxe remastered vinyl LP available through their online store. The same year, they also released a limited deluxe 5-LP box set of colored vinyl for their albums fear, Dulcinea and Acoustic Dance Party.
In a January 2020 interview with ChicagoNow, Glen Phillips stated that "Toad has started recording again." In addition, he confirmed the band's first official lineup change, and that drummer Guss had left the band on good terms. Previous occasional touring member Josh Daubin replaced Guss.
On September 25, 2020, they released a new song entitled “Starting Now”, followed by another new song "Old Habits Die Hard" on October 23rd, from their upcoming album, set to be released in 2021.
There's another band with the same name:
2. Toad The Wet Sprocket was an NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) band active from the mid-70s to 1982. They released two singles, "Pete's Punk Song" and "Reaching the Sky", before their breakup. Their song, "Blues in A", was included on Metal for Muthas compilation (1980).
Don't Go Away
Toad The Wet Sprocket Lyrics
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Age is heavier, it seems, than years alone
But, I told you things I wouldn't dream of telling anyone
Are we drying out, like flowers from a forgotten someone
Don't go away
I can't feel the same without you
I can't feel the same without you
We were making so many plans and secrets
We would both be millionaires or kings or presidents
But like everything those little dreams
Kind of came and went
Hard now just to make ends meet
How soon we all forget
Don't go away
I can't feel the same without you
Don't go away
I can't feel the same without you
Don't go away
I can't feel the same without you
Don't go away
Don't go away
We were sharing so many words and feelings
Age is heavier, it seems, than years alone
That I told you things I wouldn't dream
Don't go away
I can't feel the same without you
Don't go away
I can't feel the same without you
Don't go away
I can't feel the same without you
(Don't go away) don't go away, don't go away
(Don't go away) don't go away, don't go away
(Don't go away) don't go away, don't go away
(Don't go away) don't go away, don't go away
(Don't go away) don't go away, don't go away
(Don't go away)
(Don't go away) don't go away
(Don't go away) don't go away, don't go away
Toad The Wet Sprocket's "Don't Go Away" is a sentimental and melancholic song about the weight of time and the importance of human connections. The song begins with the acknowledgment that the two people in the relationship have shared so many words and feelings as they have grown old together. The opening line implies that there has been a lot of talking and sharing of long-held secrets, and the singer cannot imagine telling anyone else. However, despite the wealth of shared experiences and feelings, the song turns somber as the singer notes that age can be heavier than the years alone.
The verses go on to describe the shared dreams and aspirations the two had, such as becoming millionaires or presidents. However, as time has passed, those dreams have dissipated, and it is now difficult to make ends meet. The second time the chorus comes around, it is clear that the singer is pleading with the other person not to leave because they cannot feel the same without them. The repetition of the phrase "don't go away" emphasizes the singer's desperation and desire to hold onto the relationship.
The song implicitly touches on themes of mortality and the idea that we are all running out of time. The repeated reference to drying out like flowers from a forgotten someone is a poignant metaphor for the gradual loss of vitality and energy as we age. Despite this, the song is ultimately a plea to resist the passage of time by holding onto the people and connections that give us meaning and purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
We've been sharing so many words and feelings
We have communicated extensively about our emotions and thoughts
Age is heavier, it seems, than years alone
The weight of life experiences causes more burden than just the passage of time
But, I told you things I wouldn't dream of telling anyone
I have confided in you secrets and information that I wouldn't divulge to anyone else
Are we drying out, like flowers from a forgotten someone
Our relationship and personal growth may be withering away, similar to flowers left behind by someone who has forgotten them
Don't go away
I can't feel the same without you
Please don't leave me, my emotional state depends on you being here for me
We were making so many plans and secrets
We would both be millionaires or kings or presidents
But like everything those little dreams
Kind of came and went
Hard now just to make ends meet
How soon we all forget
We had ambitious goals and aspirations, but these ideas eventually faded and now we struggle to get by on a daily basis
Don't go away
I can't feel the same without you
The absence of you will greatly affect my emotional state
Don't go away
I can't feel the same without you
I need you to stay with me, my emotions depend on your presence
Don't go away
I can't feel the same without you
I cannot express the depth of my dependence on you being here with me
We were sharing so many words and feelings
Age is heavier, it seems, than years alone
That I told you things I wouldn't dream
We have a close and deep friendship, and I confided in you things I never thought I would tell anyone
(Don't go away) don't go away, don't go away
I am pleading with you not to leave me
(Don't go away) don't go away, don't go away
Please stay with me, your presence is essential to my emotional well-being
(Don't go away) don't go away, don't go away
My fears and anxieties are tied to you remaining by my side
(Don't go away) don't go away, don't go away
I cannot emphasize enough how much I need you to stay with me
(Don't go away) don't go away, don't go away
Please do not leave me, it would cause me great emotional distress
(Don't go away)
(Don't go away) don't go away
My need for you here is so strong that I must repeat my plea over and over again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dean V Dinning, Glen Richard Phillips, Randel S Guss, Todd B. Nichols
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind