Matchbox Twenty
Sometimes the thing that makes a song memorable is a blinding flash of the obvious. A little twist on a
riff that’s been around for decades or a lyric reflecting a feeling that just about everyone has. Wishing
the world would just stop being a hassle is about as universal as you can get. Ultimately, that’s the
triumph of Matchbox Twenty’s song “Real World.”
Born during the Cold War, Matchbox Twenty lead singer Rob Thomas was the offspring of military
parents stationed in Germany. Following military service, Rob’s family returned to the U.S. and settled
in the southeast. In high school Thomas fronted several bands and was influenced by R.E.M., Elvis
Costello and Al Green.
Between the ages of seventeen and twenty, Thomas roamed around hitch-hiking. His family had problems, his relationships had problems and inserting some distance (both physical and mental) seemed like a good idea. Later, his experiences/frustrations surfaced in Matchbox
Twenty songs.
Thomas eventually found Kyle Cook (guitar/vocals), Adam Gaynor (rhythm guitar/vocals), Brian Yale (bass) and Paul Doucette (drums). Yale and Doucette had played with Thomas in a couple of bands. With Cook and Gaynor onboard, Matchbox Twenty worked with Collective Soul producer Matt Serletic and recorded some demos that got them signed to Atlantic Records.
“Yourself Or Someone Like You” was their debut effort, selling over ten million copies. The
songs dealt with emotional abuse, break-ups and insecurities without getting maudlin.
“Long Day” was the first song to make an impact.
“Real World,” a jangling tune, came across as an
in-joke more than anything else.
“3 AM,” a song Thomas wrote about dealing with his mother’s cancer as a teenager, became a radio hit – especially on the Billboard Adult Top 40, where it sat at #1 for ten weeks,
Yourself Or Someone Like You
Real World
“Push” got a lot of attention because of the line “I wanna push you down.” According to Thomas the song was about emotional rather than physical abuse. Part of the song was written from an ex-girlfriend’s point of view.
Push
Thomas was also enlisted to sing “Smooth” on Carlos Santana’s hit comeback album, “Supernatural.” Thomas wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the music with Itaal Shur. It was the longest running #1 single (12 weeks) on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1999.
“Smooth” won three Grammy Awards for: Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Popular Music Collaboration with Vocals.
Smooth
Matchbox Twenty continued on a roll with Serletic returning for the ‘01 release “Mad Season” (#3 on the Billboard 200) and ‘02’s “More Than You Think You Are” (#6 on the 200).
Bent
“More Than You Think You Are” spawned the singles “Disease”” (which Thomas wrote with Mick Jagger), “Unwell,” and “Bright Lights.”
The album was not as successful commercially as the previous two and received mixed reviews from critics.
On the strength of several successful singles, including “Bent” (which peaked #1 on the Hot 100 chart), “Mad Season: was certified 4× platinum in the United States.
Bent Cover Art
Thomas took a solo turn on “Something To Be” in ‘05. That was followed by two live offerings, “A Night In The Life Of Matchbox Twenty” and “EP.”
Gaynor’s ’05 departure led to another change. Doucette moved from drums to rhythm guitar (and
piano). Drummer Ryan Mac MacMillian came onboard in ’07.
Conventional wisdom says that when the lead singer is occupied with solo pursuits and the live
material starts to roll out, the band is done. If the group releases a “best of/greatest hits” compilation
then you know their fate is sealed. Matchbox Twenty did issue their “greatest hits” in ’07, “Exile On
Mainstream.”
Just to confound everyone they also included new songs produced by Steve Lillywhite (U2) as part of
the “Exile On Mainstream” package. It was the first time the group worked with the marquee producer.
The album’s lead single, “How Far We’ve Come,” had an immediate impact on the pop charts.
Coming off the tour supporting “Exile On Mainstream,” Thomas began work on his sophomore solo set,
“Cradlesong.” Talk of a new Matchbox Twenty album began in ’10. And even though it had been eight years since their last full album of original material, this was not going to be a rush job. The focus was on getting it right.
It was not a rush job. Two years later, “North,” the band’s fourth studio, was Matchbox Twenty’s first album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 95,000 copies in its first week. It was also their first full-length studio album since Gaynor’s departure, as well as their last album produced by Serletic.
Over a decade later, “Where The Light Goes,” became the band’s only album to not have any of its singles land on the Top 40 chart.
###
