yourself or someone like you : have you found yourself?
Artist: Matchbox 20
Producer: Atlantic Recording Corporation
Yourself or someone like you (1996) talked about break-ups, lost love and emptiness. It spoke of your emotion and gave you the yes-I-felt-that-emotion-too experience. It satisfied the hunger to fill in the spaces of yourself or someone like you. It was a powerful combination of five talented and music enthusiasts that created one album that dig the deepest unspoken feelings if a man. This one male-centered album explored and explained the silencing of every guy in dealing with heart problems. Each track was based on the point of view of a guy with regards to a failing relationship, a lost love, and everything that were hidden inside a man’s heart. This outburst of male emotion was a unique way of admitting the softness of the male.
Matchbox 20 had crawled out from the typical alternative band. Unlike other rock bands whose theme in every song were anger and hatred and the means of sending the message was through shouting and heavy guitar chord combination, this band sent their message in a subtle way yet very striking lyrics.
The first track was a complaint of the Real World and how he wondered to be somebody else. The message of this song was hidden behind the upbeat, happy-rhythm song. The complaint was disguised in a jolly roll of the drums. I wish the real world would just stop hassling me. I wonder what it’s like to be the head honcho. I wonder what I’d do if they all did just what I said.
All songs were written by the vocalist Rob Thomas, except Push and Back 2 Good, which were written together with their producer, Matt Serletic. The band was a great combination of individual prowess, experimenting with their instruments and taking in simple subject matters but presenting them in a new way.
Like, Push, the carrier single of this album, may be interpreted in many ways. But reading the lyrics well, it discovered the men’s position on a question whether a relationship would go on or not. This track was an expression of how hard for the guys to decide on whether they would hold on to a relationship or not. Well, this ain’t over no not here not while I still need you around.
In the whole album, the songs were always addressed to a girl. And the emotions of the guy were clear and straightforward. On issue of martyrdom or “the-waiting-in-vain-moments” were also expressed from still a stiff standpoint of men. In Hang it said, It would be good to go away someday but if there’s nothing there to make things change if it’s the same you. I’ll just hang.
And lastly, one song, Argue explicitly admitted that men were also keep “sentimental” thoughts with them during break-ups. She tells you that its over. Boy, don’t you hate it. When its over, I guess something just got lost.
But really, this album wasn’t just about male-sentiments but I guessed it catered female emotions as well. All in all, this album was YOU – everything about you.
[shiella a. ildefonso]