Matchbox Twenty

Released: September 4, 2012

Songwriter: Kyle Cook

Producer: Matt Serletic

[Verse 1]
So many time with you and I
Thought it was right, but I was wrong, it's true
But I wouldn't feel the way I do
Without a sense of something real for you
And it's all about a good thing
So I don't mind holding on

[Chorus]
But how long are you gonna make me wait?
And how long are you gonna hesitate?
'Cause l love the way we're carrying on, but baby how long?

[Verse 2]
You know the way they always say
Don't make it never, it's better late, well that's true
But tell me why, my cautious angel
Must you put it in my face like you do
And it's all about a good thing
So I don't mind holding on

[Chorus]
But how long are you gonna make me wait?
And how long are you gonna hesitate?
'Cause l love the way we're carrying on

[Bridge]
But baby, I don't ever wanna make it feel too rushed
Make it feel like love wouldn't be enough
But that's just another don't mean much
Like a high school crush, make you wanna run
Can't you see the way I need you crazy
And I want you in my arms every night of my life

[Chorus]
So tell me how long are you gonna make me wait?
And how long are you gonna hesitate?
'Cause l love the way we carry it on, but baby how long?

[Outro]
How long, how long
How long, how long
How long, tell me how long

Upon the release of their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, in fall 1996, Matchbox Twenty was pigeonholed as one of the legions of post-grunge guitar bands that roamed the American pop scene in the middle of that decade. As their first single, “Push,” climbed the charts, it was widely assumed (at least by cynical critics) that they were a one-hit wonder, but Yourself or Someone Like You continued to spin off singles well into 1998. By that time, the group’s blend of ‘70s arena rock and early-'90s American alt-rock – closer to Pearl Jam and maybe R.E.M. than Nirvana – had become the sound of mainstream American rock. That transition slipped underneath the radar of many pop music critics and fans. Yourself or Someone Like You sold millions of copies without ever truly dominating the charts – by 1998, it had gone platinum five times; by 2000, ten times. At no time did the record top the charts, but it was always around, a staple of modern rock, adult alternative, and Top 40 radio alike. Matchbox Twenty was omnipresent because they managed to blend the structure and sentiment of '70s arena rock with '90s hard rock, thereby winning a large audience by seeming simultaneously classicist and modern. They were a little more classicist than modern, but that’s the reason why they became America’s most popular rock band of the late '90s – even if nobody quite realized they had achieved that status.

The de facto leader of Matchbox Twenty is lead singer and songwriter Rob Thomas. An Army brat born on a military base in Germany, Thomas spent much of his childhood between his mother’s house in Florida and his grandmother’s place in South Carolina. The stress of the constant movement spilled over into his schoolwork, and he dropped out of high school at the age of 17. He spent some time wandering around the Southeast, singing in a variety of rock bands before he made Orlando, Florida his home base. There, he met bassist Brian Yale and drummer Paul Doucette, and the three spent several years drifting through local bands before Matchbox Twenty officially formed. They rounded out the lineup with Adam Gaynor (rhythm guitar, vocals), who had previously worked at the Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, and Kyle Cook (lead guitar), a former student of the Atlanta Institute of Music.

The band hooked up with Collective Soul producer Matt Serletic and recorded a batch of demos, which helped the band secure gigs throughout the U.S. Soon, the band signed to Lava, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, and recorded its debut, Yourself or Someone Like You, also with Serletic. The album was released in October 1996 to little attention, but Matchbox Twenty continued to tour America, cultivating a fan base. They eventually landed their single “Long Day” on several influential radio stations, which paved the way for their breakthrough hit, “Push.” In spring 1997, “Push” began climbing its way to the top of the modern rock charts, as it received heavy airplay from radio and MTV. By the summer, the single was in the modern rock Top Ten, and Yourself or Someone Like You had reached the album Top 40 and gone gold.

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