Matchbox Twenty - How Far We’ve Come

Journey back in your mind to the wild wasteland of the early 1990s. Hair was getting smaller (in some cases), drugs were getting more expensive (or so I’ve heard, Officer) and rock and roll was getting darker by the day. Grunge was dirtying up the place good and proper and it felt like we were doomed to four-chord gloominess for the rest of our lives – not that that’s a terrible deal. Then, as the mid-way point of the decade rolled around, a light – slightly less gloomy post-grunge! Sometimes it truly is only slightly less dark before the dawn. 

That very era-specific breed of post-grunge pop-rock that you couldn’t move for at the time was thanks in no small part to Matchbox Twenty. Their debut Yourself or Someone Like You ushered in handfuls of catchy, soulful 90s relics, making a household name of the Florida band and going 12x Platinum, which after adjusting for inflation comes out at close to “a buttload” of records sold. Speaking of albums – interestingly enough, the album which this week’s pick has been grabbed from is a compilation album that somehow has more original music on it than most other albums, so once you’ve given this a good listen or three you can catch up on all the Matchbox Twenty you’ve missed. 

So if you’re in the mood for an earworm, or if you’ve only ever heard “Push” and are curious to know if Matchbox Twenty had any other songs, consider what you’ve stumbled across a tick in the box marked “yes”. Our filing system is needlessly complicated. Our Rock Song of the Week pick this time out is an earworm that’s upbeat and melancholy in equal measure, guaranteed to go the distance in your brain. Once you’ve had a go with it, why not let us know on Facebook what you think? We live for feedback – and also sausage rolls, if you have any of those.