3 A.M.

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“3 A.M.”
“3 A.M.” cover
Single by Matchbox Twenty
from the album Yourself or Someone Like You
Released November 23, 1997 (US)
Format CD single / Audio cassette
Recorded 1996
Genre Post-Grunge
Length 3:46
Label Atlantic
Writer(s) Leslie Goff, John Joseph Stanley, Rob Thomas, Brian Yale
Producer Matt Serletic
Matchbox Twenty singles chronology
"Push"
(1997)
"3 A.M."
(1998)
"Real World"
(1998)

"3 A.M." is the third single and the third track from Matchbox Twenty's debut album Yourself or Someone Like You. This song was written by Rob Thomas and was inspired by his mother's bout with cancer. When Thomas was 12, his mother was given six months to live. But by the time he left home at 17 she was alive and well. Thomas felt that after her illness, his mother failed to take life seriously, preferring to go and party. This song is about his frustration and loneliness during this time. He chose the time 3 a.m. because this was when the bars shut.

"3 A.M." is considered a defining song of post-grunge. [1]

Contents

[edit] Music video

The video for "3 A.M.", directed by Gavin Bowden, features the band mainly sitting on the sides of a street next to some phone booths. A supermarket is also shown. The video switches from color video clips to black-and-white images. During the intro and the third verse of the song, Thomas walks in the middle of the street with some construction signs and lights. But during the third verse, a car pulls up with a bare-chested man and a woman inside. The man walks out, revealing a catheter in his chest, and is handed three cigarettes by Thomas. Finally, during the last two choruses, the band is shown playing their instruments ending with a shot of Thomas standing next to the phone booths.

[edit] Chart positions

Charts Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 31
U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 1
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 2
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 3
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream 2
UK Singles Chart 64

[edit] References

[edit] External links

  • Facts about Matchbox Twenty songs [1].