How Far We've Come

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“How Far We've Come”
“How Far We've Come” cover
Single by Matchbox Twenty
from the album Exile on Mainstream
Released September 4, 2007
Format CD single
Recorded 2007
Genre Alternative Rock
Length 3:29
Label Atlantic
Writer(s) Rob Thomas, Paul Doucette, Kyle Cook, Brian Yale
Producer Steve Lillywhite
Matchbox Twenty singles chronology
"All I Need"
(2004)		 "How Far We've Come"
(2007)		 "These Hard Times"
(2008)
Matchbox Twenty Australian singles chronology
"All I Need"
(2004)		 "How Far We've Come"
(2007)		 "All Your Reasons"
(2008)

"How Far We've Come" is the lead single from Matchbox Twenty's retrospective collection, Exile on Mainstream, which was released on October 2, 2007. The music video premiered on VH1's Top 20 Countdown on September 1, 2007.[citation needed] The CD single comes with two live covers as b-sides; "Remedy" by The Black Crowes and "Modern Love" by David Bowie.[1] These 2 songs are also on the Best Buy version of Exile on Mainstream.

In December 2007, the title track was used in promotions for the 2008 programs on both The Discovery Channel, History Channel and the Sci Fi Channel.

The song is used prior to New York Mets games at Shea Stadium in 2008. The song was used in a promo for season 2 of The Riches as well as at a rally for Barack Obama in Seattle, Washington.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

CD Single

  1. "How Far We've Come"
  2. "Remedy" (Live)
  3. "Modern Love"

[edit] Song Meaning

 This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (March 2008)

The lyrics and title of the song appears to regard to 'how far we (the human species) came', referring to the development of modern human culture over time; at the same time it suggests that doomsday is imminent. Interestingly, the apocalyptic lyrics are in stark contrast to the upbeat, toe tapping melody the song possesses, thus creating a contradicting song to lyrics relationship. Others have interpreted the lyrics on a more general level, stating they may suggest how far the band themselves have come, with front man Rob Thomas admitting that he did not realize this dual meaning until after the song was completed.

[edit] Chart performance

The single debuted at #93 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, but after being released digitally, it jumped to #12 - making it the second-biggest jump of 2007 behind Beyoncé and Shakira's "Beautiful Liar" (which jumped 91 spots).[2] It peaked at #11 on the U.S Billboard Hot 100. It also reached #3 on the U.S. Adult Top 40. On the Australian ARIA Singles Chart it debuted at #8, becoming their most successful single in Australia since the band's 1996 breakout hit "Push." It later rose to #7 there, becoming the band's highest charting single there. In Canada it reached the top five, and it peaked at #11 in New Zealand.

[edit] Charts

Chart (2007) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[3] 7
Brazilian Hot 100[4] 34
Canadian Hot 100 5
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart 11
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 11
U.S. Billboard Pop 100 13
U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 3
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream 9
Entertainmenthit Top 40 [1] 7

[edit] Music video

The music video is a 3 minute and 26 second montage of many historical events around the world, tying in with the lyrics on human affairs and its role in cultural development. The video debuted on VH1's top twenty countdown on September 1, 2007. It contains many events important in the world in the past century, good or bad, in a roughly chronological order. The events are:

The video ends with many of the clips flashing quickly across the screen in reverse order at the end of the song.

The video peaked at number 2 on VH1's VSpot Top 20 Countdown on November 3, 2007.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Paul Cashmere, "Matchbox Twenty Do Black Crowes and Bowie", undercover.com.au, August 21, 2007.
  2. ^ Katie Hasty, "Soulja Boy Remains No. 1 Amid Static Top Four",hi wuts up! Billboard.com, September 13, 2007.
  3. ^ Top 50 Singles Chart
  4. ^ Brazilian Hot 100 Songs & Tracks. Hot100Brasil. Retrieved on October 29, 2007.

http://top40.entertainmenthit.com/Top_40_Countdown.html

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Matchbox Twenty
Rob Thomas · Kyle Cook · Brian Yale · Paul Doucette
Adam Gaynor
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles
"Long Day" · "Push" · "3 A.M." · "Real World" · "Back 2 Good" · "Girl Like That" · "Bent" · "If You're Gone" · "Mad Season" · "Angry" · "Last Beautiful Girl" · "Disease" · "Unwell" · "Bright Lights" · "Downfall" · "All I Need" · "How Far We've Come" · "All Your Reasons" · "These Hard Times"