Smash Lies

Album: Light (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the opening track from the Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu's third studio album, Light. This track originally was included on his 2008 EP Shattered.
  • This song features a densely layered hip-hop beat and even includes a little bit of Auto-Tune technology. Matisyahu joked to Rolling Stone magazine: "But it's not the Auto-Tune that all those rappers are using now. It's more of an effect on the vocal. It was the right place to use it."
  • Teen prodigy Steven McGregor, the son of famous reggae singer Freddy McGregor, produced this track in Jamaica. Matisyahu told Star Pulse: "He's a really big up-and-coming producer. He's worked on Movado and Sean Paul, does a lot of the really current dance hall out of Jamaica. Really, me and David Caan, the producer on the record, just wanted an excuse to go to Jamaica (laughs). It's a style that, I think, is really kind of futuristic. It grabs people right away. It's something that I've been wanting to do since I started, which is a song that's kind of a 'banger,' so to say. Something that you could hear on a hip hop station, or with some hardcore reggae vibe."
  • The Starpulse.com interviewer commented that the line, "Strives to be alive everyday," made him think of people who go about their daily routine and they're alive, but they're not really living. They're more like automatons. Matisyahu replied: "The concept of routine is certainly difficult and it's an issue that we all face, including myself as a touring musician. Whether it's going from city to city, doing show after show, or the regular nine to five, we all have to somehow wake ourselves up, spiritually, from the inside. People use all sorts of means to do that, like substances to jolt themselves up. Letting go of all of that is one of the lies that we can smash. When a person lets go of all their vices and all the things that they use to feel alive, that's when they come to this place, and this place is actually the meaning behind the title of the EP. Shattered. The person comes to a shattered place within themselves and they can emerge with a new life, so to speak, or a kind of real existence."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock Photography

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock PhotographySong Writing

One of rock's top photographers talks about artistry in photography, raising funds for a documentary, and enjoying a County Fair with Tom Waits.

Benny Mardones

Benny MardonesSongwriter Interviews

His song "Into The Night" is one of the most-played of all time. For Benny, it took him to hell and back.

Def Leppard Quiz

Def Leppard QuizMusic Quiz

Can you name Def Leppard's only #1 hit in America? Get rocked with this adrenalized quiz.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Penny Ford of Snap!

Penny Ford of Snap!Songwriter Interviews

The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.