Album: Deluxe (1995)
Charted: 30
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In this song, the signer comes home to find a "Dear John" letter that says "It was good living with you." He finds himself in an empty house, wondering what to do next as he watches the sun trace shadows on the floor.

    Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin wrote the song. In a Songfacts interview with Griffin, he said: "Lyrically, that was a song where I wasn't drawing from personal experience. I've told people for years that I was, but I was happily living with my first girlfriend - well, we were dating, anyways.

    I wanted to talk about the positive things that come from the end of a relationship. There's always the hurt feelings and everyone's guarded and it can be traumatic, but when the dust settles, it was about looking at the good things - no pun intended - that you got from that relationship. How did you grow? What did you learn emotionally? And to experience some stuff. And in this case it was just kind of reflecting on how this person changed.

    I think I may have been projecting, because I ended up breaking up with this girl shortly after. But this girl I was dating at the time kind of pushed me out of my southern mindset and my tendency to take a known path as opposed to setting out on an unknown path, but something that would be ultimately more satisfying and rewarding."
  • There are shades of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in this track, but Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin says he wrote the song in 1990 before Nirvana released that song. He does cop to being influenced by the Pixies, which helps explain the similarity, as Nirvana also drew from the Pixies sound.
  • This was Better Than Ezra's first single. The band had been playing it for years when they got their record deal with Elektra Records, which issued it as a single in 1995 along with a new version of their album Deluxe, which the group first released on their own label in 1993. The song made a splash on rock, pop, and alternative radio stations, mostly east of the Mississippi. The song had just a modest placing on the Hot 100 (#30), but topped the Alternative Songs chart, which was then known as the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.

    The band followed with several minor hits, including "Desperately Wanting" and "Rosealia." They never filled arenas, but they built a loyal fan base and enjoyed decades of success, playing smaller venues and releasing a steady stream of material. Griffin became a top songwriter for other acts, co-writing hits for Howie Day ("Collide"), Sugarland ("Stuck Like Glue") and James Blunt ("I'll Be Your Man").
  • In the "wa-ha, it was good" section, "wa-ha" was originally a placeholder that Kevin Griffin intended to fill with actual lyrics. The band soon realized it was the song's hook because everyone they played it for remembered the "wa-ha" more than anything else, so they kept it that way.

Comments: 4

  • Brian from Boston, MaThis song has the same chord progression as When I come around by Green day G D Em and C
  • Ron from Mcallen, TxThought I had heard that this song was partly about a letter Kevin received from a stalker/fan who had broke into his home.
  • Cory from Morden, CanadaThis song was featured in the movie "Angus" circa 1994.
  • Anonnymous from Nashville, TxThis song is so good. Kevin Griffin is so good at writing, he does write every song on Deluxe, except for Heaven. He also cowrites Collide and Perfect Time of Day, both with Howie Day.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")Songwriter Interviews

Inspired by his dear friend, "Seasons in the Sun" paid for Terry's boat, which led him away from music and into a battle with Canadian paper mills.

Little Richard

Little RichardFact or Fiction

Was Long Tall Sally a cross-dresser? Did he really set his piano on fire? See if you know the real stories about one of rock's greatest innovators.

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.