The Man Who Broke His Own Heart

Album: Black Is The New Black (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • A rocker from the ninth Everclear album, this song is about a guy who has ended a difficult relationship and can see it from the other side of the fence:

    I know deep down you really want to punish me for the way I used to be
    I don't blame you for being angry, I treated you bad
    You wasted time trying too hard, fell for the man who broke his own heart


    Alexakis wrote the song in 2004 when he was dealing with a divorce from his second wife, Stephanie Greig. "I felt like making reparations, but reparations on my terms," he told us. "I was just exploring that a little bit from a personal point of view, but it's not autobiographical - there's a lot of things I've taken from other relationships I've seen."
  • Everclear tried to record this song for their 2006 album Welcome to the Drama Club, which used more acoustic instruments than the band's previous albums. They couldn't get a suitable recording, but it went over well when they played it live - fans dubbed it the "Almost Instant Karma" song.

    When it came time to record the Black Is The New Black album, Art Alexakis revived the song, putting it to a rock arrangement that suited the track. By this time, Everclear was a five-piece band, with Davey French on guitar, Freddy Herrera on bass, Josh Crawley on keyboards and Sean Winchester on drums.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Bob Daisley

Bob DaisleySongwriter Interviews

Bob was the bass player and lyricist for the first two Ozzy Osbourne albums. Here's how he wrote songs like "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" with Ozzy and Randy Rhoads.

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.

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Brenda Russell

Brenda RussellSongwriter Interviews

Brenda talks about the inspiration that drove her to write hit songs like "Get Here" and "Piano in the Dark," and why a lack of formal music training can be a songwriter's best asset.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.