Classic albums: Matchbox Twenty’s ‘Yourself or Someone like You’ (1996).

This month marks an important milestone in Matchbox Twenty’s recording history. Thirty years ago, they released their breakthrough debut album Woodshed Diaries Yourself or Someone Like You on October 1, 1996.  

In the mid-90s, Matchbox Twenty’s appeal sat comfortably within the angst-ridden culture of 90s alt-rock. While they were nothing like my favourite band at the time Pearl Jam, Matchbox Twenty did resemble some of the shades of “uncool” that had tainted Pearl Jam’s reputation. Today some fans still can’t forgive Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas for selling out, especially with his collaboration with Santana on Smooth. Worse still, Matchbox Twenty were called a band with no credibility.  Since then, Matchbox Twenty’s reputation has been reevaluated as a band. Their signature hooks and deeply resonant songwriting has even found a home among today’s millennial listeners.

One of the things that drew me to Matchbox Twenty in the mid-90s was frontman Rob Thomas. (Heck, I still like the dude today.) He knew exactly how to connect with his audience. He had this amazing knack of dissecting life’s hardships and in particular relationships in his songs. His fingerprints are all over Matchbox Twenty’s debut Yourself or Someone Like You (1996) and even more so on Matchbox Twenty’s follow up Mad Season (2000). While critics weren’t as smitten by the band’s sophomore outing, fans though couldn’t get enough of Matchbox Twenty radio friendly sound. Admittedly even I really liked how the band tinkered with their sound for Mad Season moving even more unashamedly into the mainstream. But more on that record for another time.  

In 1996, former band mates of Tabitha’s Secret, Rob Thomas, Brian Yale and Paul Doucette joined forces with Kyle Cook and Adam Gaynor to form Matchbox Twenty, (formerly Matchbox 20). Still to this day Matchbox Twenty’s lineup remains Thomas, Kyle Cook, Paul Doucette and Brian Yale minus Adam Gaynor.

The band signed with Atlantic Records just prior to releasing their first single, Long Day, which peaked at number 8 on the Billboard US Rock charts. It came just weeks ahead of the release of their debut album Yourself or Someone Like You on October 1. Opening with its melancholic, acoustic vibe, Long Day lulls us into a sense that it’s gonna be a straightforward pop rock song. It unexpectedly explodes soon after in the second verse with its soaring electric riff. Here the lyrics scream, “I’m sorry bout the attitude I need to give when I’m with you/ But no one else will take this shit from me/ And I’m so terrified of no one else but me/I’m here all the time/ I won’t go away,” truly setting in motion Matchbox Twenty’s sonic palette and Rob Thomas’ distinctive growl.

Matchbox Twenty’s debut with its hits like Long Day, 3 AM and Push eventually went platinum ten times over. Interestingly, their record label Atlantic almost dropped the band in 1997 because of slow sales, which might explain the strangely long delay of nine months in between Long Day and the release of Push, the second single.

The story of Push and its success can be attributed to someone at the label who noticed an unexpected spike in sales in regional Alabama. A local Birmingham radio station started playing Push and from there it eventually got national attention and soared up the charts but not without controversy. Little did Thomas know that when he sat down to write Push would it attached the ire of feminist groups who believed the song was misogynistic in nature. In September of 1997, a few months after its release, Thomas had to clear up the misunderstanding, stating that the song was actually about a guy who is being emotionally abused. Visually, the music video shows Thomas trapped in a room or pit with no way to escape.

In an interview a year later with NY Rock in 1998 while on tour, Thomas elaborated further when asked about Push. He said, “I don’t understand how people who claim to have a brain can misunderstand [the song] so much. It’s not about physical violence. It’s about emotions and how somebody can push you around without even lifting a finger. It’s all emotional. It’s all far more subtle. Anyway, in that song it’s the guy who gets pushed around by a girl he’s having a relationship with. I had a relationship like that where I was emotionally pushed around, and you know what? I grew almost comfortable with it. I got used to it. Almost enjoyed it because I thought that’s how relationships work. I thought it’s about getting manipulated and controlled. It’s a bit crazy that people claim that I’m a chauvinist and have a violent attitude towards women.”

As for 3 A.M, it also topped North American charts, lyrically striking upon a common theme which is ever present throughout the album with its references to anger, emotional abuse, humiliation and or loneliness. “She thinks that happiness is a mat that sits on her doorway,” Thomas sings on the track reflecting upon the difficulty he had getting along with his mother, especially in nursing her through her illness with cancer.

Many songwriters throughout music history have been inspired to write songs that look to distract and relieve us from unpleasant realities. On Matchbox Twenty’s Real World listeners are treated to a generous dollop of escapism: “I wonder what it’s like to be a superhero/ I wonder where I’d go if I could fly around downtown, yeah/ From some other planet, I’d get this funky high on a yellow sun/ Boy, I bet my friends will all be/ Stunned, they’re stunned.” Thomas’ ability to write great hooks and sentimental lyrics probably don’t come any better than on this track. It’s one of those songs which still to this day makes listeners faces light up. It’s unashamedly uncool but who cares it’s a great singalong song. 

Fun fact: In 2005, almost a decade after Yourself or Someone Like You was released, New Yorker Frank Torres tried to sue Matchbox Twenty for using his image on their album artwork. He alleged he was simply walking down the street when a photographer asked to take his photo but claimed he never gave his permission for his image to be used.

While the first half is top heavy with radio hits, it still feels like an album that’s been carefully curated with transitions through many different tones and tempo on the second half of the album. For instance, chiming guitars feature heavily on the rocker Damn and Argue follows suit as an angsty ‘90s rock song. Kody changes pace with its acoustic and twangy electric undercurrent, while Busted returns to grittier rock sounds of the likes of Long Day. A nice change of pace again follows with the album’s final two tracks – Shame with its pop sensibilities and Hang with its acoustic arrangement. 

There are those who have argued that Yourself Or Some Like You is woefully unoriginal. But I argue that the album is one of the better alt-rock records from the late 90s. Even the argument that the first five tracks only hold up is just nonsensical. For instance, the longest track on the album Back 2 Good (a song about screwing up a relationship and its eventual end) with its orchestral arrangement is an enjoyable change from the post-grunge music typical of that era. Its overall melancholy mood even when played live still really holds up.

It’s also fair to say the album relatively still holds up today because admittedly it’s a good sounding guitar record which blends the best of pop and alt-rock. (Today some even argue it is the “gold standard of late 90s radio rock”.) Real World, Long Day, Busted and Girl Like That are four songs that instantly come to mind for their incredible guitar riffs. Worthy of a mention is Adam Gaynor on rhythm guitar who holds everything together. Finally, thematically or lyrically, Yourself or Someone Like You is a deeply personal album. The songwriting is so honest that it hits you where it hurts. Moreover Thomas is able to adjust is vocal performance to suit the arrangements of every song. There’s no grandstanding, just five guys looking out for each other.

This article was first published in late March, 2023. It has been updated here for the 30th anniversary of Matchbox Twenty’s album Yourself or Someone Like You.