The pop-rock band from Los Angeles won best new artist (beating Kayne West in fact) at the 2005 Grammys, leading them to be seen as the next big sophisticated pop group. What is hard to believe is that the 'new artist' had already released 4 albums, been signed twice, dropped once, and been together for11 years before winning that award. It was 'Songs About Jane' that earned them that Grammy and it was seen as a sleeper hit, as it took two years to get recognised after the release. However when in comparison to the band's age by this point, two years felt nothing, and here's why.
credit: Maroon 5
Frontman Adam Levine met his future songwriting partner and bandmate, Jesse Carmichael, during a sports game while on recess in school. Their love for The Beatles and other classic songwriting acts helped them form a beautiful friendship that led to a songwriting partnership that fitted like a glove. Alongside two other friends, the 4 boys formed a band called Kara's Flowers and released 'We Like Digging' in 1995 which was a respectful attempt of copying their grunge heroes, Pearl Jam. Soon after, they signed a record deal after being spotted playing at a wedding reception on a beach, not bad for 14/15-year-olds.
It felt like a fairytale, teenagers being spotted by an agent walking their dog on the beach, what could go wrong! Adam, Jesse, Mickey and Ryan jumped into the studio to record a Beatles meets Green Day record filled with juvenile ideas, called 'The Fourth World'. Despite playing the lead single on an episode on Brooklyn 90210 (the song was about germs at a disco), the album flopped big time and the boys were soon dropped from the label. Though, I do recommend people to listen to, 'To Her, With Love', as it's so innocently beautiful and a great nod to Paul McCartney.
The band carried on touring and did create a small following on the west coast, some people to do this day in that part of the world still think fondly of that time. The album 'Stagg Street Recordings' was released in 1999 that included some Billy Joel inspired songs, for instance, the waltz of 'The Fog' and 'As Things Collide' (it truly holds some of the pairs best melodies!). With no success again from that, Adam and Jesse eventually headed to college in New York and discovered music that would end up taking them down a new path that would become the Maroon 5 sound.
The band got back together at the turn of the millennium, filled with new love and admiration of Soul and RnB. After bringing in James Valentine into the band and 'Sunday Morning' being written, Maroon 5 signed a new deal and FINALLY the next chapter was there, an album that would change their lives.
credit: GETTY IMAGES
So at this point, we are in 2002, Songs About Jane is released and a new beginning for the band. As previously mentioned, it took another 2 years for the LP and songs like 'This Love' to get the attention it eventually received. But what about the other bands that also ended up defining the early 00's in the pop-rock realm? How was their rise to stardom?
Well, Coldplay formed two years after Kara's Flowers (1996), who had their breakthrough hit and were on their second album by the end of 2002! Then there was The Killers, (formed in 2001), had 'Mr. Brightside' as a worldwide hit and were writing their follow up record in 2005....that was a total of 4 years from their inception! Momentum is seen as a key component for success and those two bands had that which led to having a generation of followers. What's astounding also is how they were on their third albums after 10 years and 7 years respectively and when comparing to the Maroon 5 lads, for them they were seen to be on their third album (in a way their 6th) after 16 years of being together.
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'It Won't Be Soon Before Long' was the name of their second album, a phrase the band used about how long their previous tour was. Again, it was a huge success and explored their love for Prince, MJ and The Police. Luckily in 2010 the third LP, 'Hands All Over', was out but sadly did not wow as many people as the previous two, it was still a solid record that featured the hit 'Misery'. For them, after 16 years as a band, having the original drummer (Ryan Dusick) retiring in 2006 due to injuries from playing too much and your third album deemed missing the mark....what next?
Adam Levine had been diagnosed with ADHD and as you can tell from this piece, he grafted to become the famous frontman and songwriter people seen him as today. Being a traditionalist with songwriting and had experienced such failure before, he began to feel the pressure even more of nailing down their next hit but naturally needing time due to his body to write. Out of nowhere he was offered a judging role on The Voice, which he was very unsure about but he accepted the job and it became one of the biggest shows in America, some saving a lot of arses at NBC.
Through the show and potentially the shows producer, Adam was shown what music producers Benny Blanco and Shellback were working on, a dance/EDM pop tune that had Maroon 5's style in some ways. It opened the door for Levine to the potential of collaboration from outside the band, it felt unnatural but the band went forward with working on the song.
credit: PopCrush
However, Maroon 5's record label, was not convinced by the song due to loving their guitar rock roots, it felt like they were was a struggle to define the band which hindered the third album. So the band ended up tricking the label by saying that they were going to perform a song off 'Hands All Over' on The Voice but instead sang 'Moves Like Jagger' with Christina Aguilera and the rest was history.
After the huge success of the song ( it became one of the most bought/downloaded songs of all time), they found a new way to reach the heights they wanted more sustainably. Did that lead to losing that songwriter credibility and Maroon 5 changing for better or for worse, maybe?
But from 2012-2015, the band had a renaissance and were on fire! They were voted in to replace Jay-Z last minute by ticket holders for Rock in Rio in Brazil, had number 1 singles across the world, opened the Grammy's celebration of The Beatles and Adam Levine wowed everyone with an incredible cover of Prince's 'Purple Rain'. How much did this band needed to do the Half-Time show of the Super Bowl was tremendous, it is agonising that they did not.
credit: CNN
'Payphone', 'One More Night', 'Maps', 'Sugar 'and eventually 'Girls Like You' were released by the band, co-written by the likes of Ryan Tedder and Max Martin, led them to have number 1's in 9 different countries and all were Top 10 hits. At first, Adam Levine was a bit cautious in going into detail about their co-writing but eventually loosened up about it for their 5th/8th record, 'V'.
What was key amongst those hits was an element of them obviously being Maroon 5, which allowed people in places such as the U.K. loving singles like 'Maps'. However, when a frontman of a band having a poppier resurgence on a big TV Show, the yanks began to feel tired and the never stopping pop group started to grain on some hometown fans.
By the time 'Red Pills Blue' was recorded in 2017, Adam Levine (who only recently spoke openly about this) began suffering throat problems two years prior which grew worse and worse. Yes, their tunes are catchy but were a huge driving force for the group's success, Levine's distinct vocals. Sadly it became more and more noticeable and the band kept touring, it was painful.
Then the overdue Super Bowl Performance bared the singer's struggles amongst a turbulent time for America's relationship with the NFL, the set was deemed bland and nothing inspiring after the first two songs. Fortunately, despite not going for an operation, Levine admitted he took his ability for granted, is sounding awesome on their last two singles 'Memories' and 'Nobody's Love'.
credit: Maroon 5
In another world, time would of a bit nicer to the band who were seen as The Beatles meets Stevie Wonder. Birthed during the grunge era and eventually feeling lost in guitar music's first crisis, the LA boys who kept stumbling never had the momentum that others were fortunate to have. However, in their 26 years, Maroon 5 have written and released songs that we can only dream of possessing, even the ones that are nowhere to be seen on streaming services, show off the talent of Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael.
This piece comes from someone who was shown this band when sitting in the car as a 10 year old, who began to idolise a songwriting partnership that was both bad arse and compassionate. I hope it gives more of an understanding about a band who had to adapt in a way that they would have never expected, adulthood for you right there. But within their story, there were bloody brilliant and should be seen as one of the best pop bands so far this century.
by Tom Bedding
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