Paint by Numbers
| "Paint by Numbers" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Self | ||||
| from the album Breakfast with Girls | ||||
| Released | July 21, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1998 | |||
| Studio | Bennett House (Franklin) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:07 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Matt Mahaffey | |||
| Producer(s) | Matt Mahaffey | |||
| Self singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Paint by Numbers" on YouTube | ||||
"Paint by Numbers" is a song by American pop rock band Self, released on July 21, 1998 as the lead single of Breakfast with Girls (1999). Distributed through Dreamworks Records and Spongebath Records, it first appeared in the soundtrack for the MTV film Dead Man on Campus (1998). The track was later nominated for Song of the Year by the Nashville Music Association Awards.
Background
[edit]"Paint by Numbers" was written by Matt Mahaffey as commentary against bands who simplify songwriting and chase trends after becoming a one-hit wonder, particularly inspired by Smash Mouth's career after their debut single "Walkin' on the Sun".[3] The song was included on the soundtrack of the film Dead Man on Campus (1998),[4] which released through MTV and DreamWorks Records on July 21, 1998. Director Alan Cohn picked "Paint by Numbers" as a theme for the main character, Josh Miller (Tom Everett Scott).[5] It was later included as the sixth track of the band's third studio album, Breakfast with Girls (1999), released through Dreamworks and Spongebath Records.[2]
Reception
[edit]Ben Wener of The Orange County Register praised the styling of "Paint by Numbers", observing a resemblance to instrumentation prominent in Latin music.[1] Jeremy Fleishman of The Daily Texan declared the song "destined for radio play", lauding its diverse influence and the track's inclusion of other techniques used on Breakfast with Girls.[2] Robert Wilonsky of Dallas Observer noted that the song's commercial success was hindered by Weezer and Beck's recent success within the rock music, but stated that it deserved a much larger audience.[6] At the 1999 Nashville Music Association Awards, Self received a nomination in the Song of the Year category for "Paint by Numbers",[7] ultimately losing to Faith Hill's "This Kiss".[8]
| Year | Organization | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Nashville Music Association Awards | Song of the Year | Nominated |
Personnel
[edit]Self
- Matt Mahaffey – lead vocals, instruments
- Mike Mahaffey – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass
- Mac Burrus – bass
- Chris James – piano, B-3, vox
- Jason Rawlings – percussion
Technical
- Matt Mahaffey – production, engineer
- Hugh Padgham – mixing engineer
- Bob Ludwig – mastering engineer
- Richard Williams – executive producer
- Richard Dodd – engineer
- Bobby Dufresne Jr. – engineer
- Jeff Balding – engineer
- Ken Andrews – engineer
- Shawn McLean – engineer
- Joe Baldridge – engineer
- Chris James – engineer
- Glenn Spinner – assistant engineer
- Aaron Swihart – assistant engineer
- Joe Costa – assistant engineer
- Brian Garten – assistant engineer
- John Saylor – assistant engineer
References
[edit]- ^ a b Wener, Ben (August 13, 1999). "Pop Music Sound Check - Self - Breakfast with Girls". The Orange County Register. Vol. 95, no. 226. p. 126.
- ^ a b c Fleishman, Jeremy (June 17, 1999). "Sound Bite - Breakfast with Girls by Self". The Daily Texan. Vol. 99, no. 159. p. 7.
- ^ Conant, Brian (July 21, 1999). "Self's frontman knows art when he hears it". U. Magazine. Archived from the original on June 11, 2002. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
- ^ Henson, E. A. (August 4, 2022). "BBP!'s Album of the Week: "Breakfast With Girls," Self (1999)". Biff Bam Pop!. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
- ^ Olson, Catherine Applefeld (June 6, 1998). "Soundtracks and Film Score News". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 23. p. 17. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
- ^ Wilonsky, Robert (September 30, 1999). "Self". Dallas Observer. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
- ^ Flippo, Chet (December 5, 1998). "Earle, Williams Lead Nashville Music Assn. Noms". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 49. p. 79. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
- ^ Flippo, Chet (February 27, 1999). "Williams, Others Score At Nashville Music Awards; Hall Of Fame Gets Grandpa's Boots". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 9. p. 34. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 14, 2025.