Paint by Numbers

{{short description|1998 single by Self}} {{About|the song by Self|the painting technique|Paint by number{{!}}Paint by number}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Paint by Numbers

| cover = Self - Paint by Numbers.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Self

| album = Breakfast with Girls

| released = {{start date|1998|07|21}}

| recorded = 1998

| studio = Bennett House (Franklin)

| genre = *Power pop{{cite magazine |last=Wener|first=Ben|title=Pop Music Sound Check - Self - Breakfast with Girls|magazine=The Orange County Register|date=August 13, 1999|volume=95|issue=226|page=126}}

surf rock{{cite magazine |last=Fleishman|first=Jeremy|title=Sound Bite - Breakfast with Girls by Self|magazine=The Daily Texan|date=June 17, 1999|volume=99|issue=159|page=7}}

| length = 3:07

| label = *Dreamworks

Spongebath

| writer = Matt Mahaffey

| producer = Matt Mahaffey

| prev_title = So Low

| prev_year = 1996

| next_title = Meg Ryan

| next_year = 1999

| misc = {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|gTQjtis7KBQ|"Paint by Numbers"}}}}

}}

"Paint by Numbers"{{efn|Also known as "Paint by #'s" in early Dreamworks' promo CD's sent to the press.}} 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

"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".{{cite web |last=Conant|first=Brian|url=http://www.colleges.com/Umagazine/articles.taf?category=arts&article=F1_self|title=Self's frontman knows art when he hears it|website=U. Magazine|language=en|date=July 21, 1999|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020611181718/http://www.colleges.com/Umagazine/articles.taf?category=arts&article=F1_self|archive-date=June 11, 2002|accessdate=March 27, 2025}} The song was included on the soundtrack of the film Dead Man on Campus (1998),{{Cite web |last=Henson|first=E. A.|url=https://biffbampop.com/2022/08/04/bbps-album-of-the-week-breakfast-with-girls-self-1999/|title=BBP!'s Album of the Week: "Breakfast With Girls," Self (1999)|website=Biff Bam Pop!|language=en-US|date=August 4, 2022|access-date=February 14, 2025}} 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).{{cite magazine |last=Olson|first=Catherine Applefeld|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bw4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA17|title=Soundtracks and Film Score News|magazine=Billboard|volume=110|issue=23|pages=17|date=June 6, 1998|access-date=February 14, 2025}} 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.

Reception

Ben Wener of The Orange County Register praised the styling of "Paint by Numbers", observing a resemblance to instrumentation prominent in Latin music. 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. Robert Wilonsky of Dallas Observer noted that the song's commercial success was hindered by Weezer and Beck's recent success within rock music, but stated that it deserved a much larger audience.{{cite web |last=Wilonsky|first=Robert|url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/self-6397000|title=Self|website=Dallas Observer|language=en|date=September 30, 1999|accessdate=March 27, 2025}} Gerald Dih of AudioPhix listed the track as one of the best surf rock songs of the 1990s, commending its succinct approach to "great guitar interplay and punchy drums".{{cite web |last=Dih|first=Gerald|url=https://audiophix.com/5-best-surf-rock-songs-1990s-make-waves-today|title=5 best surf rock songs of the 1990s that still make waves today|website=AudioPhix|language=en|date=April 24, 2025|accessdate=April 26, 2025}} Rivers Cuomo discovered "Paint by Numbers" on Napster due to the service's prevalence of mislabeled files, with the song being listed under his band Weezer. He positively likened the track to his own style, calling Self his "new favorite band" and expressing interest in touring with them.{{cite magazine |last=Chandra|first=Ashok|url=https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/items/0539806c-0245-42ce-b052-704f2f1f4851/full|title=Weezer breathes new life into career after four-year hiatus|magazine=The Daily Texan|date=November 15, 2000|volume=101|issue=53|page=16}}

Accolades

At the 1999 Nashville Music Association Awards, Self received a nomination in the Song of the Year category for "Paint by Numbers",{{cite magazine |last=Flippo|first=Chet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LgoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA79|title=Earle, Williams Lead Nashville Music Assn. Noms|page=79|volume=110|issue=49|issn=0006-2510|magazine=Billboard|date=December 5, 1998|access-date=February 14, 2025}} ultimately losing to Faith Hill's "This Kiss".{{cite magazine |last=Flippo|first=Chet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AQ4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA34|title=Williams, Others Score At Nashville Music Awards; Hall Of Fame Gets Grandpa's Boots|page=34|volume=111|issue=9|issn=0006-2510|magazine=Billboard|date=February 27, 1999|access-date=February 14, 2025}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" \|+Nominations for "Paint by Numbers"
scope="col"\| Year ! scope="col"\| Organization ! scope="col"\| Award ! scope="col"\| Result
scope="row" rowspan="2"\| 1999 \| Nashville Music Association Awards \| Song of the Year \| {{nom}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+Nominations for "Paint by Numbers"

scope="col"| Year

! scope="col"| Organization

! scope="col"| Award

! scope="col"| Result

scope="row" rowspan="2"| 1999

| Nashville Music Association Awards

| Song of the Year

| {{nom}}