Real World

This song was written by lead singer Rob Thomas, who is fantasizing about what it would be like to be someone else.

"Real World" was the fourth release from Matchbox Twenty's debut album and marked their first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, topping out at #38. It was a much bigger hit in the Adult Contemporary category.

The music video, directed by Matthew Rolston, opens with Rob Thomas walking through a bowling alley with a camel and segues into scenes with Kyle Cook getting a raw steak from an ice cream truck, Brian Yale directing a news broadcast, and Paul Doucette masquerading as a red-headed waitress in a diner. In a 2020 Songfacts interview, Rob shared his memories of making the video: "There is a large portion of that time that is kind of hazy and I don't remember super well. But I remember that video. The camel loved me and kept wanting to nuzzle. The zebra was kind of aggressive. It was the first time that we had input with the director about what we wanted and it was and still is a really out there video. I don't know that it means anything at all but it still had the desired effect."