Biography:
Lister started playing guitar at 8 and played his first concert in a bar band at the age of 13. He had learned guitar by playing along to his father's old 45s of Freddie King, John Mayall and Eric Clapton. By the time he was 18, having already been in several bands, he formed his own, which recorded two albums Messin' With The Kid (1996) and Pay Attention! (1997). Three numbers written by Lister, on the second album, attracted the attention of Ruf Records' owner Thomas Ruf. In 1998 they signed a record deal and Lister recorded his first major album, Aynsley Lister, produced by Jim Gaines. The tracks were primarily Lister compositions, and the album featured a guest appearance by Walter Trout. The album led to him touring Europe and working with some of the top current blues players.
While Lister's music is blues based, his own material incorporates contemporary influences with harder rhythms and guitar work, reminiscent of early Eric Clapton. Lister was the only British artist to be featured in Classic Rock's 2007 "Top 10 Contemporary Blues Artists"; alongside The White Stripes, The Black Keys, John Mayer, Jon Spencer, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joe Bonamassa, Derek Trucks and the North Mississippi Allstars.
After his first album Lister began opening for artists such as Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, John Mayall and contemporaries such as Bryan Adams and Fun Lovin Criminals. Having become better known, he now headlines major festivals in Europe. He has twice played the Heitere Open Air in Switzerland to 12,000 people and in 2006 he played the main stage at The Bayfront Blues Festival, MN. Later that year he was invited to sit in with Delbert McClinton at The Pinedale Blues Festival in Wyoming, where Delbert kept Lister on stage for the whole second half of his show. In May 2009, Lister played to over 16,000 people whilst opening for the legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd on the UK dates of their God and Guns tour, performed a headline slot at Glastonbury in 2010 and during the same year, shared the stage with ZZ Top at the Skånevik Bluesfestival in Norway.
Lister has also recorded with Jesse Davey from the English blues band The Hoax on Everything I Need (2000) and All Or Nothing (2002) both produced by Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia). Everything I Need was his debut US release in 2006, in preparation for a US tour, and received critical acclaim. Lister's fourth studio album, and his first to only contain original material, was 2007's Upside Down which Lister produced himself.
In June 2008 Lister changed to ARM Management and signed to Manhaton Records in August 2008, releasing Equilibrium in March 2009. Equilibrium was produced by Steve Darrel Smith and features Robbie McIntosh, Paul Beavis and Simon Johnson. Following "Equilibrium", he and his band relocated to the Tower Arts Centre and with the tape rolling, nailed a cracking rendition of their high-octane live set to produce the storming 'Tower Sessions' record, which was released on Manhaton Records in 2010 and consequently voted 'Best Live Album' in the 2011 Blues Matters Writers Poll.
For the tenth album of his career to date, "Home" (2013), Aynsley has flown the nest of being under contract with anyone but himself. "Home" is the debut release for his own label "Straight Talkin' Records," set up in partnership with his fiancée and manager, Stephanie Wildey in the same year.
Hold You To It
Aynsley Lister Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out here on my own
I don′t know how much more I can take
Just got off talking to you
On my telephone
You said hold out just a few more days
I just need all your loving tonight
But I know that it's coming my way
Oh baby, oh just you wait
I'm gonna hold you to it
Hold you to it
All the things that you said to me, yeah
I′m gonna hold you to it
Hold you to it
You ain′t getting off easily
Oh oh oh oh oh
I know that I can count on you
Oh oh oh oh oh
For the things, only you can do, yeah
I been holding it together, counting down the hours
But now I'm standing here at your door
You′re in that special number
The one that blows my mind
You know just what to do, that's for sure
I′m gonna give you all my loving tonight
But I know, I won't be wasting no time
I′m gonna hold you 'til the morning light
Yeah baby, oh just you wait
I'm gonna hold you to it
Hold you to it
All the things that you said to me, yeah
I′m gonna hold you to it
Hold you to it
You ain′t getting off easily
Oh oh oh oh oh
I know that I can count on you
Oh oh oh oh oh
For the things, only you can do, yeah
I'm gonna give you all my loving tonight
But I know, I won′t be wasting no time
I'm gonna hold you ′til the morning light
Yeah baby, oh just you wait, yeah
Oh yeah, yeah
I'm gonna hold you to it
Hold you to it
All the things that you said to me
I′m gonna hold you to it
Hold you to it
You ain't getting off easily
Oh oh oh oh oh
I know that I can count on you
Oh oh oh oh oh
For the things, only you can do, yeah
Baby!
In "Hold You To It," Aynsley Lister sings about being on the road for a long time and feeling lonely. He's been talking to someone on the phone, and they've given him hope that things will get better. They've promised to love him all night, and he's looking forward to holding them to their word.
The chorus makes it clear that Aynsley Lister isn't going to let this person off the hook easily. They've said all the right things, and he's going to hold them to it. The repetition of the phrase "hold you to it" reinforces the idea that he's serious about making sure they follow through on their promises. He knows he can count on this person to make him feel better and do things that only they can do.
The song can be interpreted in a couple of different ways. On one hand, it could be seen as a simple love song about two people who are missing each other and hoping to be reunited soon. On the other hand, the repeated phrases and slightly aggressive tone of the chorus suggest that there might be something more significant at stake. Perhaps Aynsley Lister has been hurt before, and he's not willing to let this person break their promises like others have in the past. Either way, the song is a powerful expression of longing and hope.
Line by Line Meaning
I been on the road for so long
I've been traveling for a long time.
Out here on my own
I'm alone out here.
I don't know how much more I can take
I'm reaching my limit.
Just got off talking to you
I just finished talking to you.
On my telephone
We talked over the phone.
You said hold out just a few more days
You said to wait for a bit.
I just need all your loving tonight
I need your love tonight.
But I know that it's coming my way
But I know it will happen.
I'm gonna hold you 'til the morning light
I'll hold you until morning.
Oh baby, oh just you wait
Just wait and see what happens.
I'm gonna hold you to it
I'm gonna make sure you keep your word.
All the things that you said to me, yeah
I'll remember all the things you said.
You ain't getting off easily
You won't get away with it easily.
I know that I can count on you
I trust you.
For the things, only you can do, yeah
I know only you can do these things.
I been holding it together, counting down the hours
I've been keeping it together and waiting.
But now I'm standing here at your door
But now I'm at your doorstep.
You're in that special number
You're special to me.
The one that blows my mind
You amaze me.
You know just what to do, that's for sure
You are sure of what to do.
I'm gonna give you all my loving tonight
I'll give you all my love tonight.
But I know, I won't be wasting no time
I know we won't waste any time.
Oh yeah, yeah
Yes, that's right.
Baby!
My love.
Writer(s): Aynsley Craig Lister
Contributed by Aaliyah R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Klaus Reinhard 777
Great energy from Aynsley and the band with a new attitude without neglecting the roots. Cool vocals and very cool guitar solo - not the usual blues rock lines but inspiring surprise (nice keyboard answers/fills from Andy as well). Aynsley got a great band and giving the band some more space and spontanous interaction pushes his own talent and perfomance even further. This is the consequent follow up of what the new line up already showed live during the tour in spring 2016.
Mike Connor
WOW.....thanks to Spotify for introducing me to Aynsley Lister!
klistarf
Superb album! Love it, love it, love it! Here is one guy who deserves to reach a wider audience. The time is now! 'Upside Down' is/was my fave album (saw him and met him on that tour), but this album is, so far, running it a very close second. His playing just keeps getting better, and more mature, if you know what i mean. Even 'Classic Rock' magazine has acknowledged him with their latest issue, and not before time! Good to see. Great work, Ayns. Keep it up, Mate... \m/ (:o)
Stef Dumont Music
Awesome track!!! Great tone!!
The Cog With No Boundries
love it !!
Dawuf
One of the freshest new faces of the blues today...
Twelve Above
Nice groove! Great job!
LoopsUnlimited - Live.Cover.Music.
Nice! Hope to see you on the road with the new album soon. Cheers from Germany.
Douglas Staggs
Vibrant as hell!
Doji Meishō
Great music. Can´t wait to see you in Schöneberg-Kübelberg and get my copy of your new album.