The band played independently in Peterborough, Ontario for a few years before they signed with Tooth and Nail Records, largely on the recommendation of Trevor McNevan, the lead singer of fellow Tooth and Nail bands Thousand Foot Krutch and FM Static. McNevan, also from Peterborough, is credited with discovering the band. In July of 2004, Hawk Nelson released their major label debut Letters to the President. It was produced by Aaron Sprinkle and McNevan, who also co-wrote the album's fourteen songs. He has also appeared on some of the band's songs, as well as in their video for the song "California". In October 2005, the band re-released Letters to the President, with new material including their cover of The Who's My Generation, three acoustic versions of some of their hits, and a limited edition cover. Dave Clark was replaced by Jonathan Steingard on guitar in 2004.
The band released their second studio album, titled Smile, It's The End of the World, on April 4, 2006. The album's first single, "Everything You Ever Wanted", went on to hit #1 for 9 weeks on the R&R Christian CHR chart, and was the fourth most played song of 2006. Hawk Nelson released a 3-track Christmas EP titled Gloria on November 21, 2006.
In 2007, Aaron Tosti (who had joined the band to replace Matt Paige on drums) left the band to pursue other musical ventures and was replaced by Justin Benner. Justin had previously toured with Hawk Nelson before with The Send. Hawk Nelson's third full album, Hawk Nelson Is My Friend was released on April 1, 2008, and featured songs co-written by Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch, Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace, and Richard Marx. The album was nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award in the category for Best Recording Package.
On July 21, 2009, Hawk Nelson released their second single from their fourth album Live Life Loud called "The Meaning Of Life", and on August 8, the song "Alive" began to be played on Christian Radio. They released the album in September of the same year.
Their fifth studio album, Crazy Love, which was released in stores February 8, 2011.
On February 1, 2012, lead vocalist Jason Dunn announced he would be leaving the band, in order to pursue his solo project, Lights Go Down. He is currently recording an album tentatively titled Abandon Progress. On March 11, 2012 in Fresno, California, frontman Jason Dunn performed his final US show with Hawk Nelson.
On December 11, 2012, Hawk Nelson announced they had signed with Fair Trade Services. Made was released on April 2, 2013. The album's release was preceded by the release of the album's debut single on January 15, 2013, "Words", featuring Bart Millard of MercyMe,while "Faithful" was released on September 12, 2013.
Tours
The band spent the summer of 2006 touring the major Christian music festivals. In the winter of 2006, they toured with TobyMac's Winter Wonder Slam tour along with The Afters, Family Force 5, and Ayiesha Woods. In 2007, Hawk Nelson performed at Winter Jam with a wide variety of other Christian bands, which were Newsong, Jeremy Camp, Steven Curtis Chapman, Sanctus Real, and Britt Nicole. Also, Hawk Nelson toured with MxPx, Run Kid Run, Project 86, The Fold, and The Classic Crime. In January 2008, the band headlined their own tour, that they called the Green T Tour, which also featured Capital Lights and Run Kid Run. In the summer of 2008, Hawk Nelson played their second annual Faith Nights Baseball Tour.
Mainstream Success
The band has achieved some success in the mainstream as well. They portrayed The Who on an episode of the NBC drama American Dreams, and they recorded a song named "Bring 'Em Out" for the 2005 motion picture Yours, Mine, and Ours featuring Drake Bell. This song and another hit song "The Show" were used on Sunday Night Football commercials. "Things We Go Through" from Letters to the President was also featured in Yours, Mine, and Ours. Bulletproof Records and Producer Ralph Sall have assembled the compilation Charlotte's Web (Music Inspired By The Motion Picture) in December 2006, which features "Everything You Ever Wanted" by Hawk Nelson, as well as music by Amy Grant and Billy Ray Cyrus. In 2008, the band also contributed a cover of "Don't You (Forget About Me)", originally by Simple Minds, off the JCPenney Presents: Don't You Forget About Me. The Covers (EP). The song was also featured in back-to-school commercials for J.C. Penney. The song "Live Life Loud" was featured in the trailer for the movie, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules," and was available in the Rock Band store during the first week of April 2010.
Joanna
Hawk Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I once was her boy but now we're done I'm feeling blue
I'm getting out this town, Starbucks drive-thru
I reach for my cash and only find pictures of you
Should I call or should I run?
Turn around or just move on?
Either choice I make I'm scared will still be wrong
Fake, fake, fake it till I just can't make it with you (Joanna)
Say goodbye a hundred times, but never see it through
The hardest way to say Joanna, I need you
Took a trip out west, went to Saskatoon
To clear all the thoughts in my head, the only thoughts I knew
Turned on the radio, a stupid thing to do
'Cause all the songs I hear remind me of you
Should I call or should I run?
Turn around or just move on?
Either choice I make I'm scared will still be wrong
Take, take, take it till I just can't take it from you (Joanna)
Fake, fake, fake it till I just can't make it with you (Joanna)
Say goodbye a hundred times, and never see it through
The hardest way to say Joanna, I need you
I need you
They say that love is more than a feeling
But you gotta hear me out
Take, take, take it till I just can't take it from you (Joanna)
Fake, fake, fake it till I just can't make it with you (Joanna)
Say goodbye a hundred times, and never see it through
The hardest way to say Joanna,
The hardest way to say Joanna, I need you, Joanna
The lyrics of Hawk Nelson's song "Joanna" are about a man who is struggling to move on from his past relationship with Joanna. The song starts with the singer sitting outside Joanna's porch, feeling lost and blue after the break-up. He decides to leave town, but as he goes to pay for coffee, he realizes he only has pictures of her instead of cash. The song continues with the singer traveling to Saskatoon to clear his head, but all the songs he hears remind him of Joanna, and he is left with the dilemma of whether to turn around and go back to her or move on.
The chorus keeps repeating the lines "Take, take, take it till I just can't take it from you (Joanna)/Fake, fake, fake it till I just can't make it with you (Joanna)/Say goodbye a hundred times, but never see it through/The hardest way to say Joanna, I need you." It conveys his frustration and how difficult it is for him to let go of the relationship. He tries to convince himself to move on, but he still needs her and can't stay away.
The song is a melancholic pop-rock song that speaks about the struggle of heartbreak, love, and vulnerability. It's relatable to anyone who has been in a similar position, and it's a reminder that sometimes we can't control our emotions, and that's okay.
Line by Line Meaning
Joanna sits on her porch, what am I to do
I don't know what to do when I think about Joanna sitting on her porch
I once was her boy but now we're done I'm feeling blue
I used to be Joanna's boyfriend, but we broke up and now I feel sad
I'm getting out this town, Starbucks drive-thru
I'm leaving town and going through the Starbucks drive-thru
I reach for my cash and only find pictures of you
I try to pay for my coffee, but I only have pictures of Joanna with me
Should I call or should I run?
I'm not sure if I should reach out to Joanna or avoid her
Turn around or just move on?
Should I go back or move forward without Joanna?
Either choice I make I'm scared will still be wrong
I'm afraid that whatever decision I make will be the wrong one
Take, take, take it till I just can't take it from you (Joanna)
You keep taking things from me, Joanna, until I can't handle it anymore
Fake, fake, fake it till I just can't make it with you (Joanna)
I have to pretend everything is okay with you, Joanna, until I can't do it anymore
Say goodbye a hundred times, but never see it through
I've said goodbye to Joanna many times, but I never follow through with it
The hardest way to say Joanna, I need you
It's hard to admit, but I need you, Joanna
Took a trip out west, went to Saskatoon
I went on a trip to Saskatoon to clear my head
To clear all the thoughts in my head, the only thoughts I knew
I go to Saskatoon to try to clear my thoughts, but all I can think about is Joanna
Turned on the radio, a stupid thing to do
I made the mistake of turning on the radio and all the songs remind me of Joanna
'Cause all the songs I hear remind me of you
All the songs I hear on the radio remind me of Joanna
They say that love is more than a feeling
People say that love is more than a feeling
But you gotta hear me out
But I need you to listen to me
The hardest way to say Joanna, I need you, Joanna
It's difficult for me to admit it, but I need you, Joanna
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: CALLUM ADAMSON, DAVID ALEXANDER BURN, STEVEN LLEWELLYN, LUKE JONATHAN PRICE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind