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.
Right Here
Hawk Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Knowing I could never change your mind
I look into your eyes for the last time
I have realized for the first time
While everyone is around I'll take a moment
To let you know that I'm down
This time I'm walking out the door
I don't know if I'll ever know why
Or hear the sound when angels cry
What you said to me late last night
I'll remember for the rest of my life
Every night when you close my eyes
I see the ways that you've touched my life
And I want you to know that I'll
Always be right here
Time stands still, so do I, leave me here
But for now I will go and I won't say nothing
Everytime I hear that sound it reminds me that
You're always hanging around
Have all my questions been ignored
This time I'm walking out the door
I don't know if I'll ever know why
Or hear the sound when angels cry
What you said to me late last night
I'll remember for the rest of my life
Every night when you close my eyes
I see the ways that you've touched my life
And I want you to know that I'll
Always be right here
These are the days these are the moments that pass us by
We ask the questions but we never really find out why
Pull my card right from the bottom
Reminds me of the things we've forgotten
That road trip we took back in autumn
That time we left and went back and got 'em
These are the days these are the moments that pass us by
We ask the questions but we never really find out why
I don't know if I'll ever know why
Or hear the sound when angels cry
What you said to me late last night
I'll remember for the rest of my life
Every night when you close my eyes
I see the ways that you've touched my life
And I want you to know that I'll
Always be right here
The lyrics of Hawk Nelson's “Right Here” speak about unrequited love and trying to move forward from it. The singer is in love with someone who can not return their affections. Every time the singer sees this person, they are reminded of the fact that they can never change their mind. This is a difficult realization, and the singer is walking out the door, hoping to find some answers. They’re taking a moment with everyone in the room to let the person know that they’re not okay. They’re hurt and disappointed.
The singer is reflecting on their relationship, remembering the moments that have passed between them. They ask questions but never find answers. Regardless, the singer wants this person to know that they’ve had an impact on their life. The memories of their time together will always be with them. Through everything, the singer says that they will always be “right here,” even if they can’t have a romantic relationship with this person.
Overall, “Right Here” is a sad song about unrequited love and the pain that comes with it. The lyrics are emotional and powerful, and the music creates a perfect ambiance for the theme of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I see you I can see right through you
Even if you don't say it out loud, I can feel the detachment you're feeling, and there's nothing I can do to change it.
Knowing I could never change your mind
I've come to accept that I can't convince you to stay, no matter how hard I try.
I look into your eyes for the last time
I'm taking one final glance at you, knowing that I won't be able to look into your eyes again.
I have realized for the first time
In this moment, I'm finally coming to terms with the reality of our situation.
While everyone is around I'll take a moment
Even though we're surrounded by other people, I want to take a moment to speak only to you.
To let you know that I'm down
I want to express to you how much this is affecting me emotionally.
Have all my questions been ignored
I keep asking the same questions, but I'm not getting the answers I need.
This time I'm walking out the door
I've finally reached my breaking point and can't endure the emotional pain anymore.
I don't know if I'll ever know why
I may never understand why this happened or why our relationship had to end.
Or hear the sound when angels cry
It feels like something beyond human comprehension is happening when relationships come to an end.
What you said to me late last night
Something you said is still weighing heavily on my mind and causing me pain.
I'll remember for the rest of my life
This moment will stay with me forever and I'll always feel the emotions I'm feeling now.
Every night when you close my eyes
I can't stop thinking about you, even when I try to fall asleep.
I see the ways that you've touched my life
I'm not ready to forget about the positive impact you had on my life, even if things ended badly.
And I want you to know that I'll
I'm still here for you, despite everything that has happened.
Always be right here
No matter what happens, I'll always be here to support you and cherish the memories we shared together.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFFREY LORBER, JEFFREY H LORBER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind