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.
The One Thing I Have Left
Hawk Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I think I'm allergic to myself
And they think they can throw us all away
We gotta stop it before it's all too late
There's got to be a better way
They dissect everything we say
To try to make us feel this way
And you can take the one thing I have left
I'd give it all away for so much less
Can even take the heart inside my chest
Woah-woah.
And you can take the one thing I have left
Beat me to the ground & take my breath
But you can't take who I am
Woah-woah.
And I swear we were born to let you down
We scream but never make a sound
We point but don't know which direction
We are America right now
There's got to be a better way
They dissect everything we say
To try to make us feel this way
And you can take the one thing I have left
I'd give it all away for so much less
Can even take the heart inside my chest
Woah-woah.
And you can take the one thing I have left
Beat me to the ground & take my breath
But you can't take who I am
Woah-woah.
How can I be safe
How can I stay awake
How come I am so tired of all these charades?
How can I be alive
How can I hold the gun
How can I see if everyone else is to blame
Hey! Hey!
Don't want to be the
Hey! hey!
Don't want to see the
Hey! hey!
'Cause we point the finger
Think everyone else is to blame
Everyone else is to blame
The lyrics of this song by Hawk Nelson, 'The One Thing I Have Left' seem to be a commentary on the state of society and how people are mistreated and undervalued. The song begins with the singer expressing their frustration and a desire for help since they feel like they are allergic to themselves. The confusion and despair that arises from this state of mind are mirrored in the postindustrial distortion and driving beat of the song. The lyrics narrate how the world seems to be intent on crushing the spirit of the singer as well as others who share their feelings. They feel like they are being used and taken for granted, and that society is disposable if it suits the powers that be.
The repeating line "You can take the one thing I have left" speaks to the hopelessness of the situation. The singer is declaring that even their sense of self, the last thing they have left, could be taken away by external forces. The lines "But you can't take who I am" are juxtaposed against this, almost like a battle cry - a way of saying that the human spirit is harder to crush than they might think.
The lyrics also seem to focus on a sense of helplessness and uncertainty that is felt by a section of society that feels like it is not being heard. The chorus reiterates the desire for something better, the need for a change. It ends on a note of self-affirmation, with the singer declaring that even in the face of adversity, they will not give up.
Overall, the lyrics portray a sense of angst and confusion regarding the state of society and how it treats people. The need for change is peppered throughout, as is the idea of self-affirmation and determination to push on despite feeling powerless.
Line by Line Meaning
Will someone please radio for help
As an individual, I am going through a difficult phase and I need help to overcome it.
'Cause I think I'm allergic to myself
I am not happy with myself and I need to find ways to deal with it.
And they think they can throw us all away
There are people who don't value human life and they treat us as objects that can be discarded at any moment.
We gotta stop it before it's all too late
We need to work together and take action to prevent the damage that has been done by such people who don't care for humanity.
There's got to be a better way
We need to find a way to deal with our issues and overcome them instead of succumbing to them.
They dissect everything we say
There are people who scrutinize our every action and use it to their advantage.
To try to make us feel this way
These people use their manipulative ways to make us feel inferior and discourage us from taking action.
And you can take the one thing I have left
I have lost everything but one thing but even that is not enough to make me lose hope.
I'd give it all away for so much less
I am willing to give away everything I have just to find a way out of this situation.
Can even take the heart inside my chest
Even if you take the most vital part of me, I will still find a way to keep going.
Beat me to the ground & take my breath
I have faced so many problems that have left me exhausted but I am still trying to fight back and overcome them.
But you can't take who I am
No matter how much you try to break me, you cannot take away the essence of who I am.
And I swear we were born to let you down
I feel like we have disappointed those who expected great things from us.
We scream but never make a sound
We cry out for help but nobody seems to listen or understand our plight.
We point but don't know which direction
We know that something is wrong but are not sure how to fix it or which way to go.
We are America right now
Our nation is going through a tough phase and we need to work together to come out of it.
How can I be safe
I feel unsafe and insecure in my current situation.
How can I stay awake
I am tired and exhausted but I need to stay vigilant and alert to face the challenges ahead.
How come I am so tired of all these charades?
I am frustrated and tired of the fake and manipulative behavior of some people around me.
How can I be alive
I am trying to survive in the face of adversity and challenges.
How can I hold the gun
I am not sure if I have the strength and courage to fight back against the oppressors.
How can I see if everyone else is to blame
It's easy to blame others for our situation but we need to take responsibility for our actions and work towards improving our situation.
Hey! Hey!
An expression of frustration and anger towards the system that is failing us.
Don't want to be the
I don't want to be a part of the problem.
Don't want to see the
I don't want to witness the destruction and misery around me.
Cause we point the finger
Instead of taking responsibility for our problems, we blame others and point fingers.
Think everyone else is to blame
We think that others are responsible for our problems instead of taking control of the situation and finding a way out.
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
purikura
These guys are absolutely epic. The best band I have ever seen live. They really know how to interact with a crowd.
Franklin J. Ells
This is a DAMN GOOD SONG!!! WHO AGREES!!?
Adrianne Hilligas
I love this whole album!!
Anastasiya Rakova
This takes me back to my senior year of high school, 2009-2010. Good times
System Meltdown
still one of the best songs. i miss these guys. I miss those times.
Christine Williams
I love Hawk Nelson and I also love this song ❤️❤️❤️💕💕💕💜💜💜🎸
chowder videos
Amazing!!! Hawk Nelson is Awesome!!
Pie Pierrot
A decade later and the message in this song still holds true. That's... kinda depressing. Still, awesome song!
Dogfrost9
I don't understand why this song doesn't have millions of views? Where is the official Music Video? I have not heard this in over 5 years but this is good shit. Took me a while to re-find it.
morgan shaw
Dogfrost9 the music video is banned in my country and I don’t understand why. It’s literally kids with a dog(maybe) in a junkyard