Combining elements of both rock and folk music, along with disturbingly personal sentiments, dark humor, and a voice able to channel both the falsetto highs of Neil Young and the wavering raspy low tones of Leonard Cohen, Toronto's Hayden Desser has spent his career creating uniquely affecting music.
The critically-acclaimed musician first appeared in the early '90s armed with only his four-track tape recorder, his unexpectedly low vocal range, and an extremely detuned guitar. Going simply by the name Hayden, he recorded his self-released cassette, In September, in 1994, and much of the material included evolved into his first proper LP, 1995's Everything I Long For. Initially self-released on his own Hardwood Records, the debut disc toed the line between beautiful and horrifying, touching on simple details of human interaction as well as delving into macabre tales that still retained an oddly personal edge. After a year of touring Canada, E.T.I.L.F. was picked up by Outpost Recordings (Geffen) and was released worldwide in early 1996. Tours of the U.S., Europe and Japan took up most of 1996, as well as writing and recording the title track to the Steve Buscemi-directed Tree’s Lounge. Hayden’s second full-length record. The Closer I Get (1998) was recorded in Toronto, Bearsville, N.Y., Seattle and Los Angeles. After another year of touring, Hayden closed the book on chapter one of his musical endeavors.
The next couple of years went by without any performances, but during 2000, Hayden began writing and recording in his Toronto home. The self-produced collection of songs was titled Skyscraper National Park and was released in 2001 to world–wide critical acclaim.
The following year, a live concert double CD was released, Live at Convocation Hall, a glimpse, for the listener, into what makes Hayden’s appearances such a favourite among his ever devoted fan base. His natural rapport with the crowd, along with an honest demeanour, has continued Hayden’s reputation as a unique and charming performer.
In 2004, Hayden released his 4th studio album. Elk-Lake Serenade continued in the direction of Skyscraper with it’s collection of warm and memorable recordings. 2004 also heralded Hayden’s return to the road with several tours that took him as far as Australia and New Zealand.
After a long period of writing and recording, Hayden returned in early 2008 with his 5th full-length studio record. In Field & Town is his most musically diverse and textured record to date. It captures his penchant for self-referential fiction and emotionally heavy songs and laces them with sharp hooks and smart lyrics. After supporting The National in Europe in November of ‘07, Hayden completed a sold-out theatre tour of Canada as well as spring and fall North American tours supporting Feist. In Field & Town was released on Fat Possum in the U.S.A. and November saw the release in Europe via the Affairs of the Heart label, combined with Nov./Dec. dates in the UK, France, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium and Germany.
www.hardwoodrecords.com
www.myspace.com/hayden
I Should Have Been Watching You
Hayden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Over the trees and their lines
And I look out past your eyes
Through the windows I stare
As the fields half disappear
So much beauty out there
As the shadows reach for the bar
And everything seems alright
Except that this is the last day I get to spend with you
And now it's dark and it's through
I should have been watching you.
In Hayden's song "I Should Have Been Watching You," he describes a beautiful scene of watching the sunset over the mountains and through the windows with his companion. As the day slips away, he notices the beauty in the fields that is half-disappearing and the shadows reaching for the bar, which creates a yellowish-like color. Despite the beauty of the scene, Hayden realizes that this is the last day that he will be spending with his companion. This realization brings a sense of regret and sadness for not cherishing the moment enough and subsequently not watching his companion closely and attentively.
The lyrics of the song speak volumes about the brevity of life and the importance of cherishing the moments we have with our loved ones. It is a reminder of how easily we can get lost in the beauty around us and miss the significant things that are happening right in front of us.
Line by Line Meaning
Daylight slipping away, down a mountainside
The sun is setting and time is passing quickly.
Over the trees and their lines
The trees appear as silhouettes against the sunset.
And I look out past your eyes
I am lost in my own thoughts and not present with you.
Through the windows I stare
I am gazing through the window, lost in my own thoughts.
As the fields half disappear
The fields are being consumed by darkness.
So much beauty out there
There is still beauty in the world around me.
As the shadows reach for the bar
The shadows cast by the sunset are becoming longer and darker.
The place turns yellowish-like
The lighting transforms to a yellowish hue during sunset.
And everything seems alright
Despite the fleeting nature of time, everything is okay in this moment.
Except that this is the last day I get to spend with you
Knowing that our time together is limited makes me feel sad.
And now it's dark and it's through
The day is over and so is our time together.
I should have been watching you.
Instead of being lost in my own thoughts, I should have been present and enjoying our time together.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ricardo Martínez Peralta
Daylight slipping away, down a mountainside Over the trees and their lines And i look out past your eyes Through the windows i stare As the fields half disappear So much beauty out there As the shadows reach for the bar The place turns yellowish-like And everything seems alright Except that this is the last day i get to spend with you And now it's dark and it's through I should have been watching you.
hot bread
so beautiful
Rue - Calgary
Great stuff.
Ricardo Martínez Peralta
Magic and deep