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
No Happy Birthday
Hayden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been wanting to sing you this song
I know you may not, understand my thoughts,
but you will know where it's coming from
Grab your guitar. Or your maracas.
Play with me on your wooden drum
It's no Happy Birthday, but it's my way,
And as you go through life, they may be unkind.
I won't always be there by your side.
That's on my mind, yeah, that's on my mind.
That's on my mind almost all of the time.
We're always walking, in the morning,
and you look up with your beautiful stare.
And you start talking, and there's no stopping,
you say so much you run out of air.
And then we're running, to tell your mommy. We never make it back to our street.
There's where I wake up. Always the same spot. My heart singing a song so sweet.
And as you go through life, you will bring such life.
That's how I picture it most of the time.
That's how my mind, yeah, that's how my mind.
That's how my mind keeps my heart in line.
Yeah, that's how my mind, yeah, that's how my mind.
That's how my mind keeps my heart in line.
Grab your guitar. Or your maracas,
play with me on your wooden drum.
So Happy Birthday, but it's my way,
maybe one day you'll sing along.
The lyrics to Hayden's song No Happy Birthday are full of emotion and sentimentality as he reflects on the relationship he has with someone he cares deeply for. He expresses a sense of longing to connect with this person by inviting them to play music with him and sing along to his song. He acknowledges that they may not fully understand his thoughts, but he hopes that they will at least appreciate the sentiment behind it.
Throughout the song, Hayden alludes to the idea that he may not always be there for this person, but that he believes in them and sees a bright future ahead. He recalls moments of joy and connection between them, like walking in the morning and sharing stories, and he paints a picture of a future where this person will bring "such life" to the world.
Ultimately, No Happy Birthday is a song about love, connection, and the power of music to bring people together. Hayden's lyrics capture the bittersweet nature of relationships, where there is both joy and pain, hope and uncertainty. Through it all, he remains hopeful that the person he is singing to will feel his love and be inspired to join him in making music.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been waiting, I've been thinking.
I've been longing and contemplating to express my feelings.
I've been wanting to sing you this song
I've been desiring to perform this music for you.
I know you may not understand my thoughts,
I'm aware that you might not comprehend my ideas.
but you will know where it's coming from
But you'll know the origin of my inspiration.
Grab your guitar. Or your maracas.
Get your instrument, guitar, or maracas, and join me.
Play with me on your wooden drum
Let's play music together with your wooden drum.
It's no Happy Birthday, but it's my way,
It's not the traditional Happy Birthday melody, but this is how I express myself.
maybe one day you'll sing along
Perhaps someday you'll sing with me.
And as you go through life, they may be unkind.
In your life, people might show unkindness towards you.
I won't always be there by your side.
I may not always support you by your side.
That's on my mind, yeah, that's on my mind.
That's a worry that's always on my mind.
That's on my mind almost all of the time.
That's a worry that's always present in my thoughts.
We're always walking, in the morning,
Most mornings, we take a walk.
and you look up with your beautiful stare.
During the walk, you glance up with your gorgeous gaze.
And you start talking, and there's no stopping,
You begin speaking, and it's hard to interrupt you.
you say so much you run out of air.
You talk so much that you're breathless.
And then we're running, to tell your mommy.
Suddenly, we're in a rush to inform your mother.
We never make it back to our street.
We never return to our original location.
There's where I wake up. Always the same spot.
That's where I regain consciousness - always in the same place.
My heart singing a song so sweet.
I experience a delightful feeling in my heart.
And as you go through life, you will bring such life.
As you live through life, you'll impart so much vitality.
That's how I picture it most of the time.
That's mostly how I visualize it.
That's how my mind, yeah, that's how my mind.
That's how my brain functions.
That's how my mind keeps my heart in line.
That helps my mind keep my heart under control.
Yeah, that's how my mind, yeah, that's how my mind.
Indeed, that's precisely how my mind operates.
That's how my mind keeps my heart in line.
It helps my mind keep my heart in check.
Grab your guitar. Or your maracas,
Grab any instrument, guitar, or maracas that you possess.
play with me on your wooden drum.
Let's play some music with your wooden drum.
So Happy Birthday, but it's my way,
So, it's a Happy Birthday tune, but in my style.
maybe one day you'll sing along.
Perhaps, someday, you'll sing in unison with me.
Contributed by Cooper C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@denisdevine8286
This is such an amazing song. As a dad, I relate so much. I heard Hayden sing this live last night and can't get it out of my head. The "Happy Birthday" reference, he said, was his attempt to trick his daughter into liking one of his songs as much as she loves the song "Happy Birthday"; didn't work. So touching.
@stonehouse2011
It’s not often I feel the musician accurately conveys how they felt in the moment. I feel what he is feeling and it makes me want to cry every time
@raymanda3351
I saw him do this live at a tiny venue it was the most amazing thing to see him get choked up singing this... I love when an artist makes you feel how they feel through music
@superhotbread
Holy f#ck. Just holy f#ck. Those lyrics. That passion. Thank u
@brianedwards9675
It is very rare to have a true artist write and perform a heart felt song like this, truly beautiful. Thank you so much for this. i am sure that your daughter will sing along to this, no better way to reach those then with beautiful music,
@theresatobin5144
I have a son with autism and he loves the happy birthday song and this song as well! Thank you!
@jeffchard9563
I have a non-speaking daughter too... this song breaks my heart .and mends it at the same time.
@ronriggs9954
This reminds me of how I am with my Daughter Emma, she will be turning 10 this Saturday. I'm thinking about trying to sing this for her and just like Hayden... I too, hope that my Daughter likes this song!!! 🤞
@63n1
This video deserves a million more views
@justpete23
How is this dude not hugely famous?