To hear Jake Walden tell it, the singer/songwriter spent the first half of … Read Full Bio ↴To hear Jake Walden tell it, the singer/songwriter spent the first half of his life as some-kind of Alex P. Keaton-style would-be capitalist, rebelling against his "very hippie" Northern California upbringing by making big plans to earn, as he says, "lots of money."

"I was a child of the 1980's," he explains, laughing. "I was strong-willed and gregarious, and that was what I thought I wanted.”

By his 17th birthday, drenched in youthful discovery and freshly home from a year abroad, he immersed himself in friendship, philosophy, music, the search for self, connection and relationships undefined...following in the footsteps of his parents journey.

Several years would pass. Los Angeles would attempt to consume another. SAG cards acquired, glimpses of possible meaning and fleeting creativity came and went as quickly as the T.V. and indie film sets they accompanied.

But this path would end in a single night. "I lost somebody, in a way that shattered me. And one night I had a dream. A vivid, life changing image of who I was, of whom I had to be. I could see myself, clear and alive. I knew my meaning, if only for that moment."

He hesitates to reveal any details; "I basically opened the windows of my apartment and sat with a hazy gaze in the midnight black and, for two years, with my bare feet sliding on the cold wood floor I curled over the piano and sang into an old microphone trying to make sense of everything." Now, having just finished recording his debut album, Alive & Screaming, at Hollywood's Engine Room Studios, Jake says, with quiet confidence, "I think the world was conspiring for me to go in this direction."

Indeed Jake began performing in earnest only a couple years back, but his regular gigs at L.A.'s celebrated Hotel Café quickly became legendary among his legions of devoted fans. Jake displays an unusual interest in – and aptitude for – forging a meaningful connection with his audience. "I don’t just sit up there and sing,” he says. “I tell stories. I play my piano with every ounce of emotion that I possibly can."

Jake's soaring, melodic, heartfelt music, coupled with his distinctively emotive velvet gravel voice- which is aesthetically informed by a steady childhood diet of Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young – is both intensely personal and universal. "I want to be as raw and truthful as I can. When I'm playing a show, I try and engage myself fully with every person, as if it were just our time."

"If I haven't made half of the audience cry, not out of sadness, but out of hope, then I haven't done my job, or lived up to my dream. I am trying to inspire them to remember what it is they are seeking."He pauses and smiles with a look of heartache, " For hope is so easily swept away by the storms of our lives."

Too Young
Jake Walden Lyrics

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Sad are the days of life
When old friends become just that
When distance eats away the closeness
But never will the day come when I couldn't call out your name
And you'd run and heal the pain

We talk nostalgia
Bring up the past

Each time we meet with awkward laughter
We're too young to have old friends
We're too young to have old friends

Sad are the days of life
When old friends become old friends
We're not old and it's not too late
To trust the good times
Believe in fate
Reach out and hold a knowing hand
We're too young to have old friends
We're too young to have old friends

So never again will I allow you, my friend
To slip away into the darkness again
We're too young to have old friends
We're too young to have old friends

And never will the day will the day come when I couldn't call out
Your
Name
And you'd run and heal the pain
So let's trust the good times
Believe in fate
Reach out and hold a knowing hand
We're too young to have old friends
We're too young to have old friends
So never again will I allow you, my friend
To slip away into the darkness again

We're too young to have old friends
We're too young to have old friends

We're too young
To have old friends

Overall Meaning

The song "Too Young" by Jake Walden is about the nature of friendships and the fear of losing close connections with people over time. The lyrics are grounded in bittersweet nostalgia and reflect the reality that people change as they grow older. The singer of the song is lamenting the loss of closeness with an old friend and struggling to maintain the same level of connection as before.

The first stanza is about the fear of distance eroding the trust and closeness in friendships. Even though old friends may become distant and change over time, the singer acknowledges that they can still find comfort in calling out their name and knowing that they will run to help heal their pain if need be. The second stanza is a reflection on the awkwardness that can come up when old friends meet after not having seen each other in a while. The punchline of the song is in the repeated refrain: "We're too young to have old friends." The singer is suggesting that despite their memories and shared experiences, they still have plenty of time to create new and meaningful connections.

Overall, the song is a poignant and relatable take on the nature of friendships and growing older. It is a hopeful reminder that even as people change and move on, they can still maintain strong ties to those they care about.

Line by Line Meaning

Sad are the days of life
Life can be sad at times

When old friends become just that
Old friends drift apart

When distance eats away the closeness
Distance causes close relationships to fade

But never will the day come when I couldn't call out your name
I will always be able to call out your name and you will come to help me

And you'd run and heal the pain
You will come and comfort me in times of pain

We talk nostalgia
We reminisce about the past

Bring up the past
We bring up things from the past

Each time we meet with awkward laughter
Our meetings are sometimes awkward

We're too young to have old friends
We are still young and it's not too late to make new friends

Sad are the days of life
Life can be sad at times

When old friends become old friends
Old friends remain friends