Jason Collett is a Canadian singer-songwriter. A member of Broken Social Sc… Read Full Bio ↴Jason Collett is a Canadian singer-songwriter. A member of Broken Social Scene, he also tours and records on his own.

The best songs don’t just tell a story set to music – they capture a moment, encapsulate a feeling and draw in the listener, in a way that’s at once singularly personal and completely universal. When Toronto singer-songwriter Jason Collett was mulling over titles for his new album, the by-turns effervescent and elegiac Here’s To Being Here, he stumbled across a line in an anthology of poetry by his friend Emily Haines’ (Metric) late father Paul, a well-known avant-garde jazz poet.

“I really love the simple sentiment of the title. I think of it as a toast, a raising of the glass to the notion of being present to the moment. Recording this record was all about that for me. Capturing the bits of spontaneous magic in the studio that are just the happy accidents of the day. For me there's a kind of unadorned celebratory ring to the phrase ‘here’s to being here’. There's no irony in it, and lord knows we’ve all had enough of that for a while. I really like Haines’ playful writing. It’s like Dylan, almost Dada-esque; it doesn’t take itself too seriously. I really relate to that era of writing… Ginsberg, that pre-’60s movement.”

Fittingly, Collett’s own work draws upon such classic cultural touchstones while continuing to push the boundaries of the great singer-songwriter tradition. After over a decade of honing his sound and style, in the process becoming a key figure in Toronto’s burgeoning indie scene, Collett returns with the long-awaited follow-up to 2005’s critically acclaimed Idols of Exile.

But where Exile was one big house party featuring Collett’s Broken Social Scene brethren, the guestlist was scaled back a bit for Here’s To Being Here, which was built largely around Collett’s former touring band Paso Mino, with producer Howie Beck, New York guitar great Tony Scherr, The Stills’ Liam O’Neil, BSS’ Kevin Drew, and members of Apostle of Hustle and the 6ixty8ights all lending a hand in the studio.

When it came time to get off the road and begin to record some of the 40-plus tunes the prolific Collett had written over the past several years (the father of three children, the busy musician notes he’s able to find sanctuary and perspective to write while on tour), the recording process took place in two quick but productive sessions in winter 2007: four days in a barn an hour outside of Toronto with engineer Marty Kinack in February, and two days at Toronto’s Hallamusic studio in March.

“For me, the studio is a very different beast from playing live. What you’re trying to do is capture a bit of magic in an environment that doesn’t necessarily lend itself to that. Howie and I have a really dynamic thing going on,” Collett says of working with Beck, who also produced his last album. “He’s the Woody Allen of rock and roll: he’s neurotic, funny, he’s got crazy ears – he can hear things that other people can’t, which drives *ME* crazy. He works fast, and I like working fast.”

Here’s To Being Here is the sound of a seasoned songsmith fully coming into his own signature sound – from the ’70s AM-radio vibe of road-tested favourites like the rollicking relationship reflections “Not Over You” and “Out of Time” to sparse countrified ballads like Canadiana ode “No Redemption Song” and album closer "Waiting For the World" (partially inspired by Collett's friend James Loney, who was taken hostage in Iraq in 2005), the album redefines the contemporary guitar-based singer-songwriter framework for the current genre-blurring musical landscape. As tuneful as they are poetic, these masterful songs of hope in an age of disillusionment stick in your head as firmly as they capture your heart.

“I feel this is a rock-and-roll music record. Not rock, not rock and roll, but Rock ’n Roll music. I don’t care much for the roots-rock tag or the singer-songwriter one and all the banality those genres conjure up. Rock ’n Roll music encompasses all sorts of influences – country, blues, gospel... all those things, and I’m just part of that tradition,” Collett points out. “We decided midway through the record to avoid embellishing it with horns and strings – which I really love, but I think it sort of helps make the record more cohesive with the absence of that indulgence. There’s not a lot of trickery to it. It’s not like we really stripped things down, it’s just that we never gussied them up.”

Collett, who began writing to try to escape the boredom of the suburb of Bramalea where he grew up, and logged time in Toronto bands before going on to craft two full-length albums (1999’s Chrome Reflections and 2001’s Bitter Beauty) prior to joining the Arts & Crafts family in 2003, has always penned songs with a poet’s knack for reflection and a journalist’s eye for detail. That timeless quality permeates Here’s To Being Here, which not only allows listeners a peek into the songwriter’s thoughts, but also a glimpse into the everyday human emotions that bind us.

“I’m beginning to recognize that I have a body of work. I’ve always tried to make records with a classic sensibility, so that they’re records you can listen to 20 years from now,” Collett says. “I feel like I connect when I’m just being candid. I want to take the audience on a journey with me – by being as present in the moment as I can.”

With the release of Here’s to Being Here, Collett looks back at the ghosts of his past while keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the future. The title says it all: it’s a line of poetry, an affirmation, a toast to where we’ve come from, and where we’re going.

Fire
Jason Collett Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dance, locust, dance
The prophets shrug their shoulders as
Calamity's child lost her head
In the bell of the trumpet's blast

I know you just want to be on fire

Jam, radio, jam

Power to the pirate stations
Broadcasting up through the flowery cracks in the pavement

I know you just want to be on fire

The good morning comes like a hit-and-run
With a marmalade sun for everyone

I know you just want to be on fire

Staring at the sun will only make you blind
But a fiery glimpse is all you need sometimes

Overall Meaning

In Jason Collett's song Fire, there are several contrasting images and ideas presented through the lyrics. The first stanza speaks of a locust dancing while the prophets shrug their shoulders, seemingly uninterested in what's happening. The child of calamity loses her head in the blast of the trumpet's bell. This suggests a sense of chaos and destruction, with no one taking notice or caring. Fire is a powerful and destructive force, and the lyrics indicate that the characters in the song want to feel the heat of that power.

The chorus of the song emphasizes this desire to feel the heat and energy of fire. The instruments and vocals rise in intensity, pushing towards a climax. The lyrics say "I know you just want to be on fire." This resonates with a desire for passion, for something to be excited about or to give oneself fully to. The second stanza speaks of radio stations broadcasting over the cracks in the pavement. The lyrics suggest a sense of rebellion, with the power being given to pirate stations that aren't afraid to take risks or to challenge the status quo.

The final stanza speaks of the good morning coming like a hit-and-run, coming quickly and leaving just as quickly. The marmalade sun is a stark contrast to the earlier imagery of calamity and chaos. The final line of the song speaks of the power of fire, how just a glimpse of it can be enough to ignite passion and energy. Overall, the lyrics of Fire present a complex and layered view of desire, chaos, and energy.

Line by Line Meaning

Dance, locust, dance
Urging someone to be carefree and untroubled, like a locust dancing, even as prophets are uncertain and tragedy unfolds

The prophets shrug their shoulders as
The wise ones are unable to suggest any help or solution

Calamity's child lost her head
A person, who often faces difficulties and challenges, lost their ability to remain calm and composed

In the bell of the trumpet's blast
Amid the chaos of the moment

I know you just want to be on fire
You are seeking an intense, passionate existence, full of energy and movement

Jam, radio, jam
Demanding that live radio continues to broadcast through grassroots networks and unstable infrastructure

Power to the pirate stations
Supporting unauthorized and non-governmental broadcast networks

Broadcasting up through the flowery cracks in the pavement
The radio waves transmitting through any available means, even unconventional spaces

The good morning comes like a hit-and-run
A sudden and unsolicited positive moment

With a marmalade sun for everyone
The sun is bright and positive, like the sweetness of marmalade, and it is uplifting for all

Staring at the sun will only make you blind
Overexposure to something good can lead to negative consequences

But a fiery glimpse is all you need sometimes
An intense sighting of something positive can be enough to sustain someone's spirit

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SAM BAYLIS, MATTHEW CAMPBELL, GEOFF FOULKES, TOM GREGORY, JIM NAYAK

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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