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.
Gabe
Jason Collett Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's your hurry to get laid?
Are you still worried that you've got nothin' to say?
Me, I don't hesitate. It's your day, and it's slippin' away
Gabe
You've got a funny way of sayin' what you mean
Stand naked in the shadow of a dream
You can hide from yourself
Oh Gabe, don't walk away
'Cause you almost flew, and you almost fell
When I look at you, I can almost tell
Oh Gabe, you got away
You got away
Gabe, you know I'm sorry to keep hurtin' you this way
But you've been lettin' me and that is sad
So come a little closer, to me
I come to see you've changed
All over again
And I almost flew, and I almost fell
When I look at you, I can almost tell
Oh Gabe, you got away
You got away
Gabe, there's a small dark look in your eyes
An abandoned tear for a troubled goodbye
Whispers speak
Tongue in cheek
Love too meek
Godspeed
As we almost flew, and we almost fell
And when I look at you, I can almost tell
Oh Gabe, you got away, you got away
'Cause you almost flew, and you almost fell
And when I look at you, I can almost tell
In Jason Collett's song "Gabe," the lyrics appear to be addressing someone named Gabe, who seems to have reservations about pursuing romantic relationships. The song starts with a question directed towards Gabe, asking him why he seems to be in a hurry to get laid and if he is still worried about having nothing to say. The singer then admits that he himself doesn't hesitate when it comes to love, and that Gabe's day is seemingly slipping away.
As the song progresses, the singer continues to address Gabe, mentioning that Gabe has a "funny way" of saying what he means and that he can hide from himself but not from the singer. The singer pleads with Gabe not to walk away, saying that he almost flew and almost fell for Gabe. It is clear that the singer has strong feelings for Gabe, but these feelings are not reciprocated.
Towards the end of the song, the singer acknowledges that there is a small dark look in Gabe's eyes and an abandoned tear for a troubled goodbye. The singer wishes Gabe Godspeed, indicating that their relationship has come to an end. The song ends with the repetition of the sentiment that Gabe almost flew and almost fell, but ultimately got away.
Line by Line Meaning
Gabe
Addressing the person named Gabe
What's your hurry to get laid?
Asking why Gabe is in a hurry to have sex
Are you still worried that you've got nothin' to say?
Asking if Gabe is still worried about not having anything to talk about
Me, I don't hesitate. It's your day, and it's slippin' away
Saying that he doesn't hesitate to live life to the fullest, and encouraging Gabe to do the same before time passes him by
You've got a funny way of sayin' what you mean
Noticing that Gabe has a unique way of expressing himself
Stand naked in the shadow of a dream
Encouraging Gabe to be vulnerable and honest
You can hide from yourself, but not from me
Saying that Gabe can't hide his true self from the singer
Oh Gabe, don't walk away
Asking Gabe not to leave
'Cause you almost flew, and you almost fell
Reminding Gabe that he almost succeeded and failed in the past
When I look at you, I can almost tell
Noticing that Gabe is going through something difficult
Oh Gabe, you got away
Acknowledging that Gabe was able to escape from his problems
You got away
Repeating that Gabe was able to escape his problems
Gabe, you know I'm sorry to keep hurtin' you this way
Apologizing to Gabe for causing him pain
But you've been lettin' me and that is sad
Blaming Gabe for allowing himself to be hurt
So come a little closer, to me
Inviting Gabe to open up and get closer to the singer
I come to see you've changed all over again
Noticing that Gabe has changed once again
Gabe, there's a small dark look in your eyes
Noticing that Gabe's eyes look sad
An abandoned tear for a troubled goodbye
Noticing that Gabe had a hard time saying goodbye to someone or something
Whispers speak, tongue in cheek, love too meek, godspeed
Expressing the singer's thoughts about Gabe's situation and wishing him luck moving forward
As we almost flew, and we almost fell
Remembering the times when the artist and Gabe almost succeeded and failed
And when I look at you, I can almost tell
Noticing that Gabe is going through something difficult
Oh Gabe, you got away, you got away
Acknowledging that Gabe was able to escape from his problems
'Cause you almost flew, and you almost fell
Reminding Gabe that he almost succeeded and failed in the past
And when I look at you, I can almost tell
Noticing that Gabe is going through something difficult
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Jason Collett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mr. Gabe Thomas
Hey I’m Gabe.