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.

We All Lose One Another
Jason Collett Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So this is the day of the dead
Of St. Jude and the lady of Guadeloupe
Of apples and oranges
And silver coins for ghosts to gamble with
Marigolds and candles
This is birth and this is death
All in the same breath

We all lose one another along the way
We all lose one another along the way

This is the day of the dead
Bound by love unbound by flesh
This is for those who have gone before
Flower petals falling on the altar
This is just a gift
This is birth and this is death
All in the same breath

We all lose one another along the way
We all lose one another along the way
We all lose one another along the way

We all lose one another along the way
We all lose one another along the way
We all lose one another along the way

We all lose one another
We all lose one another
We all lose one another

We all lose one another along the way
We all lose one another along the way
We all lose one another along the way

We all lose one another along the way
We all lose one another along the way

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jason Collett's song "We All Lose One Another" are a contemplation on life and death, particularly on the Day of the Dead, which is celebrated in Mexico and other Latin American countries. The song begins with a description of this holiday, which commemorates the departed loved ones, and mentions St. Jude and the Lady of Guadeloupe, both of whom are associated with death and resurrection. The mention of apples and oranges and silver coins suggests offerings that may be left for the dead. The marigolds and candles are also common symbols of the holiday, with the bright colors and light representing hope and celebration amidst the sorrow of loss.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "We all lose one another along the way," which speaks to the universal experience of losing loved ones as we journey through life. This can be interpreted as a reminder to appreciate the people we have while they are with us, as well as to find comfort in the knowledge that we are all connected by the shared experience of loss. The second verse reinforces this message by emphasizing the idea that love is stronger than our physical bodies, and that those who have passed away remain with us in spirit.

Overall, "We All Lose One Another" is a poignant meditation on life and death that acknowledges the pain of loss while also celebrating the connections we share with others, both in life and beyond.

Line by Line Meaning

So this is the day of the dead
Today is the day to honor those who have passed

Of St. Jude and the lady of Guadeloupe
Of saints and religious icons

Of apples and oranges
Of things that are different, but still related

And silver coins for ghosts to gamble with
Offerings to bring luck to the departed spirits

Marigolds and candles
Decorations to show respect and guide lost spirits

This is birth and this is death
The cycle of life

All in the same breath
Happening simultaneously

We all lose one another along the way
Death is an inevitable part of life and we all will experience loss

Bound by love unbound by flesh
Love transcends physical existence

This is for those who have gone before
This day is in memory of those who have passed away

Flower petals falling on the altar
A symbol of new life and hope amidst death