As well, it nearly took him that long to find his own style. Hiatt began his solo career in 1974, and over the next decade he ran through a number of different styles from rock & roll to new wave-esque pop before he finally settled on a rootsy fusion of rock, country, blues, and folk with his 1987 album 'Bring the Family'. Though the album didn't set the charts on fire, it became his first album to gain some major commercial success, and several of the songs on the record became hits for other artists, including the aforementioned Raitt and Milsap. Following its success, Hiatt became a reliable hit songwriter for other artists, and he developed a strong cult following that continued to gain strength into the mid-90s.
While he was growing up in his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana, Hiatt played in a number of garage bands. Initially, he was inspired by the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, and the music of those two artists would echo strongly throughout his work. Out of all the bar bands he played with in the late 60s, a group called The White Ducks was the one that received the most attention. Following his high-school graduation, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 18, where he landed a job as a songwriter for Tree Publishing.
For the next several years, he wrote and performed at local clubs and hotels. Within a few years, his songs were being recorded by several different artists, including Conway Twitty, Tracy Nelson, and Three Dog Night, who took Hiatt's "Sure as I'm Sittin' Here" to number 16 in the summer of 1974. Eventually, his manager secured him an audition at Epic Records, and the label signed him in 1974, releasing his debut album, Hangin' Around the Observatory, later that year. Despite their critical acclaim, neither Hangin' Around the Observatory nor its 1975 follow-up Overcoats sold many copies, and he was dropped by the label. By the end of the year, Tree Publishing had let him go as well.
Following his failure in Nashville, Hiatt moved out to California. By the summer of 1978 he had settled in Los Angeles, where began playing in clubs, opening for folk musicians including Leo Kottke. With Kottke's assistance, Hiatt hired a new manager, Denny Bruce, who helped him secure a record contract with MCA Records. Slug Line, his first record for MCA, was released in the summer of 1979. Where his first two records were straight-ahead rock & roll and folk-rock, Slug Line was in the new wave vein of angry English singer/songwriters like Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, and Joe Jackson, as if Hiatt was vying for the role of the American angry young man. The new approach earned some strong reviews, yet it failed to generate any sales. Two Bit Monsters, his second MCA album, faced the same situation. Although it was well-received critically upon its 1980 release, it made no impression on the charts, and the label dropped him.
Apart from working on Two Bit Monsters, Hiatt spent most of 1980 as a member of Ry Cooder's backing band, playing rhythm guitar on the Borderline album and touring with the guitarist. Hiatt stayed with Cooder throughout 1981, signing a new contract with Geffen Records by the end of the year. Produced by Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex), his Geffen debut All of A Sudden was released in 1982, followed by the Nick Lowe/Scott Matthews & Ron Nagel-produced Riding With the King in 1983. As with his previous records for Epic and MCA, neither of his first two Geffen releases sold well. By this time, Hiatt's personal life was beginning to spin out of control as he was sinking deep into alcoholism. Around the time he completed 1985's Warming Up to the Ice Age, his second wife committed suicide. Following the release of Warming Up to the Ice Age, Hiatt was dropped by Geffen. By the end of 1985, he had entered a rehabilitation program. During 1986, he remarried and signed a new deal with A&M Records.
For his A&M debut, Hiatt assembled a small band comprising his former associates Ry Cooder (guitar), Nick Lowe (bass), and Jim Keltner (drums). Recorded over the course of a handful of days, the resulting album, Bring the Family, had a direct, stripped-down rootsy sound that differed greatly from his earlier albums. Upon its summer 1987 release, Bring the Family received the best reviews of his career and, for once, the reviews began to pay off, as the album turned into a cult hit, peaking at 107 on the U.S. charts; it was his first charting album. Hiatt attempted to record a follow-up with Cooder, Lowe, and Keltner, but the musicians failed to agree on the financial terms for the sessions. Undaunted, he recorded an album with John Doe, David Lindley, and Dave Mattacks, but he scrapped the completed project, deciding that the result was too forced. Hiatt's final attempt at recording the follow-up to Bring the Family was orchestrated by veteran producer Glyn Johns, who had him record with his touring band, the Goners. Despite all of the behind-the-scenes troubles behind its recording, the follow-up album, Slow Turning, actually appeared rather quickly, appearing in the summer of 1988.
Slow Turning, like Bring the Family before it, received nearly unanimous positive reviews and it was fairly well-received commercially, spending 31 weeks on the U.S. charts and peaking at 98. Within the next year, Hiatt successfully toured throughout America and Europe, strengthening his fan base along the way. Inspired by the success of Hiatt's two A&M albums, Geffen released the compilation Y' All Caught? The Ones That Got Away 1979-85 in 1989. That same year, other artists began digging through Hiatt's catalog of songs, most notably Bonnie Raitt, who covered "Thing Called Love" for her multi-platinum comeback album, Nick of Time.
In 1990, Hiatt returned with Stolen Moments, which was nearly as successful as Slow Turning, both critically and commercially. "Bring Back Your Love to Me," an album track from Stolen Moments that was also recorded by Earl Thomas Conley, won BMI's 1991 Country Music Award. By the time "Bring Back Your Love to Me" won that award, it had become a standard practice for artists to cover Hiatt's songs, as artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Ronnie Milsap, Suzy Bogguss, and Iggy Pop all covered his songs in the early '90s. In 1993, Rhino Records released Love Gets Strange: The Songs of John Hiatt, which collected many of the cover versions that were recorded during the '80s and '90s.
During 1991, the group that recorded Bring the Family — Hiatt, Cooder, Lowe, and Keltner — re-formed as a band called Little Village, releasing their eponymous debut in early 1992. Based on the success of Bring the Family and Hiatt's A&M albums, expectations for Little Village were quite high, yet the record and its supporting tour were considered a major disappointment. Later, the individual members would agree that the band was a failure, mainly due to conflicting egos.
Hiatt decided to back away from the superstar nature of Little Village for his next album, 1993's Perfectly Good Guitar. Recorded in just two weeks with a backing band comprised of members of alternative rock bands School of Fish and Wire Train, the album was looser than any record since Bring the Family, but it didn't quite have the staying power of its two predecessors, spending only 11 weeks on the charts and peaking at number 47. The following year, he released his first live album, Hiatt Comes Alive at Budokan? Hiatt left A&M Records after the release of the record, signing with Capitol Records the following year.
Walk On, Hiatt's first Capitol album, was recorded during his supporting tour for Perfectly Good Guitar and featured guest appearances by the Jayhawks and Bonnie Raitt. Walk On entered the charts at 48, but slipped off the charts in nine weeks, indicating that his audience had settled into a dedicated cult following. Fittingly, after 1997's Little Head quickly came and went in the marketplace, Hiatt parted ways with Capitol, and his next album, 2000's Crossing Muddy Waters was released on the established independent imprint Vanguard Records. After a second album with Vanguard, The Tiki Bar Is Open, Hiatt alligned himself with another independent label, New West, for the release of his 2003 set Beneath This Gruff Exterior. Master of Disaster, along with CD and DVD versions of Live from Austin, TX followed in 2005.
Same Old Man followed in 2008; then The Open Road in 2010.
One More Time
John Hiatt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waitin' to be saved
Papa's in the bedroom
Just diggin' up his grave
Brother's in the kitchen
Playin' with a knife
Sister's in the attic
[Chorus]
And it's one more time
All the grapes are on the vine
And I'm gonna take what's mine
One more time
Everybody's nervous
The window shades are down
Angels flutter up above
The flame where love is found
Sit down at the table
Say a little grace
Put on your dark glasses
And try to find your place
[Chorus]
Crawlin' up the stairs
'Cause I know your love is there
You don't have to tell me
All that I've done wrong
It wakes me up at night
And keeps me up the whole night long
But sooner or later
Everything's the same
And everybody's guilty
Of the pleasure and the pain
[Chorus]
Diggin' down deep
Baby please don't fall asleep
[Chorus: x 4]
The lyrics in John Hiatt's song One More Time paint a picture of a dysfunctional family with each member dealing with their own issues. Mama is in the bathroom waiting to be saved, possibly indicating that she is struggling with addiction or mental health issues. Papa is in the bedroom digging his own grave, suggesting that he may be dealing with depression or contemplating suicide. Brother is in the kitchen playing with a knife, indicating some dangerous behavior, and sister is in the attic laughing at her life, possibly dealing with issues of self-worth or disillusionment.
In the chorus, Hiatt sings "All the grapes are on the vine, and I'm gonna take what's mine one more time,” which may imply that he is trying to make the best of the situation despite the challenges the family is facing. The family members seem on edge, with the shades down and angels fluttering above. Hiatt suggests that they try to find their place by saying a little grace and putting on dark glasses.
The final verse suggests that everyone is guilty of both pleasure and pain, and that sooner or later everything remains the same. The repetition of the chorus throughout the song emphasizes the idea that this is just one more time dealing with these issues.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama's in the bathroom
The singer's mother is in the bathroom waiting for something or someone to save her from her problems.
Waitin' to be saved
The singer's mother is hoping for some kind of help or rescue from her troubles.
Papa's in the bedroom
The singer's father is in his bedroom doing something secretive or strange.
Just diggin' up his grave
The artist's father is seemingly doing something self-destructive or dangerous in his bedroom that could lead to his demise.
Brother's in the kitchen
The artist's brother is in the kitchen doing something potentially harmful or violent.
Playin' with a knife
The singer's brother is handling a knife in a way that is dangerous or concerning.
Sister's in the attic
The singer's sister is in the attic, where she seems to be isolated from the rest of the family.
Just laughin' at her life
The artist's sister is seemingly amused or apathetic about her current state of existence.
[Chorus]
The chorus emphasizes the idea that the artist is going to take what they want, no matter how chaotic or dysfunctional their family environment is.
All the grapes are on the vine
The artist is referencing the idea of the fruit being ripe for the picking, and they are going to capitalize on this opportunity.
And I'm gonna take what's mine
The singer is determined to get what they believe they are entitled to, regardless of the consequences or the existing situation.
One more time
This phrase is repeated throughout the song and emphasizes the idea that the artist is willing to keep fighting for their goals, even if they fail or face setbacks.
Everybody's nervous
The singer observes that everyone around them is on edge or anxious about something.
The window shades are down
The singer describes the closed window shades, which could be viewed as an attempt to hide or avoid the outside world.
Angels flutter up above
The singer sees angels or something resembling them, indicating that there is some spiritual or otherworldly presence in the room.
The flame where love is found
The artist is describing the sensation of being in love, which appears to be a significant driving force for their actions.
Sit down at the table
Here, the artist is describing a particular moment where they are seated at a table, likely with family members or loved ones.
Say a little grace
This refers to the act of saying a prayer before meals, indicating that the singer may be religious or otherwise spiritual.
Put on your dark glasses
The singer advises someone to wear dark glasses, which could be interpreted as a reference to a disguise or hiding one's true intentions/views.
And try to find your place
The artist is telling someone to find their sense of belonging or purpose in the situation they find themselves in.
Crawlin' up the stairs
The artist is physically ascending the stairs, implying that they are determined to reach a specific goal or person.
'Cause I know your love is there
The artist is driven by their love for someone, even if that love is not reciprocated or accepted.
You don't have to tell me
The singer acknowledges that they understand the negative things they have done, and they don't need someone to remind them or point it out.
All that I've done wrong
The artist is acknowledging the possibility that they have made mistakes or done something bad in the past.
It wakes me up at night
The singer cannot forget their past mistakes or wrongdoing and it affects them deeply.
And keeps me up the whole night long
The singer's inner turmoil and guilt keeps them up at night, unable to rest properly.
But sooner or later
The singer acknowledges that eventually, things will catch up to them, even if they are successful in the moment.
Everything's the same
The artist implies that despite their efforts and determination, things will never truly change or improve in their family situation.
And everybody's guilty
The artist is not placing blame on anyone in particular, as everyone in their family appears to be responsible for some level of dysfunction or wrongdoing.
Of the pleasure and the pain
The singer acknowledges that everyone in their family has experienced both joy and sorrow, and both of these emotions have contributed to the current state of things.
Diggin' down deep
The singer is tapping into their inner strength or determination in order to achieve their goals.
Baby please don't fall asleep
The artist is pleading with someone to stay awake or alert, suggesting that there is something important that needs to be done or addressed.
[Chorus: x 4]
The chorus is repeated four times, emphasizing the determination and perseverance of the artist in the face of adversity.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HIATT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind