At a 1998 audition for Lilith Fair, Ord met Canadian music impresario Terry McBride of the Vancouver-based record label and management company Nettwerk. She would be showcased at the music festival, and eventually take McBride as her manager.
In 1999, after her sister told her about a talent contest from Edmonton contemporary hit radio radio station Power 92; Maren entered four songs she had written that night, and two of them—"Eternity" and "Falling Slowly"—were recorded on the station's compilation CD, Power Picks Volume II.
The Nettwerk years and Waiting
Waiting, released to different markets between 2000 and 2002.
Once signed with McBride and Nettwerk, Ord continued to perform and record and embarked on years of progressive promotion, including use of her songs on several episodes of the American television series Felicity and her performance of the theme song to the 2000 motion picture Thomas and the Magic Railroad. Her debut album, Waiting, was produced by Stephen Hague and recorded in London, England and New York City.
On November 7, 2000, Highway Records released a special edition of Waiting to a Christian, predominantly Mormon, bookstore market; this edition featured a bonus track that would not appear on the general public release. Nettwerk's record company released Waiting in Canada on February 20, 2001.
While Ord was nominated for a Juno Award for Best New Artist, and her singles "Sarah" and "Perfect" were successful on Canadian radio, an anticipated U.S. and international release with Capitol/EMI in summer 2001 did not come through, and Nettwerk itself, not a major record label outside of Canada, released Waiting quietly in the United States on August 27, 2002.
A second beginning and Not Today
Not Today, released in 2004.
Ord parted ways with McBride and Nettwerk to join Gary McDonald at the boutique Managment firm Frontside, and looked for another mass-market record company, but continued to work with Highway and its focus on the Mormon market for the September 28, 2004 release of her sophomore album, Not Today. Canadian music legend Randy Bachman (The Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive), also a Latter-day Saint, collaborated as co-writer, guitarist and producer for the album, which they recorded at Bachman's studio on Saltspring Island in British Columbia.
She performed in two Mormon-themed movies: singing on the soundtrack of the 2002 romantic comedy The Singles Ward, and acting, as Sariah Phelps, in the 2003 family comedy The R.M. (or The Returned Missionary).
Writing in Las Vegas Weekly (December 9, 2004), Richard Abowitz contended that Ord "is a more gifted musician than Alanis, sings a lot better than Michelle Branch and writes songs sharper than Pink and Avril combined." [1]
Over the sophomore hump with album number three Pretty Things
With the release of "Pretty Things" on November 21st, 2006 Ord enters yet another phase of her career, an acoustic one. "Pretty Things" marks the beginning of Ord's production career as she co-produced the entire record herself at a studio in Orem, Utah. The sound is simpler, quieter and more reminiscent of Jack Johnson than Avril Lavigne (whom she's been compared to previously). It saw a world-wide digital release through platforms like iTunes on October 10th, 2006 and was met with mostly favorable reviews from her fans.
You Say
Maren Ord Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's always up to you
How come our roads have collided?
Maybe I want something too
You say, you say
That there's a place
People make mistakes
That there's no way
Well, forever is a long time
Why don't you stay
Trust is something that's unspoken
I guess I thought you knew
Hearts are just meant to be broken
That's something you like to do
Chorus
What if all of your tomorrows end up to be a waste of my time?
Too much pain and too much sorrow is not what I'm in for
It's not what I'm in for
Chorus
Just go away
The beginning of the song "You Say" by Maren Ord presents an open road, possibly suggesting the possibility of taking a new direction or making a change in life. The singer seems to ask if the listener is willing to come along or if they are willing to take the chance. However, even if the road is open, the collision may be inevitable. The mention of wanting something implies that sometimes the paths we take are connected to other people's lives and dreams, and it can be a challenge to find the right balance. In the second verse, the singer mentions trust, something that cannot be easily expressed, may have been assumed between the two people. But, unfortunately, hearts often get broken, a reminder that relationships are rarely uncomplicated.
The chorus of the song is a conversation between two people, one trying to leave and one begging the other to stay. The person who's leaving suggests that mistakes happen, and there's no way to make things right or that forever is too long. However, the person asking the other to stay emphasizes the importance of the present, and how tomorrow is uncertain, and there's no need to rush anything. They believe there's a chance for things to work out if they stay together. The last verse of the song poses a question that many people don't want to ask themselves when it comes to relationships: What if tomorrow doesn't work out? It's the worry that all the time invested in a relationship was not worth it, and the only outcome is pain and sorrow.
Overall, "You Say" by Maren Ord explores the uncertainty that comes with relationships and the potential of relationships ending in a not-so-positive way.
Line by Line Meaning
Here's a road, are you invited?
I am offering you an opportunity to join me on this journey, but the decision is yours.
It's always up to you
I respect that you have the power to choose whether or not to come with me.
How come our roads have collided?
It seems like fate or circumstance has brought us together on this path.
Maybe I want something too
Perhaps I have a desire for something more than just traveling alone.
You say, you say
That there's a place
People make mistakes
You keep insisting that there is a better place for us, where maybe we won't feel so lost and make mistakes.
You say, you say
That there's no way
Well, forever is a long time
Why don't you stay
You argue that it's not possible for us to stay together forever, but I wonder why you can't just stay with me now.
Trust is something that's unspoken
Trust is not always something that needs to be verbalized or explained.
I guess I thought you knew
Perhaps I wrongly assumed that you understood and shared my trust.
Hearts are just meant to be broken
That's something you like to do
You seem to enjoy breaking people's hearts, even though it's inevitable in life.
What if all of your tomorrows end up to be a waste of my time?
I am worried that investing my time and emotions into this relationship may not be worth it in the long run.
Too much pain and too much sorrow is not what I'm in for
It's not what I'm in for
I am not interested in enduring excessive pain or sadness in this relationship.
Just go away
I am fed up and want you to leave me alone.
Contributed by Michael J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.