Born in Hawaii, Jennings moved with his family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at an early age. Jennings learned to play guitar at the age of 13, when he began writing songs. Jennings later dropped out of school and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to pursue his musical career.
Jennings produced his self-titled debut album in 1997 on an analog four-track in the basement of a rented home, manning all instruments himself. In October 1998, after bringing drummer Chris Stock and bassist Robert Skoro on board, he began a weekly gig at Minneapolis' 400 Bar as the Mason Jennings Band. Garnering local praise and a wide fan base, Mason began touring nationally.
His 2000 album Birds Flying Away revealed Jennings' political activism and penchant for singing first-person narratives of imaginary rustic characters. Following the release of this album, Noah Levy took over drumming duties from Stock.
2002 saw the release of two albums: the studio piece Century Spring and a "fans only" collection of acoustic rarities, Simple Life. An EP supporting Century Spring was also released, featuring the album's opening track, "Living In The Moment," two live tracks, and the previously-unreleased "Emperor Ashoka." Jennings released all three discs -- and re-released his earlier albums -- on his homebrewed record label, Architect Records.
In 2003, Skoro and Levy left the band (the former to pursue a solo career), and were replaced by bassist Chris Morrissey (formerly of Bill Mike Band) and drummer Brian Mcleod.
On 10 February 2004, Jennings released Use Your Voice, which notably included the songs "Keepin' It Real," a foot-stomper ostensibly written at the request of Shrek 2 producers (but not used in the film), and "The Ballad of Paul and Sheila," an acoustic dirge for late Minnesota senator Paul Wellstone. On the 30th, September of that year, the band released a DVD entitled Use Your Van, which chronicled the recording of Use Your Voice and part of the promotional tour. The DVD was filmed by Andy Grund.
On June 17, 2005, news broke that Jennings had finally signed with a major label: Glacial Pace, a subsidiary of Sony's Epic Records headed by Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock. Minnesota's Star Tribune broke the story, and credited Brock with convincing Jennings to sign after the Mason Jennings Band had opened for several Modest Mouse shows in 2004. Jennings had long avoided the major labels, citing desires to maintain creative control and dodge big-label politics.
Jennings recorded his sixth album, "Boneclouds," at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, MN. The album was released on May 16, 2006 by Glacial Pace.
After considerable success on "Boneclouds", Jennings released his seventh full length album "In the Ever" in 2008. The album was released under Jack Johnson's "Brushfire Records".
In September 2009, Blood of Man was released on CD and vinyl format. In late 2010, Live at First Ave., his first ever live album, was released.
1997
Mason Jennings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There was a great natural light in the sky
And people ran in fear
And I was so concerned with the welfare
Of the woman standing nearest to me
That I didn't notice when it shown on both of us
Then disappeared
Do you know what that was
And did it shine for only us?
Tell me do you know what that was
Was it a sign
I think it probably was
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the year of 1987
There was a great natural light in the sky
And people ran in fear
And I was so concerned with the welfare
Of my brother standing nearest to me
That I didn't notice when it shown on both of us
Then disappeared
I asked him
Do you know what that was
And did it shine for only us?
Tell me do you know what that was?
Was it a sign
I think it probably was
Was it a sign
I think it probably was
The song "1997" by Mason Jennings is a beautiful and introspective examination of two moments in history where people witnessed an unexplained, natural light in the sky. The first instance occurred in Southern Minnesota in 1997, and the second took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1987. In both instances, people ran in fear, but the singer was more interested in the welfare of those closest to him - a woman in one instance and his brother in the other.
As the singer reflects on these two strange occurrences, he seems to be searching for meaning and understanding. He wonders if the light was a sign of something greater and if it only shone for him and the person beside him. The lyrics are open to interpretation but could suggest that these natural phenomena could hold a deeper meaning, but we might only be able to see it when we're not too self-absorbed to notice.
The song is a beautifully crafted expression of human vulnerability and the search for something beyond ourselves. It reminds us that sometimes the most significant moments in life are those that don't make sense or come with an explanation.
Line by Line Meaning
Southern Minnesota in the year of 1997
In the year 1997, in a place called Southern Minnesota,
There was a great natural light in the sky
A bright, natural light appeared in the sky
And people ran in fear
This caused people to flee in terror
And I was so concerned with the welfare
I was deeply worried about the wellbeing of
Of the woman standing nearest to me
The woman who was closest to me
That I didn't notice when it shone on both of us
I was so focused on her that I failed to see when the light shone on both of us
Then disappeared
And then it vanished
I asked her
I inquired from her
Do you know what that was
Did you have any idea of what that light was
And did it shine for only us?
Did you observe that it only shone on us?
Tell me do you know what that was
Can you please tell me what it was
Was it a sign
Was that light a sign of something
I think it probably was
I have a feeling it might have been
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the year of 1987
In the year 1987, in a place called Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
There was a great natural light in the sky
A bright, natural light appeared in the sky
And people ran in fear
This caused people to flee in terror
And I was so concerned with the welfare
I was deeply worried about the wellbeing of
Of my brother standing nearest to me
My brother who was closest to me
That I didn't notice when it shone on both of us
I was so focused on him that I failed to see when the light shone on both of us
Then disappeared
And then it vanished
I asked him
I inquired from him
Do you know what that was
Did you have any idea of what that light was
And did it shine for only us?
Did you observe that it only shone on us?
Tell me do you know what that was?
Can you please tell me what it was
Was it a sign
Was that light a sign of something
I think it probably was
I have a feeling it might have been
Was it a sign
Could that light have been a sign
I think it probably was
I have a feeling it might have been
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MASON STEWART JENNINGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind