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.
January
Mason Jennings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
God knows your neighbors, honey, I know you
And I just love the way you lay me down
The sweetest days are those we've not yet found
I took the corner with you by my side
And you were young but I was younger
You were knew and I was worn
I've known you since you were born
Gris hallelujah went down from the heavens and
You took my my hand and held as we walked together
And sweet glory on the day that I fell in love with you
I was gone to Minnesota, I was on my way
I had made a promise that I wouldn't stay
But I just found all that I need
The open road, that came her open arms
I held on, I held on, I held on
And you were young but I was younger
You were knew and I was worn
I knew your face and I knew your number
I've known you since you were born
And you were young but I was younger
You were knew and I was worn
I knew your face and I knew your number
I've known you since you were born
Gris hallelujah went down from the heavens and
You took my my hand and held as we walked together
And sweet glory on the day that I fell in love with you
The lyrics of Mason Jennings's song January are a beautiful tale of love and reminiscence, where the singer speaks of waking up and thinking about someone they love. The singer mentions that the sweetest days are the ones yet to come, which suggests that they are looking towards a future with this person. The lines "And you were young but I was younger, / You were new and I was worn" convey a sense of experience and wisdom, perhaps implying that the singer has been through many ups and downs and sees this relationship as an opportunity to find solace.
The singer mentions a promise to leave, possibly referring to a past relationship that they have left behind. However, they also mention finding all they need on the open road, which could mean that they have found peace with who they are and are ready to embrace this new relationship. The final lines of the song, "Gris hallelujah went down from the heavens and / You took my hand and held as we walked together / And sweet glory on the day that I fell in love with you" speak of a moment of transcendence, where the singer feels they have found true love, with the help of a higher power.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke in the evening, I was thinking 'bout you
I thought about you when I woke up in the evening
God knows your neighbors, honey, I know you
I may not know your neighbors, but I know you well
And I just love the way you lay me down
I love the way you make me feel loved and comfortable
The sweetest days are those we've not yet found
The best days are the ones we will experience together in the future
I took the corner with you by my side
I did something risky but felt safe with you by my side
And you were young but I was younger
You are younger than me
You were knew and I was worn
You were new and unscathed, while I was old and hurt
I knew your face and I knew your number
I recognized your face and knew how to reach you
I've known you since you were born
I have known you for a long time
Gris hallelujah went down from the heavens and
Something wonderful happened out of the blue
You took my my hand and held as we walked together
You held my hand and we walked together
And sweet glory on the day that I fell in love with you
I fell in love with you and it was an amazing day
I was gone to Minnesota, I was on my way
I was traveling to Minnesota
I had made a promise that I wouldn't stay
I had promised not to stay in Minnesota
But I just found all that I need
I found everything I needed with you
The open road, that came her open arms
I found freedom while being in your loving arms
I held on, I held on, I held on
I held on to you and didn't let go
Contributed by Elijah V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.