Michael Hedges was a conservatory composition major who applied his classically trained musical background in combination with radical innovation to “reinvent” the steel string acoustic guitar. He combined many unusual techniques on the acoustic guitar with a wide range of musical styles, and was also considered a dynamic performer in concert - in short, a “Paganini” of the guitar.
He is known for extensive use in several pieces of two handed tapping techniques (nearly a contrapuntal style of multiple voices). He used the fingers of his right (typically picking) hand to slap harmonic "chords" at the 12th, 7th or 5th fret (or elsewhere). He made use of right hand hammer-ons, particularly on bass notes, and often used the left hand for melodic or rhythmic hammer-ons and pull offs, as well as unusual strummings, that played, as mentioned, independent voices to the right hand. These techniques tended to convert the guitar into a quasi-keyboard like instrument for certain musical purposes. He also made extensive use of string dampening as employed in classical guitar, and was known to insist strongly on the precise duration of sounds and silences in his pieces. Other facets to his playing were percussive slapping on the guitar body and extensive use of artificial harmonics. He also played guitar-variants like the Harp Guitar (an instrument with additional bass strings that Hedges used to play Bach's Prelude to Cello Suite #1 in G Major in its intended key), and the Trans-Trem Guitar.
Michael Hedges was discovered by William Ackerman who heard him performing in a Palo Alto cafe (the former Varsity Theater) and immediately signed him to a recording contract (1980). For several years Hedges toured and performed in concert with Ackerman. He also appeared on several of Ackerman's albums. In turn William Ackerman produced Hedge's first two albums.
The first two records Michael Hedges made - Breakfast in the Field and Aerial Boundaries - were milestones for the acoustic guitar. He then branched out into singing and performing more popular forms of music, although he would periodically make a return to more guitar-centred music. His record Oracle won the 1998 Grammy for Best New Age Album. Hedges was in fact quite a multi-instrumentalist, playing piano, percussion, tin whistle, harmonica, and flute, among others on his albums. Bassist Michael Manring contributed to many of Michael's records.
Many acoustic guitarists claim a very broad range of influences and will not fit into any genre, but this was truer of Hedges than of any other. His musical education was largely in modern 20th century composition. He listened to Leo Kottke, Bruce Cockburn, Martin Carthy, John Martyn, John Fahey, and the Beatles, but his approach to composition owed much to Stravinsky, Varèse, Webern, and experimental composers such as Morton Feldman. He saw himself as a composer who played guitar, rather than a guitarist who composed music. He was often categorized as New Age due to his association with the Windham Hill record label. Somewhat in reaction to this, he would describe his music as "Heavy Mental", "New Edge", ""Thrash Acoustic", "Deep Tissue Gladiator Guitar" or "Savage Myth Guitar," amongst other terms.
Hedges was killed in a car accident in 1997 at the age of 43. His unfinished last recordings were brought to completion in the album Torched, with the help of his friends David Crosby and Graham Nash.
Come Together
Michael Hedges Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He come groovin' up slowly
He got joo joo eyeballs
He one holy rollers
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker
He just do what he please
He got toe jam football
He got monkey finger
He shoot Coca Cola
He say I know you, you know me
One thing I can tell you is
You got to be free
Come together, right now
Over me
He bad production
He got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard
He one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knees
Hold you in his armchair
You can feel his disease
Come together, right now
Over me
He roller coaster
He got early warning
He got muddy water
He one Mojo filter
He say one and one and one is three
Got to be good looking
Cause he's so hard to see
Come together right now
Over me
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
The song "Come Together" by Michael Hedges is a cover of The Beatles' classic, and the lyrics are quite cryptic and abstract. The song has been analyzed and interpreted by many, and there are different views on what it could mean. The first verse seems to introduce the character of "flat top" who is described as having joo joo eyeballs and being a holy roller with long hair. He doesn't conform to societal norms and is a wild, free spirit who does what he pleases. The chorus "Come together, right now, over me" suggests that this character brings people together and has some sort of influence or power over them.
The second verse describes "flat top" further, mentioning his peculiarities like not wearing shoes and having toe jam football. He also has a strange diet, drinking Coca Cola and shoots monkeys with his finger. He claims to know the person he's speaking to, and tells them that they have to be free. The chorus repeats, inviting people to come together over "flat top." The final verse describes "flat top" as a roller coaster with an early warning and muddy water. He's also a "Mojo filter" and claims that one and one and one is three. The last line suggests that he's hard to see, but also that being good-looking is important.
Overall, the lyrics of the song are very abstract and don't have a clear narrative or message. They seem to be describing a unique and eccentric character who has a strange influence over people, who are invited to come together over him. It's up to interpretation as to whether the character is a positive or negative force.
Line by Line Meaning
Here come old flat top
A person is approaching and his hair is styled as flat on top.
He come groovin' up slowly
The person approaches slowly and appears to be enjoying the music or the environment.
He got joo joo eyeballs
The person's eyes are dark and intense.
He one holy rollers
The person is a religious fanatic.
He got hair down to his knee
The person has long hair that reaches his knee.
Got to be a joker
The person is always joking around and not to be taken seriously.
He just do what he please
The person does whatever he wants without caring about others' opinions.
He wear no shoeshine
The person does not wear polished shoes.
He got toe jam football
The person has something between his toes like dirt or mud.
He got monkey finger
The person's fingers are very nimble and monkey-like.
He shoot Coca Cola
The person drinks Coca Cola frequently.
He say I know you, you know me
The person implies that he knows the other person, and they both understand each other.
One thing I can tell you is
The person is about to give some advice or tell a message.
You got to be free
The person advises the other to be free and not constrained by societal rules.
Come together, right now
The person invites the listener to gather and join him.
Over me
The person emphasises that the gathering is to be over him.
He bad production
The person is not good at doing things properly.
He got walrus gumboot
The person is wearing big boots that resemble a walrus's feet.
He got Ono sideboard
The person has a sideboard similar to Yoko Ono's.
He one spinal cracker
The person can crack his back effectively.
He got feet down below his knees
The person's feet are positioned lower than expected, or he has long feet.
Hold you in his armchair
The person can comfort you in his armchair.
You can feel his disease
The person has an illness, and you can sense it when you are close to him.
He roller coaster
The person is like an amusement park ride, with high ups and downs.
He got early warning
The person has a premonition of something about to happen.
He got muddy water
The person is used to working with dirty, muddy water.
He one Mojo filter
The person has a potent, mystical effect over people.
He say one and one and one is three
The person is adding things that don't make sense, implying that something magical is going on.
Got to be good looking
The person believes that to impress others, one must look presentable or attractive.
Cause he's so hard to see
The person is elusive, making it difficult for others to perceive him.
Come together, yeah
Repeating the invitation to gather.
Lyrics © Tratore, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@weepysum47
Without Michael we wouldn't have players like Andy McKee, Kaki King, Mike Dawes, or Jon Gomm. He was a true pioneer
@ianedmonds9191
@Rob Bigs Superhuman.
@kerimaltuncu8152
Andy McKee, Kaki King, Mike Dawes, or Jon Gomm.... forget about em
@bohindramusic
Uno de los más grandes músicos del final del siglo XX , Virtuoso guitarrista e innovador , divertido en directo , es ya una leyenda , LO AMO ! su estilo con la flauta Alto en Sol , no es muy conocido y también genial su trabajo con ella , después claro de su impresionante legado con la guitarra .
@Confusingish
I love how he makes the audience included on his performance on a whole new level. It must have been magical to watch him perform live before he died.
@ropy89
i never saw someone making the audience literally sing a bassline to any song...BRILLIANT !!! and then later also other parts,how cool is that ??? if you can do something like this you'r doin' yo shit right :) what an awesome dude with awesome voice !
@efergarmx
I don't know too much about Michael Hedges but around 1997 I bought a cd that liked so much. "Aerial Boundaries". It was an incredible musical experience. I never knew that this musician has gone truely a sad thing. I like so much his style to play the guitar.
@gman92069
Had the good fortune of seeing him play twice (once with Leo Kottke). Such an amazing artist and performer. Sad he's no longer with us, but glad we have his music. RIP MH
@billheineman472
Same once in Chicago ... I was also lucky to catch a piece of that short tour with Leo
in St. Augustine Fla.
@pooryorick831
Michael Hedges and Leo Kotter together? That must have been amazing. I bet it was hilarious too. They are both funny guys.