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.
I Want You
Michael Hedges Lyrics
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I got a hundred big brothers and sisters on my wall
But every channel that I turn to
Screams the same damn thing
All the images rerun
and nothing's new
I want you
I want you
It's so confusing
I know your visible words speak no misunderstanding
But this love climbs till my vocabulary stalls
After a line or two my fingers strike the same damn keys
From every angle – it's the same point of view
I want you
I want you
I want you
It's so confusing
Why won't you draw near
Who taught you this fear
Who?
So if my love just won't supply what you're demanding
There's a paragraph repeating in my heart
So if your story's lost in limbo down the same damn lead
You can follow up these last repeating clues
I want you
I want you
I want you
It's so confusing
It's so confusing
The lyrics of Michael Hedges's song "I Want You" depict the confusing and frustrating experience of love. The singer has devoted a significant amount of time and energy to their family, but they still feel unsatisfied and yearn for someone else. The media, represented by the hundreds of "big brothers and sisters" on their wall, offers no respite from these feelings, as every channel shows the same old images and messages. Despite having clear words to express their love, the singer finds themselves unable to fully communicate the extent of their emotions. Love feels like a labyrinth with no clear way out, and they are left to wonder why the person they want is so hesitant to draw near. The repetition of the phrase "I want you" emphasizes the obsessive nature of the singer's desire, while the final lines suggest that there may be some hope for resolution if both parties can follow the clues.
Overall, the lyrics of "I Want You" highlight the complexities of love and the way that it can feel all-consuming and overwhelming. The contrast between the singer's concrete actions (plugging in nine long years to their family) and their intangible emotions (the frustrating feeling of wanting someone who is unwilling) emphasizes the divide between what can be controlled and what cannot. The repetition of certain images, such as the "same damn thing" on every channel, emphasizes the cyclical nature of these feelings and the sense of being trapped in a never-ending loop. Despite the confusion and frustration of it all, however, the repeated refrain of "I want you" suggests that there is still a glimmer of hope.
Line by Line Meaning
I plugged in nine long years at my life to this family
I devoted a significant portion of my life, almost a decade, to this family.
I got a hundred big brothers and sisters on my wall
I have pictures of many people I admire, known as big brothers and sisters, hanging on my wall.
But every channel that I turn to Screams the same damn thing All the images rerun and nothing's new
Whenever I change the TV channel, I see the same thing repeatedly being shown, and there is no novelty in any of the images.
I want you
I want you
I want you
It's so confusing
I am immensely attracted to you, and this feeling confuses me a great deal.
I know your visible words speak no misunderstanding But this love climbs till my vocabulary stalls
I understand your words very clearly, but the intensity of my love for you renders me speechless.
After a line or two my fingers strike the same damn keys From every angle – it's the same point of view
No matter how much I try to express my emotions through music, I find myself playing the same tune over and over again, conveying the same sentiment.
Why won't you draw near Who taught you this fear Who?
I cannot fathom why you keep your distance, and I wonder who or what has caused you to develop such wariness or mistrust.
So if my love just won't supply what you're demanding There's a paragraph repeating in my heart
If my love fails to meet your expectations, a passage of text constantly loops in my mind and fills my heart.
So if your story's lost in limbo down the same damn lead You can follow up these last repeating clues
If your story feels stuck or lost in a rut, I offer these persisted hints or tips to assist you in exploring new, uncharted routes.
I want you
I want you
I want you
It's so confusing
It's so confusing
My attraction to you is so intense that I cannot think clearly, and this feeling is incredibly perplexing.
Contributed by Colin J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.