Growing up in a musical household and exposed to his parents’ eclectic record collection that included the likes of Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder and Dire Straits, he was particularly drawn to the guitar – being taken by his parents to an Eric Clapton concert left the young Sayce awestruck and in no doubt about which was the instrument for him.
By the time he was 15 he was playing guitar in his first band; he was up and running. He soon became a regular fixture on the Toronto club scene, where his fluid soloing and mesmerising overall musicality turned heads an earned him many fans. With an insatiable appetite for jam sessions at the likes of Grossman's Tavern in Toronto, Sayce began rapidly distilling his own singular guitar style and tonal palette from a melting pot of influences that included such greats as Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Cray, and in particular Stevie Ray Vaughan, to whom he is, understandably, probably most often compared.
While still a teenager, Sayce was held in such high regard that, after jamming on stage with one of his heroes, guitar player and fellow Canadian Jeff Healey, he was invited to join Healey’s band. Sayce was now living the dream. He can still remember the first time he heard Healey – and the effect it had: “It was in a supermarket car park. I was 11 and my parents had gone into the store. This song, See The Light, came on and I was just overwhelmed. I literally punched the radio.”
After three-and-a-half years with Healey’s band, playing with them at the Montreux Jazz Festival and at gigs around the world, Sayce, the apprentice having learned well from the master, felt it was time to move on.
Looking to further expand his musical horizons, in 2001 he moved to Los Angeles. He joined Uncle Kracker, and was with the band when they had their massive US No.1 hit song Drift Away. He starred in and wrote the music for the short film Cockroach Blue, directed by the award-winning Robert Crossman, which received high acclaim when it was shown at the Woodstock Film Festival. Then, in 2003, Grammy and Oscar winner Melissa Etheridge came calling (“very talented – like Stevie Ray Vaughan,” she enthused), and he enjoyed an “awesome” time playing and recording with her band until 2008.
During his stint with Melissa, Sayce released his debut solo album, Peace Machine, using what he describes as Etheridge’s “shit-hot” band and producer Michael Nielsen. Recorded live in the studio in just a couple of days, it’s full of raw, high-energy, low-maintenance retro-blues delivered with startling punch and real style, and showcases Sayce as a soulful, powerfully expressive vocalist as well as a supremely talented guitarist and all-round musician. The album also includes a crunching version of the Neil Young classic Cinnamon Girl, the song often a resonant inclusion in Sayce’s thrilling live shows.
And live is where Sayce, his jam-club years in his pocket, shines brightest, he and his band performing with a potent mixture of power and finesse, the guitarist regularly pulling the trigger and unleashing visceral, mesmerising solos. And while they’re checking out the hot licks, it’s clear that many of the girls in the audience are equally taken by the good-looking guy with the swept-back blond hair and charisma to spare. If you’ve got it…
May 2010 saw the release of, INNEREVOLUTION, recorded with his live band - keyboardist Fred Mandel (Queen, Supertramp, Elton John, Alice Cooper), bassist Joel Gottschalk and drummer Ryan MacMillan (Matchbox 20). This collection of songs, some co-written with Richard Marx, busbee, Mike Bradford, Dave Cobb and Marti Frederiksen among others, further establishes Philip Sayce not only as one of the finest blues guitarists around, but also as a musician, singer and songwriter with tremendous talent and potential.
“Richard came out to a show and we immediately hit it off,” Sayce explains of how he came to write with Richard Marx. “He's a massive talent and to have the opportunity to collaborate and learn from him is something I am grateful for. Anyone I collaborate or co-write with, the goal is to be open and learn, and I've been blessed to work with some of the best of the best.”
More varied than Peace Machine, and overall more sophisticated and more polished in terms of songwriting, sonics and performance, Innerevoltuion is a stylish, engaging and thrilling album that should bring Philip Sayce to the attention of a bigger and wider audience.
With Peace Machine, Innerevolution, Ruby Electric, Silver Wheel Of Stars, and Steamroller, Philip Sayce continues to write his own chapter in the long and continuing history of popular music. And it’s clear that this gifted young musician has many more pages yet to write.
Give Me Time
Philip Sayce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everyday
Standing on a corner, baby
Watching you pass my way
Give me time, oh give me time
I'm gonna make you mine
I′m gonna make you mine
My friends all say
That I was a fool
Loving you baby
While you were going to school
But give me time, oh give me time
Yeah I'm gonna make you mine
I'm gonna make you mine
You don′t love me baby
And I know it′s true
I don't want no one else if I can have you
′Cause I just love you
Everyday
I'm just standing on the corner baby
Watching you pass my way
But give me time, oh give me time
Yeah I′m gonna make you mine
I'm gonna make you mine
You don′t love me baby
And I know it's true
I don't want no one else if I can have you
My friends say
That I was a fool
Loving you baby
While you were going to school
But give me time, oh give me time
Yeah I′m gonna make you mine
I′m gonna make you mine
Yes I will
Make you mine
Come on baby
I dream about you every night
I'm gonna make you mine
The lyrics to Philip Sayce's song Give Me Time describe the singer's unrequited love for someone they see every day on a street corner. They are determined to win this person over, even though their friends think they are foolish to love someone who seems uninterested. The singer repeats the phrase "give me time" throughout the song, insisting that they will eventually make this person theirs. They profess their love and devotion, declaring that they don't want anyone else as long as they can have this person.
The song captures the frustration and determination of unrequited love. The singer's intense passion for this person comes through in the repetition of the phrase "I'm gonna make you mine" and the descriptions of watching them every day. The lyrics suggest that the singer is willing to wait and work for their love, even in the face of criticism from others.
Overall, the song is a heartfelt plea for love and connection. It highlights the power of persistence and the depth of emotions that can arise when we allow ourselves to fall in love. The simple yet powerful lyrics are made even more impactful by Sayce's soulful vocals and plaintive guitar playing.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been watching you
I have been observing you
Everyday, standing on a corner, baby
Everyday, I stand on a street corner watching you pass by
Watching you pass my way
Watching you walk by my location
Give me time, oh give me time
Allow me more time
I'm gonna make you mine
I plan to make you mine (to enter into a romantic relationship)
My friends all say that I was a fool
My companions think I was being stupid
Loving you baby while you were going to school
Being in love with you while you were still a student
You don't love me baby and I know it's true
It's apparent that you don't reciprocate my romantic feelings
I don't want no one else if I can have you
I am not interested in anyone else if I can be with you
'Cause I just love you everyday
I love you each day
You don't love me baby and I know it's true
It's evident that you don't have romantic feelings for me
I don't want no one else if I can have you
I am not interested in anyone else if I can have a romantic relationship with you
But give me time, oh give me time
Please grant me more time
Yeah I'm gonna make you mine
I am determined to be in a romantic relationship with you
I dream about you every night
I have dreams about you every night
Writer(s): Sam Maghett, Magic Sam
Contributed by Cooper A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Steph
Well I had a similar experience but I was in grad school. My parents thought they were doing me a favor by setting me up with a guy my own dads age. Turns out he has tons of issues. Falls for everyone hes with extremely fast, and super creepy!! Wont leave me alone!! Nightmare!