Much like the man himself, Hayes' musical sensibilities defy easy categorization. Just because there's a banjo featured in a track, don't expect it to sound Appalachian -- and certainly don't expect that recurring tuba to have anything to do with Sousa and his severely metered marches. With his new album "Big Black Hole and the Little Baby Star", the North Carolina-bred, San Francisco-rooted artist continues to embrace the multifarious, channeling Billie Holiday in her more melancholy moments (Fucked Me Right Up) or hitting the pavement with broken-hearted, wild eyed friends who take strength in numbers (Calling All Cars). With subject matter that ranges from polka dot panties to innocent death row inmates, it's best to keep an ear cocked to sort out Hayes' lyrics. A masterful songwriter and fingerpicker, the singer plays guitar, mandolin, and banjo on the album.
Etienne de Rocher mans the piano, bass, keyboards and backup harmony vocals, and Ches Smith supplies percussion. Ara Anderson, who's added his horns to Tom Waits' and Jolie Holland's albums, adds some powerful oomph on trumpet and tuba. Hayes says that the process for getting this fourth record together has been "totally organic - - it has to do with time, and how the sound changes because of it, as well as with the people you play with."
A little over a year ago, while playing a warehouse show for local arts and culture mag Kitchen Sink, Hayes bumped into fellow musician de Rocher. It was a fortuitous meeting. De Rocher invited Hayes to record a few songs at his garage studio, and Hayes eventually recorded the whole of Big Black Hole there. Thanks in part to de Rocher's production, the album's sound is a departure from his previous discs. Now, Hayes sounds a little less folky, a little more languid and groovy, as if he loosened the knot on his hobo tie after tossing back a few Don Julios -- a better approximation of his live shows.. - Elka Karl
Open Up A Window
Sean Hayes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you like a drug
Fall asleep in the sunrise
Exhausted by your buzz
Hear the city waking
and the little birds stir
Open up a window
Let the night in
There is a warm wind
A warm wind
(repeat stanza x3)
Let the night in
Let me right in
Sean Hayes's song Open Up A Window is a highly romanticized, almost lyrical account of a love affair where the singer seems to be deeply enamored with his partner, who he likens to a drug. The first two lines reveal that the singer wants to stay up all night, and he wants to be with his partner, who is like a drug. The following lines reveal that the singer is so exhausted by the buzz of his partner that he falls asleep in the sunrise. The singer wants to hear the city waking up and the little birds starting to stir.
The following lines are perhaps the most significant in the song: "Open up a window / Let the night in / There is a warm wind / A warm wind." Here, the singer is beckoning his partner to open up a window and let the night air in, creating an atmosphere where the two of them can continue to stay up all night and be together. The warm wind is probably a metaphor for the passion and love that they share, and the singer wants to be enveloped in it. The repeated stanza drives home the singer's deep desire to stay up all night with his partner and bask in the warmth of their love.
Overall, the song Open Up A Window is a moving tribute to the power of love and the desire to be with someone even if it means staying up all night. The song's melody and lyrics blend perfectly to create an atmosphere of passion, warmth, and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to stay up all night
I want to spend the whole night with you, not wanting to go to bed
Do you like a drug
I'm addicted to you and your company, just like people are addicted to drugs
Fall asleep in the sunrise
I want to spend so much time with you that we fall asleep when the sun is rising
Exhausted by your buzz
The time spent with you feels so exciting and intoxicating that it wears me out by the end of it
Hear the city waking
The city is starting to come alive as people start their day
and the little birds stir
The birds are waking up and starting to chirp as the sun rises
Open up a window
Let's open a window to let in the sounds of the city and the fresh air of the morning
Let the night in
I want to embrace the night and spend as much time as possible with you during it
There is a warm wind
The breeze feels warm and inviting, adding to the special feeling of the moment
A warm wind
The warmth of the breeze emphasizes the comfort and joy of the moment
Let me right in
Please let me be close to you and spend more time together
Contributed by Ian F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.