He bought his first harmonica when he was 16, for $2 at a flea market in Bessemer, Alabama, and taught himself to play blues harp. He discovered that he possessed absolute pitch when he was able to recognize the pitches of ordinary noises and mimic them on the harmonica. Hicks was 18 when he wrote his first song, "In Your Time", and he taught himself to play guitar when he was 19.
While in college, Hicks was part of a band called Passing Through, which he later quit to start his own band. He recorded In Your Time, an album which included both studio and live tracks, independently in 1997. He moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2000 to pursue a music career. There, he worked with Nashville veterans Billy Earl McClelland and Percy Sledge and recorded a three-track demo but was unable to find a label that would sign him. He left Nashville after a year due to what he called the "oversaturation of the market". Hicks returned to Alabama and launched a professional music career, performing at various venues and parties, mostly around the Southeastern United States.
He recorded, produced, and released a second album, Under the Radar, in 2005. Despite releasing two albums prior to appearing on American Idol, he did not violate their requirements for contestants, as he had never held a recording contract.
Studio recording sessions for the eponymous major label debut Taylor Hicks ran in Calabasas, California between October and November 2006, and took six weeks in total. The album was produced by Matt Serletic, who has produced for Collective Soul, matchbox twenty, and Rob Thomas. The album was released on December 12, 2006 and debuted at the number two spot on the Billboard 200 charts. It was certified as a platinum album by the RIAA on January 17, 2007.
On February 21, 2007, Hicks launched a a three-month US promotional tour for his album, followed almost immediately by a summer tour. One of the high energy shows was captured on film and appeared on HDNet under the title "Whomp At The Warfield."
In 2009 Hicks released his second album, The Distance, on his own label, Modern Whomp Records, on March 10, 2009. The first single, "What's Right Is Right", was added to AC adds on January 27, 2009. So far the single reached #24 on Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks. It was produced by Simon Climie and Dennis Morgan.
Hicks returned to the American Idol stage on April 29, 2009 during Season 8 and performed the second single from The Distance, Seven Mile Breakdown, which was re-released in a country format.
Both "What's Right is Right" and "Seven Mile Breakdown" were made into music videos.
In May 2009, Taylor Hicks made Forbes "Top Ten earning American Idol stars" list, coming in at number 10, with over $300,000 earned from album sales and from his role as "Teen Angel" in the national tour of Grease.
Tighten Up
Taylor Hicks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Way back, way back
Way back in 1973, 1973
1973
And we gonna tighten it up just a little bit
And we gonna try to make it mellow
And we gonna try to make it mellow, whoa
You gonna have to catch up with me
We gonna make it mellow, make it mellow
First tighten up on the drums right now
Come on now, drummer
I want you to tighten it up for me now
Oh, yeah
Tighten up on that bass now
Tighten it up
Ha, ha, yeah
Now let that guitar fall in
Oh, yeah
Tighten up on that organ now
Yeah, you do the tighten up
Yeah, now
I said, if you can do it now
It sure would be tough
Now look here, come on now
Now make it mellow
Let's tighten it up now
Do the tighten up
Everybody can do it now
So get to it
We're gonna tighten up
Let's do the tighten up
You can do it now
So baby, get to it
Look to your left now
Look to your right
Everybody can do it
But don't you get too tight
Come on and tighten up
Let's tighten it up now
Let's tighten it up now
Tighten it up
Do the tighten up
Come and tighten it up
Tighten it up now
Come on now, Billy
Tighten it up
Oh, yeah
Sock it to me now
Tighten it up
Come on and tighten up that bass
Oh, yeah
Now look here
I want that guitar
To fall in on there
Tighten it up now
Oh, yeah
Now tighten it up, organ
Yeah
Now everybody tighten it up now
Now look here
We gonna make it mellow for you now
We gonna make it mellow now
Tighten it up
You can get it
Move to your left
Move to your right
Tighten it up now
Everything will be outta sight
Come on and tighten it up
Tighten it up now
The song "Tighten Up" by Taylor Hicks is a cover of a 1968 R&B hit by Archie Bell & The Drells. The lyrics of the song are about tightening up the music – making it more synchronized and harmonious – and taking a slower, mellower pace. The opening verse references 1973, which was five years after the original song was released, perhaps indicating that this is a tribute to the era and the style of music that was popular at the time. The lyrics also talk about each instrument – the drums, bass, guitar, and organ – and instruct each musician to tighten up their playing, creating a cohesive sound.
The chorus of the song, "let's tighten it up now," is a call to action for everyone to join in and tighten up their movements and dance along. The song is a feel-good tune that encourages people to come together and enjoy the music, and the repetition of the phrase "tighten up" reinforces that message. The song ends with a call for the music to become mellow and for everyone to move to the music and "get it." Overall, "Tighten Up" is a fun, upbeat song that celebrates the power of music to bring people together.
Line by Line Meaning
Back in way back, way back, Way back, way back
In a long time ago, a really long time ago, ages ago
Way back in 1973, 1973
Referring to a time in the year 1973
And we gonna tighten it up just a little bit
We are going to improve our performance just a bit
And we gonna try to make it mellow
We will make the sound gentle and smooth
You gonna have to catch up with me
You need to keep up with me or you will fall behind
We gonna make it mellow, make it mellow
We will create a mellow atmosphere
First tighten up on the drums right now
Start with improving the drums immediately
Come on now, drummer
Let's go, drummer
I want you to tighten it up for me now
Please enhance your drumming skills now
Oh, yeah
An expression of excitement and agreement
Tighten up on that bass now
Concentrate on playing the bass more precisely
Tighten it up
Make it better
Ha, ha, yeah
An expression of joy and encouragement
Now let that guitar fall in
Now add some beautiful guitar sounds
Tighten up on that organ now
Improve your organ playing skills now
Yeah, you do the tighten up
You make it better
Yeah, now
Agreement and encouragement
I said, if you can do it now, It sure would be tough
If you can't enhance your skills now, it will be challenging
Now make it mellow
Let's create a calm atmosphere
Let's tighten it up now, Do the tighten up
Let's improve our performance, Let's enhance it
Everybody can do it now
Everyone can improve their skills now
So get to it
Let's get started
Look to your left now, Look to your right
Look at people on your left and right sides
But don't you get too tight
But don't try too hard
Everything will be outta sight
Everything will be amazing
Come on and tighten up
Let's enhance our performance
Tighten it up now
Make it better right now
Contributed by Kayla R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.