The duo has released nine studio albums so far: Under Feet Like Ours (1999), This Business of Art (2000), If It Was You (2002), So Jealous (2004), The Con (2007), Sainthood (2009), Heartthrob (2013), Love You to Death (2016) and Hey, I'm Just Like You (2019). They also issued the live album/DVD Get Along in 2011 and their memoir High School in 2019.
Tegan and Sara initially played as Plunk in 1995, and lacked a drummer and bass player. In 1997, they used their school’s recording studio to record two demo albums: Who's in Your Band? and Play Day.
In 1998, they made an early breakthrough by winning Garage Warz Battle of the Bands, a local music competition in Calgary. Since then, the two have toured with Neil Young, Rufus Wainwright, Kaki King, The Pretenders, Ben Folds, The Killers, Rachael Cantu, Vivek Shraya, Cake, Gogol Bordello, Hot Hot Heat, Ryan Adams, Veda Hille, Little Birdy, Iron On, Little Brazil, Bryan Adams, and Weezer, and they performed a show at Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair.
They are signed to Neil Young's Vapor Records in Canada, and to Sire in the United States as their previous label, Sanctuary Records, is no longer releasing new music in the United States.
When they were competing in Garage Warz, they were known as "Sara and Tegan" because that is how their mother registered them on the competition forms. Their first album, Under Feet Like Ours, was initially released under the name "Sara and Tegan". While both twins are similarly involved in vocals and playing instruments, the singing of the lead melody usually goes to whichever twin wrote the particular song. The two hardly sang together in the recordings of their early records, but they started to more on their later records and when live.
On their 2004 album, So Jealous, the two lend their unusual voices and simple guitar riffs to power pop ballads about love and emotional, haunting songs such as "Walking With a Ghost".
The fifth album, The Con, released July 24, 2007, showed a shift in style towards darker tunes compared to the relatively upbeat indie pop of So Jealous. The singles "Back in Your Head", "The Con" and "Call It Off" were issued to support the album. The twins toured the album for over a year and a half.
Their sixth studio album, entitled Sainthood, was released on October 27th, 2009, to generally positive reviews. The album included the singles "Hell", "Alligator", "On Directing" and "Northshore".
Tegan and Sara also collaborated with many other artists, including Tiësto for the single "Feel It in My Bones" (from the album Kaleidoscope, 2009), and Morgan Page for the single "Body Work" (from the album In the Air, 2012).
"Closer", the first single from their seventh album was produced by Californian pop producer Greg Kurstin. The song was made available for download September 25, 2012. On 29 January 2013, Tegan and Sara released their seventh studio album, Heartthrob.
The duo's eighth studio album, titled Love You To Death, was released on 3 June 2016. The lead single Boyfriend was released on 8 April. Greg Kurstin returned as the producer.
On October 20, 2017, the duo released a compilation album titled Tegan and Sara Present the Con X: Covers, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of The Con. The compilation contains covers of each song performed by various artists, as well as a previously unreleased demo “Miami Still”, performed by the duo. The proceeds of the record and subsequent tour benefitted the Tegan and Sara Foundation, which raises money for self-identified women and girls in the LGBTQ community.
The duo released their memoir, High School, on 27 September 2019. It recounts their childhood and adolescence growing up in Alberta in the 1990s as well as their musical beginnings. The book debuted at number fifteen on The New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction best-sellers list. Along with the book, Tegan and Sara's released their ninth studio album, Hey, I'm Just Like You, which contains re-recordings of unreleased demo songs that the duo recorded as teenagers. The record was produced by Alex Hope and is the first Tegan and Sara record produced, performed, engineered, mixed, and mastered by a team of all women. The band embarked on a US, Canada and UK tour to promote the book and album, playing mostly acoustically, reading excerpts from the book and incorporating old video footage from the band's teenage years.
The current live touring band members include Ted Gowans (guitar; 2004-present), Jasper Leak (bass; 2012-present), John Spence (keyboards; 2012-present), and Adam Christgau (drums; 2013-present). Former live touring band members include Johnny Andrews (drums; 2006-2010), Shaun Huberts (bass; 2007-2010), Dan Kelly (bass; 2007), Chris Carlson (bass; 2001-2005), Rob Chursinoff (drums; 2001-2005) and Jason McGerr (drums; 2012).
Official site: http://www.teganandsara.com
Hang on to the Night
Tegan and Sara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watching each day pass you
Hang on to your heart
Like the future's gonna break through
Hang on to yourself
Lovers leaving and regret you
Hang on to you heart
'til you know they respect you
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
I dunno why I sweat this
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
But I can't get past this
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
I just felt so helpless
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
And I just can't shake it
Hang on to the night
Soon your mind is gonna lose you
Hang on to your hope
You have so much you gotta get through
Hang on to yourself
No good'll come from being untrue
Hang on to your heart
Lost is fame but it can stay through
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
I dunno why I sweat this
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
But I can't get past this
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
I just felt so helpless
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
And I just can't shake it
Every time you take
Take me home
I fall down on the floor
I can't take anymore
Every time you pick
You pick me up
You tell me this is what love
What all love is for
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
I dunno why I sweat this
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
But I can't get past this
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
I just felt so helpless
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
And I just can't shake it
The song "Hang on to the Night" by Tegan and Sara is a powerful reminder to hold on to hope and stay true to oneself. The lyrics call for the listener to hang on to their heart, their hope, and their sense of self, even when faced with uncertainty or heartbreak. The repetition of the phrase "Hanging tonight" conveys a sense of desperation and helplessness, as if the singer is struggling to hold on to their own sense of identity and purpose.
The opening lines "Watching each day pass you" suggest a sense of time slipping away, and the urgency to make the most of every moment. The second verse adds further weight to this urgency, with the warning that "Soon your mind is gonna lose you", a reminder to stay present and grounded in the face of mental or emotional turmoil. The line "Lost is fame but it can stay through" provides a glimmer of light in the darkness, suggesting that even if we lose everything else, our sense of self can still endure.
Overall, "Hang on to the Night" is a poignant reminder to stay true to oneself and to hold on to hope, even in the face of adversity. The repetition of the chorus creates a sense of urgency, while the verses provide specific guidance for how to stay grounded and connected to our sense of self.
Line by Line Meaning
Hang on to the night
Hold on tight to the night
Watching each day pass you
You are just passing through each day without any sense of direction
Hang on to your heart
Protect your heart with all your might
Like the future's gonna break through
As if the future is going to come through with something amazing
Hang on to yourself
Stay true to who you are as a person
Lovers leaving and regret you
People may leave and you might regret it
Hang on to you heart
Continue to protect your heart
'til you know they respect you
Until you truly know that someone respects you
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
Feeling stuck or at a loss
I dunno why I sweat this
I am unsure why I'm so worried
But I can't get past this
But I cannot seem to move on from it
I just felt so helpless
I only feel powerless
And I just can't shake it
I can't seem to get rid of this feeling
Soon your mind is gonna lose you
Your mind will soon start to fade away
Hang on to your hope
Keep believing in yourself
You have so much you gotta get through
You have so much more to get through
No good'll come from being untrue
Nothing good comes from being untrue to yourself
Lost is fame but it can stay through
Fame can be lost, but it can be maintained
Every time you take
Every time you take something from me
Take me home
Take me back to where I am supposed to be
I fall down on the floor
I collapse on the ground
I can't take anymore
I am unable to tolerate it anymore
Every time you pick
Every time you choose me
You pick me up
You lift me up
You tell me this is what love
You assure me that this is what love is
What all love is for
What true love should be about
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sara Keirsten Quin, Tegan Rain Quin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ungke Barachiel
this song is Masterpiece.
Hang on to the night
Watching each day pass you
Hang on to your heart
Like the future's gonna break through
Hang on to yourself
Lovers leaving and regret you
Hang on to you heart
'Til you know they respect you
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
I dunno why I sweat this
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
But I can't get past this
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
I just felt so helpless
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
And I just can't shake it
Hang on to the night
Soon your mind is gonna lose you
Hang on to your hope
You have so much you gotta get through
Hang on to yourself
No good'll come from being untrue
Hang on to your heart
Lost it's fame but it can stay through
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
I dunno why I sweat this
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
But I can't get past this
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
I just felt so helpless
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
And I just can't shake it
Every time you take
Take me home
I fall down on the floor
I can't take anymore
Every time you pick
You pick me up
You tell me this is what love
What all love is for
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
I dunno why I sweat this
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
But I can't get past this
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
I just felt so helpless
Hanging tonight, hanging tonight
And I just can't shake it
Cupcake_ Kid01
Nicole’s artwork is so amazing, her messages are so deep and strange but I just can’t help but wanna keep watching or looking.
Shea Van Horn
I think this video is amazing. Beautiful. Creative. Inspired. It's a shame to read comments below saying that they don't like the video. I wonder if reading what the director/artist (Nicole Stafford) said about the concept will help some better understand the beauty of this video.
"My video was partly inspired by Fantasia (the Pastoral Symphony part with all the pegasi & centaurs!), and also by folktales about the origination of things in nature. A few years ago, I came up with this colossal horse figure who puts the stars in the sky every night and wakes up all the nighttime creatures, and when I heard this song it just felt like the perfect fit, visually. I added a few more story beats – halfway through the video, some humans in helicopters try to interfere because they don’t understand her. Two cats fall in love and then explode into stars, sacrificing themselves. I want it to feel a little sad, but also kind of hopeful because you know the cycle will repeat itself the next night."
Snoofkin
I'm not sure if Nicole Stafford said that, but Lisa Hanawalt came up with this video idea and was inspired by one of her own earlier works. Lisa even created a rough draft of the project before she met up with Nicole to have her work on animating it. I just recently discovered Lisa Hanawalt's other work after being a long time fan of Bojack horseman and she's really underrated in my opinion.
Jessica Barron
Shea Van Horn I thought the cats were Teagan and Sara. Lol on the plant people twerking, Lisa Hanawalt's version of nymps. Classic!!! 👍
Jesus is Lord
The cycle will repeat itself again, but Sara wants to hang on to the night :o? Is it at all about daily struggles with acceptance or plain judgment from others? If I'm anywhere near right, maybe the song just means to live in the moment or the specific moment/time where you feel good and never want it to end but that's just my thought
Sandra Vidal-Yuan
Lisa Hanawalt said this. She is the director/artist
Boba And Ben
Still weird no matter the explanation. Everyone has different tastes.
(^._.^) nekosama
Watching this music video has become part of my everyday already-in-bed-in-the-dark-but-just-before-sleeping routine ❤️
Rebecca Lovejoy
I love it thank you Tegan and Sara for this
Angela Bartz
I had to watch this video a few times to understand it, but I think that it is beautiful and feels oddly calming and somewhat nostalgic for some reason. Safe to say I love it!