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
I Couldn
Tegan and Sara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Does your heart break when you think about me?
Now you wanna say, I was a liar
Led you astray, I won't deny it
I did what they thought would be good for me
Now you wanna cry, call me a cheater
Left you to die, though I did neither
Thought that it would, that it would be best for me
Do you cry? Oh, do your worst
Do you talk? Oh do your worst
I couldn't be your friend even if I tried again
I couldn't be your friend (Wouldn't be your friend)
Try to conceal it, I won't believe it
Even if I tried again
I couldn't be your friend (Wouldn't be your friend)
Does your body shake when you get around me?
Does your body wake when you think about me?
Now you wanna say, I was a criminal
Stole you away, that sounds so fictional
I did what they thought would be good for me
Do you cry? Oh, do your worst
Do you talk? Oh do your worst
I couldn't be your friend even if I tried again
I couldn't be your friend (Wouldn't be your friend)
Try to conceal it, I won't believe it
Even if I tried again
I couldn't be your friend (Wouldn't be your friend)
Now you wanna say you had it all wrong
Now you wanna say you had me all wrong
Now you wanna say you had it all wrong
Now you wanna say you had me all wrong
I couldn't be your friend even if I tried again
I couldn't be your friend (Wouldn't be your friend)
Try to conceal it, I won't believe it
Even if I tried again
I couldn't be your friend (Wouldn't be your friend)
Try to conceal it, I won't believe it
Even if I tried again
I couldn't be your friend (Wouldn't be your friend)
Couldn't be your friend
The lyrics of Tegan and Sara's song "I Couldn't Be Your Friend" explore the aftermath of a failed romance between two people. The theme of regret and introspection is prominent throughout the song, as the singer tries to reconcile the reality of her actions with the feelings of her former partner. The opening lines of the song pose the question of whether the presence of the singer still stirs up emotional pain in her ex-lover, and acknowledges the damage she inflicted on their relationship by leading them astray. The singer is aware that she cannot be trusted to be a friend to her former partner, and is resigned to the idea that they must both move on from the hurt they have caused each other.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "I couldn't be your friend even if I tried again" multiple times, emphasizing the finality of the situation and the inability of the singer to make amends. The second verse explores the physical responses that come with the proximity of the singer, and how it evokes emotions in her ex-lover that they can't control. The bridge of the song provides a glimmer of hope, as the singer entertains the possibility of reconciliation when her former partner acknowledges that they misunderstood her intentions.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of regret for past mistakes and the realization that sometimes it's necessary to let go of relationships and move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Does your heart ache when you get around me?
Do you feel emotional pain when you're near me?
Does your heart break when you think about me?
Do you feel heartbroken when you think about me?
Now you wanna say, I was a liar
You now accuse me of being dishonest
Led you astray, I won't deny it
I admit that I caused you to be misled
I did what they thought would be good for me
I acted in a way that others believed was beneficial to me
Now you wanna cry, call me a cheater
You now want to cry and label me as a cheater
Left you to die, though I did neither
I didn't abandon you, although it may seem like I did
Thought that it would, that it would be best for me
I believed that what I did was in my best interest
Do you cry? Oh, do your worst
If you need to cry, go ahead and do it
Do you talk? Oh do your worst
If you need to talk, I can handle it
I couldn't be your friend even if I tried again
Even if I attempted to be your friend again, it wouldn't work
I couldn't be your friend (Wouldn't be your friend)
I'm not willing or able to be your friend
Try to conceal it, I won't believe it
If you try to hide your emotions or thoughts, I won't believe you
Now you wanna say you had it all wrong
You now admit that your previous understanding was incorrect
Now you wanna say you had me all wrong
You now admit that you misunderstood me
Couldn't be your friend
I'm not capable of being your friend
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sara Keirsten Quin, Tegan Rain Quin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gab Rose
Tegan said recently that she just relearned this for the LY2D tour and I CAN'T WAIT. The emotion in her live rendition is just mindblowing.
Karen G.
i saw them back in november and they played the new version and it didn't even come close to this, but still good!
pussy superstar
I was praying they'd do this and now you commented and I'm crying.
Olivia Grey
They're both so into it. Tegan singing so perfectly and then Sara is just, feeling it, haha
llamaoffspring
Wow. Tegan's always been my favorite, and while I love Sara, too, and though Tegan misses notes a lot... she has such an amazing style and sings with such passion... I just adore watching her sing her songs. And this is one of my favorite T+S songs, even though I'm not that into the new style.
Also, she's super hot and should definitely date me. <3
Howe Blanc
Same! But I also like alligator and Shock to your system, acoustic version:D
You know... I don't want to hurt you but Tegan is mine XD sorry
Magic Dragon
Tegan and Sara are so great both have powerful voices
Beb Horner
This has to be my favourite version of this song, I love Tegan's growl, it's like she's going back to the older albums, it's fantastic
llamaoffspring
Wow. Tegan's always been my favorite, and while I love Sara, too, and though Tegan misses notes a lot... she has such an amazing style and sings with such passion... I just adore watching her sing her songs. And this is one of my favorite T+S songs, even though I'm not that into the new style.
Also, she's super hot and should definitely date me. <3
Amy Thomas
Going through a particularly rough breakup and this song is my anthem. I can’t wait to see y’all love again ♥️♥️