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 Take All the Blame
Tegan and Sara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give them hope
And new joints
Bend and lean
On me when
You feel that
Strange dream fill
My back with cold night air through my lungs
Don’t you think that
I’ve been giving up
Don’t you think that
I’ve been giving up
(Change)
I take the blame
I take the blame
I move away
Space
In my life
Give me lots
Room to grow
Pull my ears
Back with the words
Heart beats heard
You have my
Chest full of cold night air in my lungs
Limping on two legs again
Don’t you think that
I’ve been giving up
Don’t you think that
I’ve been giving up
Change I take the blame
Change, I take the blame
I move
Change
I take the blame
I take the blame
I move
In "I Take All The Blame," Tegan and Sara use vivid imagery and metaphorical language to describe their willingness to take responsibility for their own and others' mistakes in relationships. The first verse evokes a sense of being present for someone in their moment of need, as the singer offers themselves as a support system, both physically and emotionally. However, despite being willing to take on others' burdens, the singer still feels the weight of their own struggles, suggesting self-sacrifice in the face of a difficult situation. The repetition of "Don't you think that I've been giving up" throughout the song creates a sense of frustration and exhaustion in the singer, ultimately leading to a decision to "move away" and take responsibility for their own choices.
The second verse shifts the focus to the singer's own needs, asking for space and room to grow. This contrasts with the first verse's offering of oneself as a support system, suggesting a cyclical nature to the singer's relationships. The mention of "cold night air through my lungs" highlights a sense of vulnerability and rawness, again reflecting the willingness to take on pain and responsibility. The repetition of "limping on two legs again" adds a sense of weariness and struggle, both physically and emotionally.
Overall, "I Take All The Blame" speaks to the complex nature of relationships and the ways in which we can be both a source of support and a source of pain for others. The lyrics suggest a desire to take responsibility for one's actions, but also a need for self-care and boundaries.
Line by Line Meaning
Grass to my knees
I am kneeling down in the grass
Give them hope
I want to provide hope to others
And new joints
Help others feel flexible and new again
Bend and lean
I am strong enough to support and lean on
On me when
You can rely on me when
You feel that
You experience that feeling
Strange dream fill
A strange dream fills you
My back with cold night air through my lungs
I am breathing in the cold night air and feeling it in my lungs
Limping on two legs again
Although I am feeling weak or faltering, I am still moving forward
Don’t you think that
Do not believe that
I’ve been giving up
I have been quitting or losing hope
I take the blame
I bear responsibility for the situation
I move away
I am distancing myself from what happened
Space
I need room for growth
In my life
Within my personal journey
Give me lots
Provide me with plenty
Room to grow
Space to expand and develop myself
Pull my ears
Listen intently to me
Back with the words
Respond with your own words to mine
Heart beats heard
You can feel my heart beat or understand my emotions
You have my
I give you
Chest full of cold night air in my lungs
I am breathing in the cold night air and feeling it fill my chest
Change, I take the blame
I acknowledge that I am the one responsible for change
Change
Things need to shift or transform
I move
I take action and make changes
Contributed by Caleb M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.