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
Just Me
Tegan and Sara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It seemed easier than finding something new
And I broke them down
Did it all for you
No need, no need for thank you
And so go ahead and change
Go ahead and change
Go ahead and change
Talked myself into being strange
To take your very breath away
And I ask myself why love won't change
So I could take your very breath away
Someone brave the waters for me
And for you I will do the same so
No one's very real today
No one's very real today
All I have to give this world is me, and that's it and
All I have to show this world is me, and that's it and
All I have to face this world is me, and that's it
Just me, just me, just me, and that's it
Faced ourselves in the mirror last night
To learn who we are so when we know we're right
It's a big competition to get to the top
Common stereotypes put us up, encouraging us
Not to stop, 'til we get to the top
Don't stop 'til the top and so I say
Don't you ever wanna change
Don't you ever wanna change
Don't you ever wanna change
Don't you ever wanna change
All I have to give this world is me, and that's it and
All I have to show the world is me, and that's it and
All I have to face this world is me, and that's it
Just me, just me, just me
Just me, just me, just me
Just me, just me, just me, and that's it
All I have to give the world is me, and that's it and
All I have to show the world is me, and that's it and
All I have to face this world is me, and that's it and
To the rest you avoid the mess
I won't stray
No not me, and
All I have to give the world is me, and that's it and
All I have to show the world is me, and that's it and
All I have to face this world is me, and that's it
To the rest you avoid the mess
I won't stray
No not me
Not me, not me, not me,
Not me, not me, not me
Just me, just me, just me, and that's it
The lyrics to Tegan and Sara's song "Just Me" explore the themes of self-acceptance and the pressure of conforming to societal expectations. In the song, the singer admits to locking themselves into an identity that they thought was easier than finding something new, breaking themselves down and changing for someone else without expecting any gratitude. They then talk about trying to become something strange to impress someone else, but ultimately realizing that love can't be forced to change. The idea of being brave enough to be oneself even when facing competition and pressure from stereotypes is a recurring theme throughout the song.
The repetition of "all I have to give this world is me, and that's it" highlights the importance of self-love and that being true to oneself is more than enough. The line "to the rest you avoid the mess, I won't stray" further emphasizes the message of refusing to conform to society's expectations and the need to stay true to oneself.
Overall, "Just Me" is a powerful anthem about the importance of self-love and acceptance, and celebrating one's own unique identity.
Line by Line Meaning
Locked myself into being you
I pretended to be someone you wanted me to be, it was easier than finding something new
It seemed easier than finding something new
Pretending to be someone else felt simpler than discovering who I truly am
And I broke them down
I sacrificed my own desires and beliefs to please you
Did it all for you
Everything I did and said was for you, not for myself
No need, no need for thank you
I don't expect any gratitude from you for subsuming myself for your sake
Talked myself into being strange
I convinced myself that I was different from who I truly was, just to impress you
To take your very breath away
To make you feel awe and shock towards me
And I ask myself why love won't change
I wonder why love doesn't shift and change us into better people
So I could take your very breath away
So that I can stun you with my new and false persona
Someone brave the waters for me
I need someone else to take the risk before I can do it
And for you I will do the same so
I'll be brave like you if it's for your sake
No one's very real today
No one's genuinely themselves these days
All I have to give this world is me, and that's it and
The only thing I can offer the world is myself, whoever that may be
All I have to show this world is me, and that's it and
I can only display myself in the truest way
All I have to face this world is me, and that's it
The only person I need to confront and accept is myself
Just me, just me, just me, and that's it
I only have who I am and nothing more to offer
Faced ourselves in the mirror last night
We looked at ourselves in the mirror and saw who we truly are
To learn who we are so when we know we're right
So that we can understand ourselves and know ourselves, to be confident in ourselves
It's a big competition to get to the top
In life, it can feel like there's a competition to be the best
Common stereotypes put us up, encouraging us
We are encouraged to fit into specific stereotypes by society
Not to stop, 'til we get to the top
To keep moving forward and climbing until we reach our ultimate goal
Don't stop 'til the top and so I say
I urge you to keep going until you reach the top
To the rest you avoid the mess
I don't want to be like everyone else who conforms to society's standards
I won't stray
I won't lose myself in the process of becoming who I want to be
Not me, not me, not me,
I won't be anyone other than myself
Just me, just me, just me, and that's it
All I need or have is just me
Contributed by Camilla O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Jay-wn5kb
Anyone else here after they released the tracklist for Hey, I'm Just Like You? I've loved this song for 7 years i'M SO EXCITED FOR THE ALBUM
@mach0nash454
Yes
@denamariedance5980
The new version just can't compare to this one! The new one is a fun version but damn all the songs from "Hey, I'm Just Like You" are great but I really love the older versions.
@Iliveinyoureredreams
@Dena Marie I agree with you, these versions just have a different vibe, they are unique
@imaginetreasure1543
Been listening to this since the 9th grade im 27 now
@rcrosby02
iMAGINE TREASURE also 27 years old. Loved Tegan and Sara since high school. I searched all I have to give this world is me live. Found this. Fuckin gold.
@malloryluc
Their voices are so gentle yet powerful
@DrummerGabs
Wow. Such an amazing song! This is my first time hearing it and I've replayed it about three times.
@aliciachelseaa
this song is so beautiful. so much emotion is put into it. definitely one of my favorites.
@alive0iera
this song is unreal. T&S neverrrr fail to amaze me.