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
Painting Songs
Tegan and Sara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It must be something in the way you talk
I'm not sure just yet
It must be something in the way you dream
You just go home and the thirteen days
Inbetween you and I
This is me before I come undone
I've been tired for days and days
I've been tired for days and days
What should matter that a fortune don't
All the beauty and I say stop
Why won't you be mine?
It must be something in the way you taste
It's a magic source and I say stop
Why won't you be mine?
This is me before I fall apart
This is me before I come undone
I've been tired for days and days
I've been tired for days and days
It could have been a month or
It could have been a year but I
I gave up long before
Long before you cared
Her art inspired me to
To do my best and
To paint my music like
Like I saw it best and
She says I grew up well
Well, well I grew up strong
'Cause no one's got my back
No one's gonna write me my songs
It could have been a month or
It could have been a year but I
I gave up long before
'Cause I've been tired for days and days
I've been tired for days and days and days
I've been tired for days and days and days
I've been tired for days and days and days
It could have been a month or
It could have been a year but I
I gave up long before
Long before you cared
Her art inspired me to
To do my best and
To paint my music like
Like I saw it best and
She says I grew up well
Well, well I grew up strong
'Cause no one's got my back
No one's gonna write me my songs
It could have been a month or
It could have been a year but I
I gave up long before
'Cause I've been tired for days and days
I've been tired for days and days and days
I've been tired for days and days and days
The lyrics of Tegan and Sara’s song Painting Songs are about admiration and longing for someone who has something special about them. The song describes the indescribable qualities of this person, such as the way they walk, talk, dream, and even taste. The singer doesn’t know exactly what it is about this person that draws them in, but they can’t help but feel captivated by them. The chorus repeats the phrase “This is me before I fall apart, this is me before I come undone,” emphasizing the idea that this person is the singer’s source of stability and calmness in their life.
The lyrics also touch on the theme of self-doubt and artist’s block. The lines “Her art inspired me to do my best and to paint my music like I saw it best, and she says I grew up well” suggest that the singer’s creativity is inspired by someone else’s art. They feel a sense of pressure to create something as good as the art they admire, but also feel confident because this person believes in their artistic abilities.
Overall, Painting Songs is a complex and introspective song that explores themes of admiration, longing, and creative inspiration.
Line by Line Meaning
It must be something in the way you walk
There is something captivating about the way you move that makes me take notice.
It must be something in the way you talk
The way you speak is intriguing and makes me want to listen closely.
I'm not sure just yet
I am still trying to figure out exactly what it is that draws me to you.
It must be something in the way you dream
There is a quality to the way you think and envision the world that captivates me.
You just go home and the thirteen days
There is a distance between us, and I am left to imagine what you are doing during that time.
This is me before I fall apart
I am vulnerable and feeling fragile right now.
This is me before I come undone
I am trying to hold myself together and not let my emotions get the best of me.
I've been tired for days and days
I am exhausted and can't seem to shake this feeling of weariness.
What should matter that a fortune don't
Things like money are not as important as the qualities that make you who you are.
All the beauty and I say stop
There is something about the beauty I see in you that is overwhelming and makes me want to pause everything else.
Why won't you be mine?
I am longing for a deeper connection with you, and wondering if you feel the same way about me.
It must be something in the way you taste
There is a certain flavor about you that intrigues me and makes me want to experience more of you.
It's a magic source and I say stop
The energy I feel from you is powerful and I am unable to resist it.
It could have been a month or
I can't keep track of time because all I can think about is you.
It could have been a year but I
Time seems irrelevant compared to the strong feelings I have for you.
I gave up long before
I have been struggling with exhaustion and defeat for a while now.
Her art inspired me to
Something about the art that she creates sparks creativity and inspiration in me.
To do my best and
I am motivated to give it my all and strive for excellence because of her influence.
To paint my music like
I want to create something unique and personal, like the way she paints her art.
Like I saw it best and
I have a vision of what my art should be and I want to bring that to life.
She says I grew up well
Her encouragement and support has helped me to mature and become a better version of myself.
Well, well I grew up strong
I have faced challenges and obstacles, but I have become resilient and tough because of them.
'Cause no one's got my back
I am self-reliant and have learned to fend for myself because I can't depend on others to support me.
No one's gonna write me my songs
I have to create my art and music on my own, because nobody else can tell my story.
Contributed by Lucy D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Chandra Deck
this is so pretty...i really like the 'days and days' version, and this one...like just how she sings each of them..beautiful.
Kat
I love listening to them grow as artists! They are so beautiful!
Cole S
Prob the best lyrics ever written by the best artist of all time. Great job T&S
sarah60
Where did you get the red demo tape?? I want it!!! xx
alisue18
I really want this demo tape!!
Typical Tofu
my fav line is 'no one's gonna write me my songs'
Typical Tofu
love the bongos(?) in their earlier songs
InterviewsWithDomo
can you send me demo songs i really love them and honestly i think they are some of their best work
siblington
"Grab your brush and grab your rollers, all you kids and all you bowlers, we’re going paintin’ today" was so disapointed that this was not in the song
Mossfaerie
the version titled "Days and Days" is this song but live, and the words are a bit different.. It changes to "Must be something in the way move, must be something in the way you look I'm not sure just yet. Must be something in the way you dream, you just go home and 13 days inbetween you and I. This is me before I come undone, this is me before I fall apart" plus some of the other verses are also different.