Numerous drummers came and went until June of 1986, when Don Schmid joined to make it a permanent quartet. With the help of friend and local booking agent Robert Hodgins, the band cut its teeth on the prairie bar circuit. The combination of exciting live performances, well-received indie albums, and the continuous stream of demos caught the ear of Doug Chappell, President of Virgin Records, Canada, and with the help of managers Fraser Hill and Ed Smeall, The Pikes signed to the label on December 19, 1986.
In January 1987, the band began sessions at Metal Works Studio in Toronto with producers Rick Hutt and Fraser Hill, and they finished mixing at McClear Place Studios for what would become its first Virgin album, titled 'Big Blue Sky'. It was released in June of '87 and featured the singles "Teenland" and "Things I Do For Money", introducing the band to a wider audience and expanding the touring range to all parts of Canada and the USA.
Spring of 1988 saw The Pikes at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, NY. and later in Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec for the recording and mixing of 'Secrets of the Alibi'. The sophomore album had a more "live off the floor" feel, and the heavy airplay of single "Wait For Me" and "Hopes Go Astray" kept the band on the road virtually non-stop across the continent until the summer of '89.
Up to this point, the primary singers and songwriters were Jay and Merl, with the exception of some group compositions and "Hopes" written by Bryan. The Pikes third album Snow In June saw the blossoming of Bryan as a singer and writer, most notably for the hit single "She Ain't Pretty". In addition the album featured other hits, "Girl With A Problem" and "Kiss Me You Fool", and featured a star-studded cast of additional musicians - Garth Hudson, Crystal Taliefero, John Sebastian and Stan Szelest, as well as mixes by acclaimed engineers Bob Clearmountain and Hugh Padgham. Recording again in Bearsville and mixing at A&M Studios in Los Angeles, the Pikes spent almost six months working on the album, considered by many to be their finest.
After almost two years of touring to support Snow In June, the band began work on Neptune in July of '92 at A&M Studios in LA with Rob Jaczko as co-producer. Subsequent sessions continued at Metal Works in Toronto and Blue Jay Studio in Boston. From start to finish the album took exactly two months to record, mix and master¤ the fastest turnaround since their indie days- Released in November, Neptune featured the keyboard work of Ross Nykiforuk, also a native of Saskatoon and an on-stage addition for the Snow In June tour. Also featured were two duets with Margo Timmins of "Cowboy Junkies", one of which¤ "Worlds Away"¤ made its way onto an episode of the TV series "Due South". The album featured the singles "Twister", "Believe" and "Everything", and in December saw the band fly from one end of Canada to the other on a whirlwind tour promoting the record.
The spring of '93 saw the last tour for The Pikes, and the fifth and final album gig, recorded live during concerts in Montreal and Toronto. It featured 13 songs and showcased the raw energy the band always exhibited onstage.
The Northern Pikes played their final concert of this first era on July 2, 1993 in Fort Frances, Ontario. Their unofficial final recording session took place July 9, '93 in Don's "Fresh Vibe North" studio where Jay, Bryan, Don and Ross laid down the original tracks for the theme song to "Due South" written by Jay and Bryan. Shortly afterwards, the band disbanded.
However, in 1999, the band reformed to build a Greatest Hits package, called "Hits and Assorted Secrets 1984-1993." On the subsequent tour to promote this album, the band decided to release a live work in 2000 ("Live"). This was followed by a studio album in 2001 ("Truest Inspiration"), and another in 2003 ("It's a Good Life"). A collaborative album with fellow Canadian artist Les Stroud followed-up in 2008. They've continued to tour over the past few years.
Everything
The Northern Pikes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's nothing to lean on, there's nothing to hold on
Now all is said and done left behind like a dream
There's nowhere to go nowhere to go to
I thought I had it all...
I thought I had it all...
I thought I had it all...
You took it all, all away, left me there, there to stay
Feeling so cold now I'm on my own now
Why should I live my life anymore
You are gone and I lost it all
There's nothing to lean on, nothing to hold on
You were everything in my heart,
And my heart still beats, these empty beats
You were everything in my heart,
And my heart will go on, without you
Still I have to carry on, carry on and on
There's nowhere to go to, nowhere to go to
I'll hope this pain will fade away, fade away some day
There's nothing to live for, there's nothing to die for
I thought I had it all...
I thought I had it all...
I thought I had it all...
I thought I had it all...
You were everything in my heart,
And my heart still beats, these empty beats
You were everything in my heart,
And my heart will go on, without you
[Solo: P. Lindroos]
You were everything in my heart,
You were everything in my heart,
You were everything in my heart,
And my heart still beats, these empty beats
You were everything in my heart,
And my heart will go on, without you
You were everything in my heart,
You were everything in my heart.
The Northern Pikes's song "Everything" is a heart-wrenching ode about the pain of losing someone who was everything to you. The lyrics speak of losing not just a person, but also everything that was held dear, leaving behind nothing to lean on or hold on to. With nowhere to go and no purpose anymore, the singer is left feeling empty and lost. The chorus holds onto what remains, the beating of the heart, but acknowledges that it will go on without the person who was everything.
The lyrics convey a sense of desperation and loss, reflecting the darker side of love and the depths of grief that can come with it. It is a powerful reminder that love is not always enough to hold onto and that sometimes people and things we cherish can slip through our fingers.
Interestingly, the song only reached #91 on the Canadian charts when it was released in 1992, despite it being a favorite among fans. The group had two previous hit singles in Canada in the mid-late 80s, but this release did not gain the same commercial success.
Line by Line Meaning
Everything I had is gone and all I cared is dead
I lost everything that mattered to me and now I feel numb
There's nothing to lean on, there's nothing to hold on
I have no support, nothing to anchor me
Now all is said and done left behind like a dream
Everything feels like a distant memory now that it's over
There's nowhere to go nowhere to go to
I feel lost and aimless, with no direction in life
You took it all, all away, left me there, there to stay
You robbed me of everything, leaving me stranded and alone
Feeling so cold now I'm on my own now
I am left isolated, with nobody to turn to
Why should I live my life anymore
I am questioning the purpose of my existence without you
You are gone and I lost it all
Your absence has caused me to lose everything
There's nothing to lean on, nothing to hold on
I have no one and nothing to rely on in my time of need
Still I have to carry on, carry on and on
Even though I feel like giving up, I know I must keep going
I'll hope this pain will fade away, fade away some day
I am holding onto the possibility that my suffering will lessen over time
There's nothing to live for, there's nothing to die for
I feel like I have no reason to keep living or to give up and die
You were everything in my heart,
You meant the world to me,
And my heart still beats, these empty beats
But now my heart feels hollow and devoid of life
And my heart will go on, without you
Although you are gone, my heart will keep beating and life will go on
You were everything in my heart,
Again, I emphasize that you meant the world to me
[Solo: P. Lindroos]
This instrumental break serves as a moment of reflection and introspection
You were everything in my heart,
Once more, I express the depth of my love for you
You were everything in my heart,
And again, you meant everything to me
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: FREDDIE D III JERKINS, LASHAWN AMEEN DANIELS, MISCHKE J BUTLER, RODNEY JERKINS, RODNEY ROY JERKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ken Johnson
These guys weren't a one hit wonder. They had several tunes that were radio regulars if you lived near the Canadian border. "Things I do for Money" is still played from time to time. Wish I could have seen them play live.
toborobo
I spent a lot of time in Canada in the summer of 1990 and listened to a lot of local radio. This was one of my favorites from that time. Thanks for the memories
WALTKRIEG
Canadian music is very good !
VelociPat
Love this vid! Another great song by a great Canadian band!
Champ675
This one's for sure a classic!
FMP1970
Unforgetable song and video! Nice to see it again.
Richard Herbert
I always have loved these guys too. I heard this song on the radio before CBC broadcast a live NP session that I recorded on a BETA tape a Long Time Ago. Since then, I've had the indignity of running into a similar woman, and this has become somewhat of a theme song. Gotta love the Northern Pikes.
yuka2nao
my English teacher introduced this song to my class today when we analyzed it for poetic elements :D great song!
KittyKat2151
this is when music was still good .. and this song is so fitting i had this song sung to me once ..lol
matcraizy
love this song