Following an unsuccessful spell in the mid-1990s as part of a band called Spoonful, in 1998 Hoge began touring the American south with guitarist Dan Baird (former of The Georgia Satellites). Hoge independently released his first CD, Live At The Exit/In, a live set recorded at the Nashville club. This drew some attention and that, and constant touring, led to the release Hodge's first studio album, Carousel. A record deal followed in early 2002 and his major label debut, Blackbird On A Lonely Wire, in 2003.
Hoge was involved in a scooter accident on August 20, 2008 after leaving a studio session for what would be his next album, "The Wreckage". Following numerous surgical procedures (mainly on his shattered femur/leg), Hoge made a full recovery.
His album "Number Seven" was released in 2011.
Hoge has made a career of writing and singing powerful songs about life’s cruel and dark turns. Not long ago, he fell victim to one such turn. As Hoge rode his scooter home from the studio, he was struck by an oncoming van that had veered into his lane. There were no skid marks. Launched off his bike, Hoge ended up bloodied, broken-boned, temporarily blinded, and near death. “[The accident] was like stopping a record as it spins,” says Hoge, who had been halfway through recording material for his new record before getting derailed. “It was like taking the needle and pushing it off the turntable.” For ten months, the accident sidelined Hoge. For ten months, it made him do something he hadn’t done in 18 years: stop the music. Larger matters dominated his life, like physical recovery and the well-being of his family. “People would say, ‘I bet you’re ready to get back to playing and writing.’ I’m thinking, ‘Playing or singing is not the issue right now. I’m ready to get back to walking.’”
His previous album, Draw the Curtains, had been a unanimous high-water mark in his career, a magnificent collection of rock, country, soul, blues, and folk. With a great band, good vibes, and clear skies overhead, Hoge felt like he was building something real as a career artist. Eight months after the incident he re-entered the studio in pursuit of that mission.. “Making The Wreckage opened me up in a different way,” says Hoge. “I felt a calmness, a purpose. Right now it feels like I’m getting to the core of what I want to do and why.”
The Wreckage listens like a record with a purpose. Having stared down his own mortality, Hoge has now rediscovered the simple joys of making good music. “It’s hard to explain, but I felt a certain serenity making this album,” he says. “It doesn’t come through in the songs, but the process has become easier, and I believe the songs flow with more confidence.”
When Hoge’s fans hear these songs, they’ll feel that resolve too. The Wreckage both curses life’s wrong turns and celebrates its triumphs. “I’ve always tried to make albums that have a good reason for every song, and for the sequence of those songs. On this album you get 40:18 of music, and hopefully you’ll want to hear the whole thing start to finish.”
The album was crafted with a depth of sound and musicality that breaks new ground for Hoge. Rugged, pulsating rock fuels “Just Like Me.” Spirited melody characterizes tunes like “Highway Wings” and “Even If It Breaks Your Heart.” The gruff ghosts of the barroom return on Hoge’s “Hard to Love,” as does the searing country roots rock of “Long Gone.” Ballads like “What Could I Do” and “The Wreckage” are rife with the sort of brooding melancholy you’d expect from a guy who has been to the edge and back. “‘The Wreckage’ is one of the favorite songs I’ve ever sung,” Hoge admits. “I couldn’t have sung this physically before the accident, because my voice just wasn’t suited to how quiet it is.”
“Even If It Breaks Your Heart,” his paean to rock and roll as life’s true calling, is another tune Hoge admires. “The minute we started recording it, it was one of those songs that drove itself. Everyone in the room understood the sentiment. There was magic in that moment you don’t get very often.”
Even though half of The Wreckage was written and most of it recorded after the crash, images of the episode are only discreetly woven into the fabric of the album, like streaks of red on a dark surface. That’s because Hoge would rather leave those lines, words, and phrases to interpretation.
Released one year almost to the day of his accident, The Wreckage is not, song by song, a celebration of life. The sentiments are too dark, his lyrics too biting, his voice brimming with moodiness. Risen from the ashes of Hoge’s own “wreckage,” the recording is an incredible achievement, hands-down his best work to date. And that is as good a cause as any for real celebration.
www.willhoge.com
Ain't No Sunshine
Will Hoge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not warm when she's away
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
She's always gone too long
Anytime she goes away
Wonder if she's gone to stay
Only darkness everyday
And this house just ain't no home
Anytime she goes away
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know
I know I know I know
And I live nothing alone
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
It's not warm when she's away
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
And this house just ain't no home
Anytime she goes away
(Mrs. Jefferson Crow - on the piano!)
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know
I know I know I know
And I live nothing alone
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
It's not good when she's away
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
And this house just ain't no home
Anytime she goes away
Anytime she goes away
Anytime,
Anytime,
Anytime,
She goes,
She goes,
She goes,
She goes,
Anytime she goes away
The song "Ain't No Sunshine" by Will Hoge is about a man who is longing for his lover to return home. He feels that without her, his world is bleak and it's not warm anymore. The lyrics suggest that his lover is always gone for a long time whenever she leaves, leaving him in darkness every day. He wonders if she has gone for good this time, leaving him alone in a loveless life. The repetition of "I know" in the song is the singer trying to convince himself that he doesn't need his lover, but the reality is, he can't live without her. The song is a melancholic reflection on the pain of separation and the yearning for love.
Line by Line Meaning
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
The sun is no longer shining when she is not here.
It's not warm when she's away
In her absence, there is an internal coldness that cannot be warmed by anything else.
She's always gone too long
The amount of time she is away always feels too long.
Anytime she goes away
Every time she leaves, something precious is being taken away.
Wonder if she's gone to stay
It is difficult to know when or if she is coming back.
Only darkness every day
Without her light and presence, everything becomes dark and dreary.
And this house just ain't no home
The house, which should be a place of comfort, is empty and hollow without her.
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know
The artist is affirming their understanding of how much her absence affects them.
And I feel nothing alone
Without her, the artist feels a profound sense of loneliness and emptiness.
It's not good when she's away
Her absence is not just inconvenient, it is deeply unsettling.
Anytime, she goes, she goes, she goes, she goes, anytime she goes away
The repetition emphasizes the repeated and consistent pain of her leaving.
Contributed by Hailey L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@michaelwhite4592
incredible version!!
@corey5rem
Can you please post more from this live album? Fucking please!!!!