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
Hey Tonight
Will Hoge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's the lonely hour
But I've seen your window
And I've knocked on your door
There's no need to hide
I'm a love lost disaster
And sooner or later you're gonna find out
Just what I'm here after
Hey tonight
Say that you still love me
The way that you always did before
Hey tonight
Say the fire is still burning
And in the morning pretend that we don't see the ashes on the floor
There's blood on these streets
I know that I'm losing
My heart's been left open
And I'm falling away
I know that I could
I could change if I have to
But I've been here so long, I think I've learned to like it this way
Into the ocean and with no light
I'm sinking this ship tonight
I'm going down fast
Won't you hold on tight
Don't turn on the lights
Don't look out from inside
Because I know how this ends
And I just can't stand it this way
The lyrics of Will Hoge's song Hey Tonight depict a lover who is desperately trying to reconnect with someone who they have lost but still love deeply. It is evident from the start of the song that the singer is troubled and lost as he describes himself as a love lost disaster. He has seen the window of his love interest and is now knocking on their door. The singer is well aware that his actions are dictated by loneliness and a desire to rekindle what he once had, which is why he begs for the other person to reciprocate his love and say that they still love him.
The lyrics show the inner turmoil of the singer as he struggles with the fact that he knows he is losing the battle for love. Despite the hopelessness of the situation, the singer forces himself to believe that the fire of their love is still burning and that they can still pretend that there are ashes on the floor. However, the song's somber tone suggests otherwise, and the message is clear that the love between the two protagonists could be extinguished entirely. The final verse of the song is the most poignant as the singer describes his fall further away from love and isolates himself as he sinks his ship into the ocean. The song is a lament for a love that has ended or is ending, and the singer's emotions are conveyed effectively through the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I know it's late
The time is late, perhaps it's the lonely and melancholic hour
It's the lonely hour
It could be a quiet and lonely hour when one is feeling lonely
But I've seen your window
The singer has had a glimpse of the person's window
And I've knocked on your door
The artist has knocked on the person's door to get their attention
There's no need to hide
The person doesn't need to feel shy or hide from the artist
I'm a love lost disaster
The singer is shattered without love, and sees himself as a hopeless disaster
And sooner or later you're gonna find out
Eventually, the person will come to realize the singer's intentions
Just what I'm here after
The artist has a specific purpose or goal they're after
Hey tonight
An exclamation greeting someone, could be a love interest
Say that you still love me
Everything the artist has been doing is because they don't want to lose the person's love
The way that you always did before
The singer wants the person to love them the same way they've done previously
Say the fire is still burning
The artist wants assurance that the person's love is still alive and powerful
And in the morning pretend that we don't see the ashes on the floor
The singer wants the person to forget about the hurt and mess from their previous fights and arguments in the morning
There's blood on these streets
The singer is going through difficult times that the street could metaphorically represent
I know that I'm losing
The singer feels like they are losing in whatever is going on
My heart's been left open
The artist's heart is vulnerable and exposed
And I'm falling away
The artist feels like they are falling apart, or distancing away from the person
I know that I could
The singer is aware that they could change or modify their behavior
I could change if I have to
The singer can change or put effort into self-improvement if they deemed it necessary
But I've been here so long, I think I've learned to like it this way
The artist has been in this situation for so long that they've come to accept and like it
Into the ocean and with no light
Could be a metaphor, or a reference to the artist's drowning or being lost metaphorically
I'm sinking this ship tonight
The artist is 'sinking' their chances at love or relationship tonight
I'm going down fast
The singer is quickly losing their chances at love or relationship
Won't you hold on tight
The artist is asking the person to hold on or hang in there, presumably in a relationship context
Don't turn on the lights
The singer wants the person to keep it dark or silent
Don't look out from inside
The singer doesn't want the person to peek or look out from inside
Because I know how this ends
The singer has a pessimistic or negative view of how this situation would end
And I just can't stand it this way
The artist cannot bear the current state of things and wishes for things to change
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILL HOGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind