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
Highway Wings
Will Hoge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hold on baby I'll be there in a sweet little while
Blue sky blue sky's calling telling me to move on
Around here everyone's fading or already gone
This town is broke down baby
Full of dust from rusted dreams
I gotta get before it gets me
Underneath my highway wings
My highway wings
I hear too too many stories about what could have been
Everybody here would be different if they could do it again
But I'm not I'm not gonna stay here there's no way to win
In a town of dead end losers I don't wanna fit in
This town is broke down baby
Full of dust from rusted dreams
I gotta get before it gets me
I need to hear that blacktop sing
Underneath my highway wings
My highway wings
I need to know
I need to feel
What it'd be like far away from here
The time has come
To say goodbye
Yeah it's time for me to fly
This town is broke down baby
Full of dust from rusted dreams
I gotta get before it gets me
I need to hear that blacktop sing
Underneath my highway wings
My highway wings
The song Highway Wings by Will Hoge is a melancholic anthem for anyone who feels trapped in their small town, dreaming of escape and a better life. The lyrics paint a bleak picture of a place where dreams die and people are resigned to their fate. The singer is determined to break free, to leave behind the stories of missed opportunities and the dead end losers who inhabit the town.
The opening lines set the tone for the entire song, with the singer hearing the voice of someone they care about on the phone, but being unable to comfort them for a little while. This moment serves as a catalyst for the singer to take action, to hit the road and never look back. They are drawn by the call of the blue sky and the open road, where they hope to find something better, something that will make them feel alive.
Each verse repeats the same message, that the town is broken, full of dust and rusted dreams, and that the singer needs to get out before it gets them. The chorus is a soaring affirmation of their desire to escape, to feel the wind in their hair and the freedom of the open road. They need to hear that blacktop sing, to feel the pavement beneath their feet and the promise of a new beginning ahead. Finally, the bridge is a declaration of their intent, a moment of clarity where they realize that they can no longer stay here, where they need to say goodbye and fly away.
Overall, Highway Wings is a bittersweet ballad that captures the feeling of restlessness and longing for something better. It is a song for anyone who has ever felt trapped or stuck in their small town, dreaming of escape and adventure.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear hear your voice shaking on the end of the line
I can tell you're nervous just by the sound of your voice on the phone
Hold on baby I'll be there in a sweet little while
Don't worry, I'm coming to be with you soon
Blue sky blue sky's calling telling me to move on
I feel drawn to leave this place and start anew
Around here everyone's fading or already gone
People are either giving up on their dreams or leaving town altogether
This town is broke down baby
This town is in bad shape
Full of dust from rusted dreams
It seems like everyone's hopes and aspirations have been abandoned and left to decay
I gotta get before it gets me
I need to leave before this place consumes me too
I need to hear that blacktop sing
I crave the freedom and adventure that comes with hitting the open road
Underneath my highway wings
I feel like I can soar and escape my troubles when I'm on the highway
I hear too too many stories about what could have been
I'm tired of hearing people regretting their choices and wondering what could have been instead of living in the moment
Everybody here would be different if they could do it again
If people had the chance to start over, they would make different choices and create alternate lives for themselves
But I'm not I'm not gonna stay here there's no way to win
I refuse to get stuck in this town and its dead-end ways when there's no future or opportunity here
In a town of dead end losers I don't wanna fit in
I don't want to be like everyone else in this town, settling for mediocrity and accepting defeat
I need to know
I crave knowledge and understanding
I need to feel
I crave experiencing life to the fullest, all its highs and lows
What it'd be like far away from here
I wonder what kind of life I could lead if I left this town behind
The time has come
It's time for a change
To say goodbye
To leave this place behind
Yeah it's time for me to fly
It's time for me to chase my dreams and soar into the unknown
Contributed by Victoria B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.