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
Lover Tonight
Will Hoge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
there's trouble tonight and i can feel it comin' on.
i'm home drunk again,
waitin' on the same old show,
just another lonely writer tryin' to make it down this road alone.
and lover, tonight, don't leave.
just one more kiss upon my cheek.
between this heart of yours and mine,
and lover, tonight, don't go.
i got a suicide mouth, but i'm dyin' to kill.
i tell you do what you want, cause hunny i know that you will.
a slap in the face is just like a knife in the heart,
but you cant' take it back now, darlin',
without leavin' a scar.
and lover, tonight, don't leave.
just one more kiss upon my cheek.
'cause it's just miles and time,
between this heart of yours and mine,
and lover, tonight, don't go.
and how do we get back to where we started, love?
and what do we do when everything is not enough?
oh, when all of your cards are played,
maybe we should just walk away.
and lover, tonight, don't leave.
just one more kiss upon my cheek.
'cause it's just miles and time,
between this heart of yours and mine,
and lover, tonight, don't go.
The song "Lover Tonight" by Will Hoge talks about a man who is dealing with a troubled relationship. He is resigned to his fate of being a lonely writer who is struggling to find success while his partner threatens to leave him. He pleads with her to stay a little longer and give him one more kiss on the cheek. The singer in the song seems to be stuck in a never-ending cycle of loneliness and despair. He knows that his partner will do what she wants and he feels powerless to stop her. He compares a slap in the face to a knife in the heart, acknowledging the pain that comes with the end of a relationship and the inevitable scars that it leaves.
As the song progresses, there is a sense of hopelessness that creeps in. The singer wonders if he and his partner will ever be able to go back to where they started. He questions whether their relationship is worth salvaging when everything seems to be falling apart. The song ends on a bittersweet note, with the singer still begging his lover to stay, even as he wonders if it would be best to just walk away.
Overall, "Lover Tonight" is a poignant song that deals with themes of loneliness, heartbreak, and the struggle to hold on to a crumbling relationship. It is a song that many people can relate to, and it speaks to the universal experience of trying to hold on to something that is slipping away.
Line by Line Meaning
leave on the light, burnin' like a midday sun.
Keep the lights on bright, like the blazing midday sun
there's trouble tonight and i can feel it comin' on.
I sense that the evening is troublesome and chaotic
i'm home drunk again, waitin' on the same old show, just another lonely writer tryin' to make it down this road alone.
I am inebriated at home and waiting for the monotonous routine to unfold. I am a writer who is on an arduous journey alone
and lover, tonight, don't leave. just one more kiss upon my cheek. 'cause it's just miles and time, between this heart of yours and mine, and lover, tonight, don't go.
My beloved, please stay with me tonight. Give me one more kiss before you leave, it's just distance that separates our hearts. Please don't go tonight
i got a suicide mouth, but i'm dyin' to kill.
My mouth is like a weapon to destroy myself, yet I have an urge to hurt others
i tell you do what you want, cause hunny i know that you will. a slap in the face is just like a knife in the heart, but you cant' take it back now, darlin', without leavin' a scar.
I know you'll do what you want, so go ahead. A physical assault is as damaging as an emotional one and it cannot be undone without leaving a scar
and how do we get back to where we started, love? and what do we do when everything is not enough? oh, when all of your cards are played, maybe we should just walk away.
How can we restore what was and overcome this insufficiency? Perhaps it's best to walk away when there are no more options left
and lover, tonight, don't leave. just one more kiss upon my cheek. 'cause it's just miles and time, between this heart of yours and mine, and lover, tonight, don't go.
Stay with me for tonight my love. Give me one last kiss before you leave. It's just the distance and time separating our love. Don't go tonight, my love
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Will Hoge
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind