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
Still Got You On My Mind
Will Hoge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's a house but it ain't no home
Can't count the days since you went away
Being right never felt so wrong
My oh my, I never thought it could be this hard
Took the pictures all down
I can pain't the walls
Woah ooh oh oh oh
I pretend everything is fine
but I know I still got you on my mind
Now the night starts calling and it's time for me
to take another lonely walk downtown
Passed all the places that we used to go
Aint the same now that you ain't around
My oh my, feels like I'm going insane
The music still plays and the people still laughin'
cause' somehow everything has changed
Woah ooh oh oh oh
I pretend everything is fine
but I know I still got you on my mind
Still got you on my mind
Theres a brown head woman at the end of the bar
asking if I want to come home
Finished my drink and I say I do
Truth is I don't want to be alone
My oh my, lying with her in our bed
She's in my arms but I'm holding on
Wishin' it was you instead
Woah ooh oh oh oh
I pretend everything is fine
But I know I still got you on my mind
Did you know I pretend everything is fine
But I know I still got you on my mind
Still got you on my mind
Yea, I still got you on my mind.
The lyrics to Will Hoge's song Still Got You On My Mind tell the tale of a man struggling to come to terms with the fact that his relationship has ended. He laments that his home no longer feels like a home since his significant other left, and he is haunted by memories of their time together. The chorus, "I pretend everything is fine but I know I still got you on my mind," reinforces the idea that the man is trying to convince himself that he is over the relationship, while the reality is quite different.
The second verse finds the man wandering through the streets, passing by the places where he and his significant other used to go. He remarks that everything has changed now that she is no longer by his side. The bridge of the song brings the man to a bar where a woman is trying to seduce him. He resigns himself to her advances, but in his heart, he knows that he is only using her as a substitute for his lost love.
Overall, the lyrics to Still Got You On My Mind portray the deeply painful process of moving on from a significant relationship that has ended. The singer is trying to convince himself that he is over his ex, but his actions betray the fact that he is still consumed by thoughts of her.
Line by Line Meaning
This place I'm livin' just ain't the same
The location I'm residing in is not how it used to be when you were around
It's a house but it ain't no home
It's just a physical structure, without you this house doesn't feel like a home
Can't count the days since you went away
I lost track of time after you left, every day blends together without you here
Being right never felt so wrong
I realize that winning the argument wasn't worth losing you, I was wrong for letting our love go
My oh my, I never thought it could be this hard
I underestimated how difficult it would be to move on from you
Took the pictures all down
I tried to remove the memories of you from this house by taking down all the pictures of us
I can pain't the walls
I tried to make changes to this house that we shared, but it still doesn't feel the same without you
but I still can't fool my old heart
Despite my efforts, my heart remains unchanged and still longs for you
Woah ooh oh oh oh
Expression of his pain and longing for her
I pretend everything is fine
I act like I'm over you and happy, but it's just a facade
but I know I still got you on my mind
I can't stop thinking about you, even when I pretend not to
Now the night starts calling and it's time for me
Night time makes me miss you more, and I have to face another lonely night
to take another lonely walk downtown
I go for a walk in the city, hoping to escape my thoughts of you
Passed all the places that we used to go
Memories of you flood back to me as I pass by places we used to visit together
Ain't the same now that you ain't around
These places that we used to frequently visit together are no longer the same after you left
My oh my, feels like I'm going insane
I am slowly losing my grip on reality due to how much I miss you
The music still plays and the people still laughin'
It's strange how life goes on normally for others even when you're in pain and hurting
cause' somehow everything has changed
Things that used to make sense don't anymore, and everything feels out of place since you've been gone
Theres a brown head woman at the end of the bar
A woman at the end of the bar is showing interest in me
asking if I want to come home
She's asking if I want to be with her for the night
Finished my drink and I say I do
I finish my drink and agree to go home with her for companionship
Truth is I don't want to be alone
I'm afraid of being alone and hoping that being with another woman will make me feel less lonely
My oh my, lying with her in our bed
I'm laying in bed with this woman next to me
She's in my arms but I'm holding on
Though she's with me, my heart is still holding on to you
Wishin' it was you instead
In reality, I wish it was you that I was holding instead of this woman
Did you know I pretend everything is fine
I still pretend to be okay around other people, including you
Yea, I still got you on my mind.
I'm not truly over you, you still occupy my thoughts and feelings
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DYLAN ALTMAN, WILL HOGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nicholashisle38
one of the greatest writers and vocalist hands down
@Dan-uf1ei
Will Hoge = the first person to EVER sway me to listening to country.
@PadgetCowan
and he just really turned country in the last few years. He always had a tendency to sway towards it but he has cranked out some great rock songs over the years as well.
@virgiljohnny
I'm kinda sad about that....
@virgiljohnny
You can't deny there's a little more twang in the old vocals...
@davhammer
Will is the man. Love his story, his soul and his songs.
@sgtibbetts
Can't believe this guy hasn't broken into the mainstream yet. Discovered him cruising iTunes one night and immediately downloaded about twelve songs. Phenomenal songwriter. Sings like a soulful cross of Bob Dylan and Tom Petty.
@mbarbee05
Completely agree with you! He reminds me a lot of petty for sure but I can sure see Dylan in there too once you said that! I LOVE his music!
@PadgetCowan
I've been listening to him for over 15 years now. He didn't start out country and while I like country okay I do miss the rock music he used to put out.
@RetroMyke
Justin Long chillin on guitar