| a hand to hold by katy eggleton CD $10.99US
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| a hand to hold by katy eggleton CD $10.99US
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The “paperback edition” of “Annual” kicks off this audio yearbook with a radio-friendly introduction to the inviting voice of Katy Eggleton. Playful memories and heartfelt observations bob along to a pulsing alt-rock beat, with detuned electric guitars snarling at the edge of the speakers. At the center of the mix stands Katy’s coolly deliberate vocals, her deadpan Liz Phair delivery sure to stop the boys in their tracks and make the girls sing along. Compressed drum and bass, over-distorted Les Pauls, and dead catchy hooks confidently allow Katy to join the cool kids like Fall Out Boy or the All American Rejects at the lunch table. And she’s only sixteen!
“Don’t get him started ‘cause he’ll go on forever—like a bicycle wheel spinning after a crash,” track two begins. Producer/guitarist/co-writer Rob Seals matches the colorful characters of “Broken Glass” to an equally colorful palette of sounds: stinging electric and shimmering acoustic guitars, a musty Wurlitzer, percolating keys, all atop a top-shelf rhythm section featuring drummer Craig MacIntyre (Josh Groban) and Sean Hurley (Vertical Horizon) on bass. Katy sees the quirks in people not as defects but as wonderful imperfections that make us all unique. When she holds them like broken glass to the light she observes, “There’s beauty in the flaws—with colors shining through.” She then asks, “When you see flaws, are they beautiful to you?” By the end of the piece Katy is able to take her own imperfections and find beauty in them as well. This song of acceptance reveals a songwriter awake to detail and willing to entrust the listener with those humble observations. Appropriate that the quirky verses move in syncopated, hairpin turns before straightening for the song’s wisdom at the memorable chorus.
With exuberant wordplay and an infectious power-pop delivery, “Like Something Electrical” mingles with Jimmy Eat World, Weezer, and Fountains of Wayne in re-spinning ‘80s rock to clever and winning effect. “You are the outlet I plug myself into—I get a charge just being with you,” Katy sings. The song won Katy Pop Single of the Year at the 2005 Los Angeles Music Awards. That inexplicable spark that two people share feels “like something electrical.” So does AH2H by now, three tracks in and kinetic.
The waltz “Coming Back” is perhaps the gem of the record for its world-wise lyric, lilting melody, and gently rocking gait. Written after her first cross-country tour as a musician, “Coming Back” explores not just life on the road but how the road and home give context, perspective, and value to one another. The sense of belonging we derive from coming back to where we belong is, as Katy sings, “why we go away.” Tailor-made for a WB show soundtrack and featuring piano and viola from Beth Balmer of the band fielding, “Coming Back” is sure to be a staple on graduation mixes and slideshows.
From the romping “Good for You” to the tender “Pulling Back,” the rest of AH2H covers a lot of ground. Anthemic in a “Kids in America” meets “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” way, “Good for You” shows Katy’s lighter side through a grinning portrayal of the 21st Century Teen’s frenetic life. The song sets a playful lyric against maniacal synths and a breakneck tempo. By adding backing vocals from a deluge of cell phone voice mails, we feel what it’s like to sprint in Katy’s shoes. The record’s broad appeal comes from the graceful balance it strikes in songs like this between being at once youthfully current and timeless in its concerns. “The future’s in good hands but I want to stay a kid today!” she pleads.
The future is surely in good hands if they belong to the author of “Pulling Back.” Here Katy takes the metaphor of a kite to explore the complicated dynamic of friendship. The kite only takes flight when the friend at the other end of the string is willing to pull back: “You are like a kite sometimes—the way you dodge the power lines—I grip your string so tight—and I swear I won’t let go,” Katy sings. This mix of reassurance and hopefulness runs throughout the collection and makes A Hand to Hold something substantial to hold on to.
The “hardcover edition” of the song “Annual” finishes the collection, adding two additional verses to the rip-roaring radio version that kicked things off. As Katy promises in the final chorus, “My heart is the archives—The album of our lives—Open me up, I’ll be there, any time you need…” we close the book on this first volume of a young artist’s life and career with the anticipation that she has lots more to say.
A Hand to Hold seems a fitting title for an album that explores the complexities of friendship. “You know that person in your life you are so close with that they are everything to you, that they are a part of you?” Katy asks. “They are a hand to hold in every way. They stay with you, and even if they have to leave, they remain in your heart.” She reflects, “Someone’s hand to hold can change from time to time, but having a hand to hold gives life meaning.”
You know those embarrassing photos from your high school annual that you wish you could erase? There are none of those in A Hand to Hold. Poised and confident, with timely music and timeless insight, this portrait captures Katy Eggleton’s best side.
track 1
annual (paperback edition)
by Katy Eggleton & Rob Seals
i wanna write you a letter, i’d start with how it looks like rain, i'd tell you things you'd forget, when everything’s the same—i could write a novel, it will be for our age, because we always stuck together, on the same page—scribbling on paper, glancing at the clock, hoping time goes faster, except when i’m with you—slamming our lockers, walking down the stairs, bending over laughing, waiting to be late—my heart is the archives, the album of our lives, open me up i’ll be there, any time you need, any time…you need—«—tearing pictures from magazines, and you’re far away, but you are the only thing, that’s keeping me awake—grabbing jacket sleeves, stepping on heels, pushing my way past them, while searching for you—matching our footsteps, never tracing tracks, stuck in the mud, getting frustrated—my heart is the archives, the album of our lives, open me up i’ll be there, any time you need, any time…any time…you need—my dreams go just like my days, i’m not living history, i’m our living history, phrase by phrase—««—who can tell where we’ll end up, and if i’ll be with you, i know i’ve written a novel here, but it’s just what i do…, but it’s just what i do—my heart is the archives, the album of our lives, open me up i’ll be there, any time you need, any time…any time…any time…you need—my heart is the archives, the album of our lives, open me up i’ll be there, any time you need, any time…any time…any time…you need
track 2
broken glass
by Katy Eggleton & Rob Seals
don’t get him started cause he’ll go on forever, like a bicycle wheel spinning after a crash, nothing i could imitate, he’s like a cartoon, he sounds sort of goofy when he laughs—forgets he has detention so he has to serve it twice, sometimes he forgets how he knows me, now i remind him, “you don’t remember anything!” he smiles and says, “you’re my memory.”—with the distance from frustration, it’s clear enough to see—he’s like broken glass, when i hold him to the light, there’s beauty in the flaws, with colors shining through, when you see flaws, are they beautiful to you?—she’s like a bear unaware of her strength, or even what words can do, blunt as an elbow in a crowded hall, she pushes her voice on through—but she asks the questions that we all want to ask, i lack her conviction, i am unsure, one thing i’m sure of is she’s sure of herself, when others’ opinions seem blurred—with the distance from frustration, it’s clear enough to see—she’s like broken glass, when i hold her to the light, there’s beauty in the flaws, with colors shining through, when you see flaws, are they beautiful to you?—hearing her thinking over the phone, and the muffled responses it brings, careful not to interrupt, realizing we need the same things—next to impossible to make up my mind, i want the world’s consent, picking a band name to the color of my hair, people don’t get my intent—with the distance of a friendship, your arms fall around me—we’re like broken glass, when you hold us to the light, there’s beauty in the flaws, with colors shining through, when you see flaws, are they beautiful to you?...
track 3
like something electrical
by Katy Eggleton & Rob Seals
you are the outlet i plug myself into, i get a charge just being with you, you power me up, when i break down, reaching, connecting to find something true—you’re the current that runs through me with the power to undo me—like something electrical, like something electrical, i’m so susceptible, you’re something electrical—no one understands us, we keep to ourselves, with silly distractions, our heels on the floor, step into that world, as the lights go up, we take a deep breath and we walk through the door—you’re the current that runs through me, with the power to undo me—like something electrical, like something electrical, i’m so susceptible, you’re something electrical—powered by thoughts, by words, by smiles, powered by secrets, avoiding denial, hi watt chills from a warm embrace, powered by knowing the look on your face, my battery dies without you—this star-shaped pillow i hold oh so tight, the one that you gave me when i’m gone at night, i picture you dancing to our favorite song, like something electrical when the show is on, like something electrical when the show is on—like something electrical, like something electrical, i’m so susceptible, you’re something electrical—like something electrical, like something electrical, i’m so susceptible, you’re something electrical…
track 4
coming back
by Katy Eggleton & Rob Seals
we wake up, and don’t quite know, just where we are again—waiting up, until it’s late, enough to call back home—the road behind, and ahead, and what is coming next—living in, our memories, till this becomes the best—it’s why we go away, it’s why we go away—we’re closer to, what we’ve been apart from, we never quite knew, what we were a part of, and all that we do, is leading me on the right track, i’m coming back—i never knew, just how long, three whole weeks could be—i was two, hours ahead, but you were still with me—it’s why we go away, it’s why we go away—we’re closer to, what we’ve been apart from, we never quite knew, what we were a part of, and all that we do, is leading me on the right track, i’m coming back—it’s not what you’re used to, these minutes and miles are new, looking for a piece of home, it’s hard to find, but we do—it’s why we go away, it’s why we go away—we’re closer to, what we’ve been apart from, we never quite knew, what we were a part of, and all that we do, is leading me on the right track, i’m coming back
track 5
good for you
lyrics by Katy Eggleton & Rob Seals, music by Rob Mullins
can you remember what it’s like to be me, the first time you saw the Beatles on the TV, you weren’t one to break rules, but to bend, seems like you turned out OK in the end—why are you keeping me from being a kid? i’m not gonna do the things that you did, i know life isn’t all fun, but it could be right now!—i just need a day with nothing to do, who knew that nothing could be good for you? i just need a day with nothing to do, who knew that nothing could be good for…—you’d be gone from sun up every saturday, no boundaries, you had to find your own way, you have my days planned, but my dreams are the place i can play—crazy how our lives can change, swim team, girl scouts, lemonade, singing lessons, school plays, going to LA, doing things to get me into college one day, there’s no time to keep track of my sheep, all these schedules in my sleep—i just need a day with nothing to do, wide awake…wide awake…—i just need a day with nothing to do, who knew that nothing could be good for you?—i just need a day with nothing to do, who knew that nothing could be good for you?—i just need a day with nothing to do, who knew that nothing could be good for you?—i just need a day with nothing to do, who knew that nothing could be good for you?—i’m hearing everything you say to me, prepared for my responsibilities, the future’s in good hands, but i want to stay a kid today—i just need a day with nothing to do, who knew that nothing could be good for you?—i just need a day with nothing to do, who knew that nothing could be good for you?—i just need a day with nothing to do, who knew that nothing could be good for you?—i just need a day with nothing to do, who knew that nothing could be good for you?
track 6
fade away
lyrics by Katy Eggleton & Rob Seals, music by Rob Mullins
fade away, we joke around, we’ll fade away, summers end, they let me down, and fade away—as we talk the hours pass, sounds cliché but time flies fast, i always wonder if we will last, so i asked you and you laughed—seasons will change, but we’ll be the same, whatever time brings, i know one thing: that we have, to make sure that we won’t—fade away, don’t joke around, we’ll fade away, all this time, i’m hoping you, won’t fade away—silence tells me it’s OK, but you still have something to say, you said that we will talk another day, but i’ll help you say it anyway—seasons will change, but we’ll be the same, whatever time brings, i know one thing: that we have, to make sure that we won’t—fade away, don’t joke around, we’ll fade away, all this time, i’m hoping you, won’t fade away—you whisper what i'm thinking, all my worries disappear, and you tell me you won’t, abandon me in this new year—fade away, i look around, you fade away, i wake up, you say you won’t, fade away—fade away, i once thought, you’d fade away, but today, i know you won’t…
track 7
another tuesday
by Rob Mullins
another tuesday with you knockin’ at my door, i turn the music up, and stay here on the floor—you talk too loud too much, and then you wonder why, no one wants to be with you, to hold your hand, and now you made me cry—just go away, i don’t wanna see you any longer, don’t make me pay, for the things you try to make me do, it’s not okay when you wanna pull me closer to you, i’m so better off here on my own—another tuesday with you callin’ on my phone, why can’t you get it straight, i want to be alone—pleasant thoughts of you, are never in my head, let me run away today, and you can figure out, just what you said—just go away, i don’t wanna see you any longer, don’t make me pay, for the things you try to make me do, it’s not okay when you wanna pull me closer to you, i’m so better off here on my own—time it’s the only thing i have here by my side, when you’re gone i take a magic carpet ride, when you’re here you only give me tears inside—just go away, i don’t wanna see you any longer, don’t make me pay, for the things you try to make me do, it’s not okay when you wanna pull me closer to you, i’m so better off here on my own—just go away, i don’t wanna see you any longer, don’t make me pay, for the things you try to make me do, it’s not okay when you wanna pull me closer to you, i’m so better off here on my own
track 8
pulling back
lyrics by Katy Eggleton & Rob Seals, music by Rob Mullins
i am answering your message, i can see you’re getting restless, you’re telling me how it’s the worst thing of your life—you are different, i’ve been told, but i know you’re a hand to hold, to cross the busy street when we’re downtown at night—you always have stories for me, some i even don’t believe, it’s hard for me to ever think of, living life like that—you wish to live inside a bubble, you always seem to get in trouble, not with the law but with the people here—pulling back, the tension on the surface to get what’s deep inside, so i’m pulling back, i’m only holding on to help you fly—you are like a kite sometimes, the way you dodge the power lines, I’ll grip your string so tight and i swear i won’t let go—find your reason and run with it, it’s the safe thing to resist it, tomorrow’s as predictable, as the wind—pulling back, the tension on the surface to get what’s deep inside, so i’m pulling back, i’m only holding on to help you fly—no one ever sees you crying, all i know is you are trying, to find a refuge that protects you, from the world—i have always been here for you, i’m the one who won’t ignore you—we are bad at making plans, and we are bad at keeping friends, who love us as ourselves, and ask for nothing more—will you stop shooting me those glances, i don’t always have the answers, to questions you will ask me that i’ve asked before—pulling back, the tension on the surface to get what’s deep inside, so i’m pulling back, i’m only holding on to help you fly—pulling back, the tension on the surface to get what’s deep inside, so i’m pulling back, i’m only holding on to help you fly—pulling back…
track 9
always ever never
lyrics by Katy Eggleton, music by Rob Mullins
i never meant to hurt you, it’s the last thing i wanted to do, believe it or not but it’s true, i can’t help missing you—hurting me didn’t help, i’ll always care for you, i didn’t want to leave now, it was so hard to do—now you’re gone and you’re never coming back, fade away our dream has turned to black, always i’ll be missing you, there’s nothing really i can do, always ever never missing you—i called you on your birthday, you didn’t pick up the phone, so i called up one of my friends, because i felt so alone—then i went out with my girlfriends, and they don’t like your face, i didn’t understand it, but they felt they were being replaced—now you’re gone and you’re never coming back, fade away our dream has turned to black, always i’ll be missing you, there’s nothing really i can do, always ever never missing you—now you’re gone and you’re never coming back, fade away our dream has turned to black, always i’ll be missing you, there’s nothing really i can do, always ever never missing you—always i’ll be missing you, there’s nothing really i can do, always ever never missing you—
track 10
quiet without you
lyrics by Katy Eggleton & Rob Mullins, music by Rob Mullins
sing me to sleep, and let me dream, cuz when i wake up, you frustrate me—i have words to say that i can’t find, i may seem unsure, but as each day passes by, i’m loving you more—now i think that i’m fallin’, fallin’ in love with you, i can’t let a day go by, cuz i know in my heart that i’m fallin’ so in love with you—my favorite distraction, is one i can’t see, but when i feel alone, you always find me—i turn the key and you will turn on for me, it’s quiet without you, but as i drive away, i know this is true—now i think that i’m fallin’, fallin’ in love with you, i can’t let a day go by, cuz i know in my heart that i’m fallin’ so in love with you—i turn the key and you will turn on for me, it’s quiet without you, and as you sing to me more, i know this is true—now i think that i’m fallin’, fallin’ in love with you, i can’t let a day go by, cuz i know in my heart that i’m fallin’ so in love with you—now i think that i’m fallin’, fallin’ in love with you, i can’t let a day go by, cuz i know in my heart that i’m fallin’ so in love with you
track 11
annual (hardcover edition)
by Katy Eggleton & Rob Seals
bonus verses! add to the paperback edition:
«the most important days, can be written on a page, but they don’t tell a thing about, how you’re the drive to my ways
««when you’re so connected, you’re more than just yourself, you can’t stay lonely for long, when you have someone else
© 2006 Katy Eggleton Music – All Rights Reserved