You Were Here
Encyclopedia
You Were Here is an album by Canadian
singer-songwriter
Sarah Harmer
, released in 2000.
after years of almost reaching the pop charts with Weeping Tile
. Ironically, the album's first big hit, "Basement Apt.", had previously been a Weeping Tile song, appearing on that band's 1995 release eepee
. Harmer also had a hit with "Don't Get Your Back Up", which she had previously recorded with The Saddletramps
. Three other songs, "Weakened State", "Lodestar" and "Coffee Stain", had also been previously recorded by Weeping Tile, on 1998's This Great Black Night
.
Harmer stated "“I always had kind of high expectations for You Were Here, but I was holding onto it for as long as I could, to find a proper, appropriate home.” She self-financed and self-released the album on her own Cold Snap Records label before it was licensed by Zoë Records
and Universal Music Canada.
The album's title track is a tribute to her former Weeping Tile bandmate Joe Chithalen
, who died in 1999.
ranked You Were Here in its year-end Top Ten list, calling it the year's best debut album.
Harmer also appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman on October 2, 2001, in an appearance in which stage manager Biff Henderson
jumped in to sing impromptu backing vocals. She had originally been scheduled to appear the previous week, but was bumped when Rudy Giuliani
's first post-9/11
appearance ran overtime.
You Were Here was named the 24th greatest Canadian album of all time in Bob Mersereau
's 2007 book The Top 100 Canadian Albums
.
Music critic Lisa M. Smith, writing for Allmusic, praised the album, and wrote of Harmer that "it is certain that she is an artist choosing wisely from a great scope of colors. With a pleasing and misleading start, the rollicking opening track asserts its individuality with a Vaudevillian clarinet, keeping one foot in Kinks pop and one in some elusive species of country rock." She describes the album as one of a pleasing ebb and flow. "Songs may begin with a soft acoustic, then unfold assuredly toward their climax. Various instruments add character now and then, such as a muted trumpet or a harmonica, and the energy level can sway between a lullaby and full pop treatment with a definite destination… the album as a whole feels sincere, answering to a variety of moods and whims. It is a work of quality, from the songwriting clear to the production." Rolling Stone
gave the album 3.5 of 5 stars, stating it contained "Plainly hooky, tender-but-tough songs...Harmer lovingly chronicles the rough-and-tumble of real-life romance....a marvelously compelling meditation"
Q
gave You Were Here 3 of 5 stars and called it "Lounge jazz, drum loops and lead guitar chops support a vocalist whose lyrical panache...marks her out from the crowd."
In an interview with No Depression, Paul Cantin called it "a welcome break from the Lilith school of flinchy girl singers. Her music is at once heartfelt and hardy, sensitive and sanguine."
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer is a Canadian singer-songwriter and activist.-Biography:Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister Mary started taking her to concerts by the well-known Tragically Hip. At the age of 17, she...
, released in 2000.
History
You Were Here was Harmer's commercial breakthrough in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
after years of almost reaching the pop charts with Weeping Tile
Weeping Tile (band)
Weeping Tile was a Canadian rock band in the 1990s.-History:The band was started by singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer in 1993, when she was invited to fill in for the opening band at a Thomas Trio and the Red Albino concert in Ottawa...
. Ironically, the album's first big hit, "Basement Apt.", had previously been a Weeping Tile song, appearing on that band's 1995 release eepee
Eepee
eepee was a 1994 EP by Weeping Tile. It was the band's first recording.Originally released independently, eepee was subsequently rereleased the following year after the band signed with Warner Music Canada.-Track listing:...
. Harmer also had a hit with "Don't Get Your Back Up", which she had previously recorded with The Saddletramps
The Saddletramps
The Saddletramps were an alternative country band from Toronto, Ontario in the 1980s and 1990s. Core members of the band included Ken Horne, Andrew Lindsay, John DeHaas and Brian Duguay. Sarah Harmer was also an early member of the band....
. Three other songs, "Weakened State", "Lodestar" and "Coffee Stain", had also been previously recorded by Weeping Tile, on 1998's This Great Black Night
This Great Black Night
This Great Black Night is a 1998 EP by Weeping Tile.It was recorded following the band's departure from Warner Music Canada. It was sold only at live shows; the band toured that year as a supporting act for Ani DiFranco....
.
Harmer stated "“I always had kind of high expectations for You Were Here, but I was holding onto it for as long as I could, to find a proper, appropriate home.” She self-financed and self-released the album on her own Cold Snap Records label before it was licensed by Zoë Records
Zoë Records
Zoë Records is an independent record label in the United States. It is a part of the Rounder Records group.Zoë predominantly distributes albums by folk rock and alternative pop artists...
and Universal Music Canada.
The album's title track is a tribute to her former Weeping Tile bandmate Joe Chithalen
Joe Chithalen
Francis Joseph Chithalen was a Canadian musician. He was a bassist for a number of bands in the Kingston music scene of the 1990s, most notably Weeping Tile, The Mahones, and Wild Blues Yonder....
, who died in 1999.
Reception
The album was warmly received. TIMETime
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
ranked You Were Here in its year-end Top Ten list, calling it the year's best debut album.
Harmer also appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman on October 2, 2001, in an appearance in which stage manager Biff Henderson
Biff Henderson
James Jackson "Biff" Henderson, Jr. is an American comedian and television personality best known for his work on The Late Show with David Letterman. He is the show's stage manager and appears in occasional humorous segments, often involving interviewing people he meets in public places or at...
jumped in to sing impromptu backing vocals. She had originally been scheduled to appear the previous week, but was bumped when Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
's first post-9/11
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
appearance ran overtime.
You Were Here was named the 24th greatest Canadian album of all time in Bob Mersereau
Bob Mersereau
Bob Mersereau is a Canadian arts journalist.Mersereau is a music columnist and longtime arts reporter for CBC Television in New Brunswick. Since 1982, he has been a reporter on the East Coast music scene for CBC Radio, CBC Television, and the Telegraph-Journal...
's 2007 book The Top 100 Canadian Albums
The Top 100 Canadian Albums
The Top 100 Canadian Albums is a book by Bob Mersereau, published in 2007 by Goose Lane Editions.Mersereau acknowledged that the list will cause heated debate among music fans across the country. "The important part is to talk about Canadian music and enjoy it", he said...
.
Music critic Lisa M. Smith, writing for Allmusic, praised the album, and wrote of Harmer that "it is certain that she is an artist choosing wisely from a great scope of colors. With a pleasing and misleading start, the rollicking opening track asserts its individuality with a Vaudevillian clarinet, keeping one foot in Kinks pop and one in some elusive species of country rock." She describes the album as one of a pleasing ebb and flow. "Songs may begin with a soft acoustic, then unfold assuredly toward their climax. Various instruments add character now and then, such as a muted trumpet or a harmonica, and the energy level can sway between a lullaby and full pop treatment with a definite destination… the album as a whole feels sincere, answering to a variety of moods and whims. It is a work of quality, from the songwriting clear to the production." Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave the album 3.5 of 5 stars, stating it contained "Plainly hooky, tender-but-tough songs...Harmer lovingly chronicles the rough-and-tumble of real-life romance....a marvelously compelling meditation"
Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
gave You Were Here 3 of 5 stars and called it "Lounge jazz, drum loops and lead guitar chops support a vocalist whose lyrical panache...marks her out from the crowd."
In an interview with No Depression, Paul Cantin called it "a welcome break from the Lilith school of flinchy girl singers. Her music is at once heartfelt and hardy, sensitive and sanguine."
Track listing
All songs written by Sarah Harmer, except where noted.- "Around This Corner" – 3:15
- "Basement Apt." – 4:08
- "The Hideout" – 4:01
- "Capsized" – 3:57
- "Lodestar" – 5:28
- "Weakened State" – 2:53
- "Don't Get Your Back Up" – 3:54
- "Open Window (The Wedding Song)" – 4:09
- "Uniform Grey" – 3:43
- "Coffee Stain" – 2:56
- "You Were Here" – 4:53
- "Everytime" (Dave Hodge) – 3:12
Personnel
- Sarah Harmer – vocals, guitar, organ, harmonica, tambourine, Wurlitzer
- Gord Tough – guitar
- Benji Perosin – trumpet
- Al Cross – drums
- Jason EuringerJason EuringerJason Euringer is a Canadian musician.A guitarist/vocalist and bass player, he frequently appears on recordings by artists in the Kingston, Ontario scene, including Weeping Tile, Sarah Harmer and Luther Wright and the Wrongs. Harmer's 1999 album Songs for Clem included a cover credit for Euringer.-...
– background vocals - Spencer Evans – clarinet
- Maury LaFoy – bass, upright bass
- Kevin Fox – cello
- Damon Richardson – drums
- Jenny WhiteleyJenny WhiteleyJenny Whiteley is a two-time Juno Award winning Canadian country and folk singer-songwriter.The daughter of blues musician Chris Whiteley and niece of folk musician Ken Whiteley, she began her musical career as one of the kids on Raffi albums, and her name notably appears on "Baby Beluga". She...
– background vocals - Luther Wright – guitar
Production
- Produced by Peter Prilesnik and Sarah Harmer
- Mixed by Eric Ratz
- Engineered by Pete Prilesnik
- Mastered by Brett Zilahi
- Editing by Blair Robb, Steve Webster and Brett Zilahi
- Cover photo by Yael Staav
- Photography by Luther Wright
- Design by Greg Hall