Everything I Long For

Everything I Long For is the debut album by Canadian singer-songwriter Hayden. It was initially released in Canada on March 1, 1995^[13] through his own label, Hardwood Records, in conjunction with Sonic Unyon.^[14][15] It was later re-released in May 1996 (with slightly modified cover art) internationally on Outpost Recordings/Geffen Records. A 12" vinyl version was also released in 1996 on Hardwood/Genius Records.^[16]

Everything I Long For
Studio album by Hayden
Released	March 1, 1995
Recorded	February 1994 – January 1995[1] Hayden's room, Thornhill, Ontario (tracks 3–5, 7–8, 10–11, 13–14) Umbrella Sound, The Dubhouse, Toronto (tracks 1, 6, 9, 12) CrazyHead Studios, Toronto (track 2)
Genre	Acoustic rock, indie folk, alternative country, folk rock
Length	60:52
Label	Hardwood Sonic Unyon Outpost
Producer	Hayden (tracks 2–5, 7–8, 10–11, 13–14) Hayden and Joao Carvalho (tracks 1, 6, 9, 12)
Hayden chronology
In September (1994) Everything I Long For (1995) The Closer I Get (1998)
Singles from Everything I Long For
"Bad as They Seem" Released: June 1996[2]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Dayton Daily News	[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[5]
Entertainment Weekly	C[6]
Exclaim!	9/10[7]
Fort Worth Star-Telegram	[8]
Pitchfork	8.9/10[9]
Rolling Stone	[10]
The Village Voice	B[11]
Wall of Sound	70/100[12]

The song "Assignment in Space with Rip Foster" is an alternative title to the children's novel Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet by Harold L. Goodwin. Assignment in Space with Rip Foster is also attributed in the liner notes of Hayden's debut album, In September, as the recording studio where he recorded part of that album.

Bad as They Seem

The song "Bad as They Seem" was released as a single, and the music video received some play on MuchMusic and MTV's 120 Minutes.

The lyrics are from the point of view of a young twenty-something man in a hopeless situation: working a dead-end job ("where [he worked] at fourteen"), still living at his parents' home ("until [he's] at least forty-three"), infatuated with a 16-year-old "girl of [his] dreams", and possibly infatuated with the girl's mother, as well. The man wishes for a life where he can go out and meet someone to be his "better half". The hopeless and depressing nature of the song is reiterated with each verse, which states that "things are as bad as they seem". The third verse of the song ("Job of my dreams…") is absent from the album's reissues.^{[citation needed]}

Desser shared on the Toronto Mike'd podcast that the performance sections of the video were filmed at The Rivoli bar with the backroom concert space made to look like a bedroom. After the video shoot, Hayden and the video audience walked to Ogden Jr Public School where Desser played an impromptu acoustic concert.^[17]

Track listing

All songs written by Paul Hayden Desser.

1. "Bad as They Seem" – 3:31
2. "In September" – 2:38
3. "We Don't Mind" – 4:35
4. "Tragedy" – 3:57
5. "Stem" – 1:47
6. "Skates" – 7:18
7. "I'm to Blame" – 2:25
8. "Assignment in Space with Rip Foster" – 2:37
9. "Driveway" – 4:20
10. "Hardly" – 4:13
11. "You Were Loved" – 2:48
12. "When This Is Over" – 4:00
13. "My Parent's House" – 4:35
14. "Lounging" – 4:27

Original track listing

This is the track listing of the original 1995 Hardwood Records release, which is now out of print.

1. "Bad as They Seem" – 4:34^†
2. "In September" – 2:38
3. "We Don't Mind" – 4:35
4. "Tragedy" – 3:57
5. "Stem" – 1:47
6. "Skates" – 7:18
7. "I'm to Blame" – 2:25
8. "Assignment in Space with Rip Foster" – 2:37
9. "Driveway" – 4:20
10. "Hardly" – 4:13
11. "You Were Loved" – 2:48
12. "When This Is Over" – 4:00
13. "Bunkbed" – 4:14
14. "I Almost Cried" – 3:33
15. "My Parent's House" – 4:35
16. "Lounging" – 4:27
0. Kraft Dinner & Poledo's Club Sandwich (hidden track)

† As mentioned above, the original "Bad as They Seem" has one verse more than on subsequent releases

Personnel

• Hayden – vocals, guitar (acoustic and electric), harmonica, piano, accordion
  • producer (all tracks), mixing (all tracks)
• Joao Carvalho – drums on "Bad as They Seem", "Skates", "Driveway", "When This Is Over"; bass on "Bad as They Seem"
  • producer (tracks 1, 6, 9, 12), mixing (1, 3–14), mastering (all tracks)
• Bryan Richards – drums on "In September"
• Guy Cannotplayit – cello on "Hardly"^[1]
• Blaine Johnson – mixing (track 2)

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
Canada	1995	Hardwood	CD
International	1996	Outpost/Geffen/Universal	CD
United States and Canada	1996	Hardwood/Genius	12" vinyl

References

1. Everything I Long For explained by Hayden. Retrieved: 7 July 2008
2. Flick, Larry, ed. (June 1, 1996). "Reviews & Previews: Singles". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 22. p. 83.
3. AllMusic review
4. Kraus, Fred (July 5, 1996). "Recordings on Review". Dayton Daily News. p. 61.
5. Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). "Hayden". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4 (4th ed.). MUZE. pp. 189–190. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
6. Mirkin, Steve (May 24, 1996). "Everything I Long For". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
7. Khanna, Vish (April 4, 2016). "Hayden Everything I Long For 20". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
8. Mayhew, Malcolm (July 12, 1996). "Capsule Reviews". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 99.
9. Schreiber, Ryan. "Hayden: Everything I Long For: Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 2, 2006. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
10. Wyman, Bill (May 16, 1996). "Everything I Long For". Rolling Stone. No. 734. p. 68. Archived from the original on July 2, 2001. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
11. Christgau, Robert (December 17, 1996). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved March 15, 2024 – via robertchristgau.com.
12. Alden, Grant. "Wall of Sound Review: Everything I Long For". Wall of Sound. Archived from the original on April 15, 2001. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
13. Desser, Hayden. "Hayden on Hayden". outpostrec.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 1998. Retrieved December 29, 2023. On March 1, 1995, I released my debut CD
14. Rosen, Craig (February 17, 1996). "Majors Vying for Canada's Hayden". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 7. pp. 1, 109. Hayden's debut album [...] was released in March
15. Ross, Alec (September 21, 1995). "Hayden's moving up the charts". The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 21. ProQuest 353198128.
16. Hardwood Records discography Archived 2006-12-08 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved: 6 December 2006
17. "Hayden Desser: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1336". Toronto Mike'd podcast. Toronto. October 2, 2023.

Further reading

• Weir, John (November 1996). "Hayden Desser: Songs in the Low Key of Life". Details. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on April 30, 1999. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via swoon.com.