If you grew up in small-town (or even suburban) America, you know what it feels like for your neighbors to know everything about you and your family – the good, the bad, and the juiciest gossip. In his latest single, “My Name,” Hayden Joseph delves into the “love-hate” relationships many of us have with our hometowns, alongside a newfound respect for their simplicity once we move on to a life elsewhere.
He begins the song with the oft said line, “when everyone knows everyone, it’s hard to feel at peace,” continuing to explain that, no matter where he goes, someone in his hometown knows him, or his father, or his siblings, or his friends – and therefore still seems to know everything about him. He moves on to sing about a desire for a life of anonymity / a greater depth of experience somewhere else, and, ultimately, a leap of faith move to the big city. “I gotta make a change, and search until I find a place my name ain’t everything.”
In the end, however, the song comes full circle. He thrives in a bigger city but misses the warmth / familiarity of his hometown. “I love the fast pace, but at times I miss the place, where nobody’s a stranger and my name means everything,” concluding the tune with a nod to his roots, “I might live far away, but at the end of the day, I know just where I came from, and my name ain’t gonna change.”
Regarding the inspiration for the song, Hayden explains that, growing up, his entire extended family of 25+ people (with the same last name) lived within a 5-mile radius. “To me, describing my small-town upbringing in relation to people knowing ‘my name’ was both deeply personal, and broadly relatable. I thought it was the perfect way to paint the contrast between my small-town upbringing and big city dreams.”
“My Name” is available on all platforms July 8th and follows other singles that have come from Hayden Joseph throughout the past 6 months. The songs from his independent debut have racked up nearly 100k streams, so far. Look for more singles from Hayden in the coming months, and his album due out later this fall. We have a feeling we might be hearing “his name” more often in the future.