Glen Hansard Plays ‘High Hope’ on ‘Jimmy Fallon’

Last night on ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,’ Glen Hansard played a gorgeous version of ‘High Hope,’ a track from his new ‘Rhythm and Repose‘ album.

The song unfolded slowly with drums and Hansard’s acoustic guitar carrying most of the track until the chorus, when a collection of background singers joined in on harmony. As the song reached its peak, Hansard shouted the climactic lyrics “After all we’ve seen / We can do anything / When your heart was strong / When it could go on and on and on.” He added a personal dedication as the song drew to a close.

‘High Hope’ is one of the more dramatic songs on ‘Rhythm and Repose,’ which hits retailers on June 19. NPR has a full stream of the album now. It’s the first solo record of the Irish singer’s 20-year career, which has included stints with the Frames and the Oscar-winning duo the Swell Season.

Hansard explained in a recent interview why he felt the need to make a solo record now: “When you’re in a band, there is this idea of democracy. There is this concept of partnership with the Swell Season. And those things do exist, whereas I needed to make a record where every single decision was mine. I just needed to do it. I needed to not argue. I needed to go get lost and come out the other end. It’s not even a control issue. Sometimes you might end up going full circle and coming back to the beginning, but it was important that you did it, and that it wasn’t the result of democracy.”

Watch Glen Hansard Perform ‘High Hope’ on ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’