You Were Here
You Were Here is a studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released on August 29, 2000. It was her commercial breakthrough in Canada after years with the band Weeping Tile. The lead single, "Basement Apt.," had been a Weeping Tile song, and the second single, "Don't Get Your Back Up," had been recorded with The Saddletramps. Three other tracks—"Weakened State," "Lodestar," and "Coffee Stain"—had also been previously recorded by Weeping Tile on 1998's This Great Black Night.
Harmer self-financed and released the album on her Cold Snap Records label before Zoë Records and Universal Music Canada licensed it. The album, 46:30 long and in the alternative rock style, was recorded in 1999–2000 in Toronto. It was produced by Peter Prilesnik and Sarah Harmer.
The title track, "You Were Here," is a tribute to Harmer’s former Weeping Tile bandmate Joe Chithalen, who died in 1999. In 2001 Harmer performed on Late Show with David Letterman, where stage manager Biff Henderson sang backup.
"Lodestar" was later given an arrangement by Roberto Occhipinti for The Art of Time Ensemble on their 2009 album Black Flowers.
Reception was strong. Time ranked You Were Here in its year-end Top Ten as the best debut album of the year. The album was named the 24th greatest Canadian album of all time in Bob Mersereau’s 2007 book The Top 100 Canadian Albums. AllMusic praised Harmer’s songwriting and the album’s variety, while Rolling Stone gave it 3.5/5 stars, calling the songs hooky and tender-but-tough. Q rated it 3/5 stars, noting its mix of lounge jazz, drum loops, and guitar. No Depression highlighted Harmer as a heartfelt and hardy artist. All songs were written by Sarah Harmer, except where noted.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:41 (CET).