History
Early years
Their origins sprung from Oxford, United Kingdom in 1984 with the formation of a group called Shake Appeal, named after a song from one of their main influences, The Stooges. Consisting of vocalist/guitarists Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge, lead vocalist Graham Franklin (Adam's brother), bassist Adi Vines, and drummer Paddy Pulzer; Shake Appeal went ahead reproducing the sounds of American garage rock of the late 60's and early 70's. The group wrote what would become Swervedriver's first classic "Son of Mustang Ford," however after a few years the band began to fall apart when both Graham and Paddy left.
The remaining three members drafted drummer Graham Bonnar, but by this time the group's sound mutated significantly under the influence of re-invented guitar music by American bands like Dinosaur Jr., and Sonic Youth. So with a new lineup and new sound came a new name, Swervedriver. Their hometown colleagues from fellow shoegazing group Ride passed their re-recorded demo of "Son of Mustang Ford" to Alan McGee of Creation Records; who, as legend has it, played the tape for the first time while cruising the inner streets of Los Angeles in a limo. The experience caused him sign the band immediately.
First album and possible breakup
Merging the whirling qualities of the shoegazer genre with heavy distorted guitars, and lyrics often featuring cars and escapism, the group debuted with a series of EPs; "Son of Mustang Ford," "Rave Down" and "Sandblasted," before issuing their full-length album debut "Raise" in 1991. Then after a U.S. tour in support of Soundgarden, Bonner left the band; the departure of Vines followed shortly afterwards. Bonner and Vines would eventually go on to form a new group called Skyscraper. Swervedriver's final release with the original lineup, 1992's "Never Lose That Feeling" EP, appeared to be the group's last.
Release of Mezcal Head
But in 1993, Swervedriver re-emerged with the core of Franklin and Hartridge along with newly recruited drummer Jez, and released their landmark album "Mezcal Head." If "Raise" was a product featuring a love of Americana, escapism and the open highway, then "Mezcal Head" was all that, but broadcast in IMAX with Dolby surround sound. Production and sound were greatly improved, and the album gave them their most successful single "Duel," hailed as one of the premier songs of the shoegazer genre. The album clearly forged a permanent link with their American fans, and made them more popular there than in their own native Britain. During this era, the fabled b-side "The Hitcher" found a release on the "Last Train to Satansville" EP. "The Hitcher" is widely considered to be a fan favorite.
Ejector Seat Reservation & Britpop
1994 found the band adding new bassist Steve George, along with extensive touring of the U.S. (supporting The Smashing Pumpkins), Japan and Europe. However by then the shoegazing genre in Britain was dead, replaced by the more mainstream Britpop movement hi-lighted by bands such as Oasis and Blur. The massive rise of Britpop caused Creation Records to drop the band just one week after the U.K. release of 1995 album "Ejector Seat Reservation." It was never released in the U.S. where they could have capitalized on the momentum of "Mezcal Head." ESR was another leap forward for the band, incorporating a wider number of influences from Elvis Costello to Bob Dylan. It saw the group grow into rebel visionaries and received the highest critical acclaim; however without any record company support it was doomed to be their poorest selling venture. This began a period of protracted record label problems for the band which fans dubbed the Swervedriver label curse.
Final years
In 1996, Swervedriver signed on with Geffen Records with a multi-record deal, and promptly began recording their fourth album. However their contract was terminated when their A&R (Artists & Repertoire) representative was fired in a corporate downsizing. Once the legal dust settled the band was awarded their own recording studio along with the finished album, however it was still a major setback. Their fourth and final album "99th Dream" was finally released in 1998 after signing on with Zero Hour Records of the U.S., and it continued the evolution that began with "Ejector Seat Reservation." Drawing less from their earlier ‘grunge' sound, the band never the less maintained their swerving, pyschedelic guitar rifts coupled with Franklin's magical lyrics and droning vocals, and was another brilliant body of work. The group continued to draw on a broader range of musical influences; for example the title track "99th Dream" was written as a prequel to Bob Dylan's song "115th Dream." Despite this album easily containing a half dozen possible hit singles, and a successful tour of the U.S., Britain and Australia; they did not break out beyond their traditional cult following. The "Wrong Treats" EP released in 1999 would become the bands last body of work as an extant group; they announced a hiatus later that year that persists to this day. Adam Franklin continues to release albums under his new band Toshack Highway.
In 2005, Castle Music released a Swervedriver anthology album titled "Juggernaut Rides" which brought together 33 songs; including many only available on rare EPs, and four that were previously unreleased..
In Late 2007 the Creation Records web site confirmed Swervedriver was reuniting for a 2008 tour.
Origins of name
How Swervedriver settled on their name has been the subject of debate among their fans for many years. During interviews whenever questioned on this topic, the band would simply respond that it was just a name; as The Beatles were just a name (in reference to that band's simple response in many early interviews). However Adam Franklin had once mentioned the band liked the connotation of a speeding driver, swerving and ultimately losing control of their car.
Discography
Full length albums
* Raise (1991)
* Mezcal Head (1993)
* Ejector Seat Reservation (1995)
* 99th Dream (1998)
* Juggernaut Rides 1989-1998 (2005) - 2 CD set
*I Wasn't Born to Lose You(2015)
*Future Ruins(2019)
Singles/EPs
* Son of Mustang Ford (1991)
* Rave Down (1991)
* Sandblasted (1991)
* Reel To Real (1991)
* Never Lose That Feeling (1993)
* Duel (1993)
* Last Train To Satansville (1993)
* My Zephyr (1994)
* Magic Bus (1994) - from Day Tripper movie soundtrack
* Last Day on Earth (1995)
* Swervedriver / Sophia Split (1996)
* 93 Million Miles From the Sun ... and Counting (1997)
* Space Travel Rock 'n' Roll (1998)
* Wrong Treats (1999)
Sandblasted
Swervedriver Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know it's for real
Don't say What died?
You know it's alive
I watch from reel to real
Don't see what I feel
Split open wide
Awash in the tide
The beach seems surreal
Depends how you feel
The sea stretched for miles
I drove all the while
You ask what I feel
I still feel surreal
Taken for a ride
And bleeding inside
How does it feel to feel?
You know it's for real
Split open wide
How does it feel to feel?
You know it's for real
The sea stretched for miles
I drove all the while
Don't see what I feel
Don't see what I feel
Don't see what I feel
The lyrics to Swervedriver's song "Sandblasted" are filled with feelings of confusion and uncertainty. The singer seems to be grappling with the reality of their emotions, questioning what is real and what is not. The repetition of the line "How does it feel to feel?" highlights this inner turmoil, as if trying to understand something that is at once familiar and yet foreign.
The opening lines, "You know it's for real/ Don't say what died?/ You know it's alive" suggest that the singer is being confronted with the truth of a situation that they may have been avoiding. The words "split open wide" could be interpreted as a metaphor for being exposed or vulnerable, in a state of emotional "bareness." The line "Awash in the tide" adds to this sense of being carried away by something beyond their control.
The second verse speaks to the disconnect between the singer's inner feelings and the outside world: "The beach seems surreal/ Depends how you feel/ The sea stretched for miles/ I drove all the while." The scenery around them is vast and expansive, but the singer's inner world is in turmoil, causing them to perhaps feel disconnected from their surroundings. The final lines, "Taken for a ride/ And bleeding inside," are particularly poignant, highlighting the singer's feeling of being out of control and the pain that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
How does it feel to feel?
Questioning the sensation of emotions
You know it's for real
Emphasizing the reality of the emotions
Don't say What died?
Rejecting the notion of something dying
You know it's alive
Confirming the vitality of something
I watch from reel to real
Observing the transition from film to reality
Don't see what I feel
Feeling disconnected from one's own emotions
Split open wide
Describing a physical or emotional vulnerability
Awash in the tide
Feeling overwhelmed by a situation
The beach seems surreal
Perceiving the surroundings as dream-like
Depends how you feel
Acknowledging the subjective nature of perception
The sea stretched for miles
Describing the vastness of the ocean
I drove all the while
Indicating a journey by car
You ask what I feel
Being questioned about one's emotions
I still feel surreal
Continuing to feel detached from reality
Taken for a ride
Feeling deceived or tricked
And bleeding inside
Experiencing emotional pain
Lyrics © A SIDE MUSIC LLC D/B/A MODERN WORKS MUSIC PUBLISHING, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ADAM FRANKLIN, ADRIAN MARK VINES, GRAHAM BONNAR, JIMMY HARTRIDGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind