At the time, the major sponsor of the competition was Sydney company, Troy Horse, a recording and rehearsal studio that also consisted of a record label. The competition's first prize included an EP, recorded and released by Troy Horse, and a tour of Australian university campuses. 78 Saab won the competition (the band's seventh live performance) and proceeded to record its debut EP, Eastwards By Removal. After its release in 1997, the band prepared for a run of 35 dates to promote the EP. Before the tour began however, Jake Andrews joined the band as lead guitarist after Darren Smith made the decision not to continue with the band. The band then officially relocated to Sydney. With the tour finished, Christovac Thompson left 78 Saab and Nicholai Danko (whom the band had met during the campus tour) replaced him on drums.
The band released four studio albums - Picture a Hum, Can't Hear a Sound (2000), Crossed Lines (2004), The Bells Line (2007) and Good Fortune (2010).
The band announced their split in 2012, playing their final show on December 1st, 2012 at the Annandale Hotel in Sydney.
Come on
78 Saab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keep my thoughts so you can't belong, come on
Oh, come on
Oh, come on
Tall buildings just can't scrape the sky, come on
Street soul and vibe you just can't buy, come on
I'm wrong
Glue my thoughts to a setting sun, come on
Keep my thoughts so you can't belong, come on
Tall buildings just can't scrape the sky, come on
Street soul and vibe you just can't buy, come on
Come on you're right
I'm wrong
High above the clouds
On a silver line
Got a bird's eye view
Of how it all goes wrong
Come on you're right
I'm wrong
The lyrics of 78 Saab's song "Come On" express a sense of disorientation and a desire for escape from the world presented in the verses. The imagery of tall buildings and street soul, along with the repeated invitation "come on," suggest a tension between the desire to belong and an awareness of being a stranger in a culture that celebrates material objects and surface appearances. The chorus ("Come on you're right / I'm wrong") further emphasizes this sense of disconnection, as though the singer is acquiescing to a perspective that they don't fully embrace.
The bridge of the song ("High above the clouds / On a silver line / Got a bird's eye view / Of how it all goes wrong") shifts the focus from the external world to the internal landscape of the singer. The sprawl of the city and the pace of modern life seem overwhelming, but the possibility of transcending those limitations is suggested by the image of flying above it all. However, even in this elevated state, there is still a recognition of how things can go awry. Overall, the song presents a nuanced and poetic meditation on the complexities of contemporary culture.
Line by Line Meaning
Glue my thoughts to a setting sun, come on
Fixate my subjective musings to the ultimate, yet fleeting, symbol of closure and endings
Keep my thoughts so you can't belong, come on
Retain my thoughts in such a way that they remain unreachable by others, so that they can never conform
Oh, come on
A soothing, encouraging phrase that inspires hope and camaraderie
Tall buildings just can't scrape the sky, come on
Even the most impressive man-made structures cannot compare to the beauty and majesty of the natural world
Street soul and vibe you just can't buy, come on
The intangible cultural authenticity of a neighborhood cannot be commodified or purchased
Come on you're right
I'm wrong
Admitting that someone else's perspective or opinion is superior to one's own
High above the clouds
On a silver line
Got a bird's eye view
Of how it all goes wrong
Perspective from a higher vantage point provides insight into the bigger picture and how things aren't always as they seem
Contributed by Carter C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.