Backyard Babies are a Swedish rock band originally from Nässjö and currentl… Read Full Bio ↴Backyard Babies are a Swedish rock band originally from Nässjö and currently based in Stockholm. The band was formed in 1989 and over the years they have released eight studio albums and won two Swedish Grammy Awards. They are largely attributed with popularizing sleaze rock in Scandinavia and Sweden. Their single "Minus Celsius" appears as a playable bonus track in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and "Degenerated" is available as a downloadable song for Guitar Hero World Tour.

History
Formed in 1987, Backyard Babies originally consisted of singer/bassist Tobbe (Tobias Fischer), guitarist Dregen, guitarist Johan Blomqvist, and drummer Peder Carlsson. They were then called Tyrant and played several live shows in their local area and recorded a rough demo. Tobbe was soon replaced by frontman Nicke Borg on vocals and guitar, and Blomqvist switched to bass. Fischer went on to be a professional photographer and web designer in Stockholm, continuing to work occasionally with his old bandmates.

In 1989, the band changed their name to Backyard Babies and recorded two more demos and did a national tour of Sweden. The band self-released a debut EP titled Something to Swallow. This got them signed in 1993 by Swedish label Megarock Records.

Backyard Babies released their debut album Diesel & Power in 1994. The music on it took influences from rock, punk, and blues. In addition to the album, the band also released the single "Electric Suzy" with a cover of "Taxi Driver" by Hanoi Rocks as the B-side. After touring with former Hanoi Rocks members in Demolition 23 and doing a short headline tour in late 1995, premiering new songs that remain unreleased, the band was put on hiatus, as guitarist Dregen formed the garage rock band The Hellacopters. Dregen appeared on two albums with the Hellacopters" Supershitty to the Max! (1996) and Payin' the Dues (1997).

The Backyard Babies reunited in 1997, with a new record contract with MVG Records. They recorded their most critically acclaimed album, Total 13. Critics compared the album favorably to the New York Dolls, Ramones, and The Damned. They toured the United Kingdom with good response. A single was released from the album, "Bombed (Out of My Mind)", with the B-side "Rocker" featuring a duet with Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael Monroe. Their next single was the self-released "Is It Still Alright to Smile?". The B-side of the single was a cover of the Faster Pussycat track "Babylon" featuring guest appearances from Ginger of the Wildhearts and Nicke Andersson who had played with Dregen in the Hellacopters. In 1998, the band toured the United Kingdom once more, this time in support of Alice Cooper.

After the collaboration on the song "Babylon", Dregen, Ginger, and Nicke Andersson formed the side project Supershit 666, which released a six-track EP in 1999. Dregen returned to the Backyard Babies soon after as the band took off for another tour of the United Kingdom, this time in support of AC/DC.

The Babies recorded a follow-up to Total 13, titled Making Enemies is Good which has been described by some critics as a more "controlled chaos" approach than their previous effort. Two of the singles from it were hits "The Clash" and "Brand New Hate", the latter of which was co-written with Ginger. They toured in support of the album with Motörhead.

On 15 October 2002, Backyard Babies guitarist Dregen was on the front pages of Swedish national newspapers. After returning home from a club where he was DJing, he and his friend were assaulted, robbed, and knocked unconscious. Dregen suffered a broken jaw but the band continued recording their next album; Stockholm Syndrome. The album, released in 2003, was viewed by some fans as a return towards a more energetic and raw sound. The album won them a Swedish Grammy. The album spawned three singles, "Minus Celsius", "A Song for the Outcast" and "Friends".

During 2005, the band toured the United States (with openers The Chelsea Smiles & Crash Kelly) and Europe alongside Social Distortion. The album People Like People Like People Like Us, produced by Nicke Andersson of The Hellacopters, was released in 2006. It spawned two singles: "The Mess Age (How Could I Be So Wrong)" and "Dysfunctional Professional". A self-titled album was released in August 2008. The first single was "Fuck Off and Die". The second single "Degenerated" is supported by an animated video clip. Their self-titled 2008 album reached number 1 on the Swedish albums chart.

The compilation album Them XX was released in 2009 to honor the band's 20th anniversary. The accompanying tour was rumored to be their last. After a hiatus, the band reconvened with an announcement in May 2014. Their 2015 album Four by Four reached number 2 on the Swedish albums chart. In September 2018 they played at the Hard Rock Hell Sleaze festival in Sheffield, England. The band released their eighth studio album, Sliver & Gold, in 2019. In 2022, in an interview with The Sound Lab, Dregen confirmed Backyard Babies were on hiatus due to commitments with The Hellacopters but there were plans to create more music in the future.

Discography
Diesel & Power (1994)
Total 13 (1998)
Making Enemies Is Good (2001)
Stockholm Syndrome (2003)
People Like People Like People Like Us (2006)
Backyard Babies (2008)
Four by Four (2015)
Sliver & Gold (2019)

Painkiller
Backyard Babies Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I see your phone's been cut off again
Did you shoot all your troubles
Up the vein
Someone saw you
Said you were deadly pale
Another night in hell
Another night in jail

[Chorus]
Looks like the Chinaman's reeling you in
Looks like the horse is gonna win
Looks like the monkeys
Are holding on tight
Say hello to darkness
Goodbye light
Painkiller

And as obscurity beckons the call
It seems oblivion
Is the only thing to cushion your fall
I believe that
Everything is gonna be too late
It all sinks along with the ship you chose too hate

[Chorus]

Now you sold all your possessions
And not only your own
There's miles to go yet
But you're at the end of your road
So you finally surrender
To the needless sleep
Found dead the next mornin'
With your life at your feet

[Chorus]

Sail into darkness goodbye light [Repeat x3]
Yea-eah
Say hello to darkness
Goodbye to light
Say hello
Goodbye

Yea-eah
Goodbye light

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Backyard Babies' song Painkiller describe the downward spiral and eventual demise of someone who is addicted to drugs. The first verse suggests that the person's phone has been cut off due to failure to pay the bill, implying that they have spent all their money on drugs instead. The line "Did you shoot all your troubles up the vein" further confirms that the person is using drugs as a coping mechanism for their problems. The second stanza talks about how the person's appearance has deteriorated due to drug use, leading to a possible arrest, hence "Another night in hell, another night in jail." The chorus describes the person's situation with metaphors: "Looks like the Chinaman's reeling you in" is a reference to fishing, suggesting that the person is caught in the trap of addiction, and "Looks like the horse is gonna win" implies that the addiction is overpowering the person. The line "Say hello to darkness, goodbye light" reinforces the theme of addiction, suggesting that the person has lost everything to the addiction, including hope.

The third verse reveals that the person has sold all their possessions to acquire drugs and has reached the end of the road. The final line "Found dead the next mornin' with your life at your feet" suggests that the addiction has taken everything away from the person and they have died as a result.

Overall, the lyrics paint a bleak picture of the consequences of drug addiction and the destructive power it can have on a person's life.

Line by Line Meaning

I see your phone's been cut off again
The singer is aware that the person being addressed is experiencing a challenging time, as evidenced by the phone service interruption.

Did you shoot all your troubles up the vein
The singer questions whether the person being addressed turned to drug abuse as a coping mechanism for their difficult situation.

Someone saw you, said you were deadly pale
The singer notes that others have observed the negative impact of the person's struggles on their physical appearance.

Another night in hell, another night in jail
The artist suggests that the person's problems have led them to consistently experience undesirable situations.

Looks like the Chinaman's reeling you in, looks like the horse is gonna win, looks like the monkeys are holding on tight, say hello to darkness, goodbye light, Painkiller
The chorus uses several metaphors to convey that the person's issues seem to be overtaking them, and that they are being consumed by their struggles.

And as obscurity beckons the call, it seems oblivion is the only thing to cushion your fall
The singer observes that the person is being lured towards a dark and unknown path, and acknowledges that they may feel that their options for relief are becoming increasingly limited.

I believe that everything is gonna be too late, it all sinks along with the ship you chose to hate
The singer expresses their concern that the person's choices have led them too far down a destructive path, and that they may ultimately suffer consequences that they cannot escape.

Now you sold all your possessions, and not only your own, there's miles to go yet but you're at the end of your road
The artist notes that the person has reached a critical point, and may be feeling like they have nothing left to lose in their current situation.

So you finally surrender to the needless sleep, found dead the next mornin' with your life at your feet
The artist paints a grim picture of the potential end result of the person's situation, suggesting that they may fall victim to their struggles and suffer tragedy as a result.

Sail into darkness, goodbye light (repeat x3), yea-eah, say hello to darkness, goodbye to light, say hello, goodbye, yea-eah, goodbye light
The final lines of the song summarize the overarching theme of the lyrics: that the person is facing a difficult time, and that they may ultimately succumb to their struggles and suffer great loss as a result.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Meghan Elizabeth Trainor, Jason Joel Desrouleaux, Johan Carl Erik Carlsson, Ross Jacob Golan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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