Taking their name from the '80s sitcom, Belvedere began in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1995 as the three-piece of Steve Rawles (guitar/vocals), Brock (bass), and Dan Hrynuik (drums).
As the years progressed along with their revolving lineup, Belvedere remained with their melodic pop-punk sound that looked up to the likes of Bad Religion and NOFX. Eventually recruiting second guitarist Scott Solo, replacement drummer Jay Hollywood, and a replacement bassist Jaison Synclair, the quartet released their debut album, "Because No One Stopped Us", in 1998 through Hourglass and 206 Records. After spending most of 1999 on the road, along with Bad Religion and Strung Out, for a stint -- 206 Records put out Belvedere's follow-up album, "Angels Live in My Town", in early 2000. In 2001, the Montreal imprint Union 2112 released "Twas Hell Said Former Child", Belvedere's proper second album that coincided their first ever European tour. A split release with Downway, "Hometown Advantage", was issued in 2003. When it came time to recovene for another studio album, Belvedere joined producer Blair Calibaba (Sum 41) in Calgary for the recording of "Fast Forward Eats the Tape". Shared dates with Death by Stereo, Tsunami Bomb and Misconduct followed in Spring 2004. The band broke up in late 2005, playing their last show to their hometown Calgary crowd in November.
On November 2011, the band's official Facebook page announced that the band was going to get together again for a couple of shows the next year, wich included two shows in Europe (playing their first show in Paris and appearing again at GroezRock after seven years), then five in Canada, three in Brazil and one again in Canada, in Vancouver, on June 16th. Being at first that their final show, it was later announced that they'll appear in another final event in Guelph, Canada, on September the 1st 2012, with fellow punkrockers The Fullblast, also reuniting for the ocasion, Grade and Moneen.
http://www.myspace.com/belvedere
Generation Debt
Belvedere Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To suck the will of our men, but you know we′ll succeed
But the guilt in us won't kill this beast
Our generation it longs to say
Please fix our past and you just might, might find your way
Oh what have we done?
Excuses won′t help us son
It's your time for you to search
For answers, a hay-stacked needle
Bring down a selfish people
Generations thrived on lust
Be best, son, for all of us
We mustered all, but forget
And selfishly gorged on escapism yet
All the baseless facts, and the whisper game
But we bet it all on the devil′s name
But realize we′re all guilty, all here to blame
One taste, a white lie
But don't turn away ′cause I'm telling you why
Don′t think I'm to blame
Contributed years to this pitiful game
Oil wars and rogue states
There′s sense to it all, but our vision abates
Spread peace, they'll unwind
Please quest for this now, we don't have any time.
Oh what have we done?
Excuses won′t help us son
Flushed out all that′s good on earth
It's your time for you to search
For answers, a hay-stacked needle
Bring down a selfish people
Generations thrived on lust
Be best, son, for all of us
The song "Generation Debt" by Belvedere is a commentary on the state of the world and how the past actions of previous generations have caused negative impacts on the present. The lyrics describe how these actions have created a "beast" that the current generation is struggling to overcome. The song urges listeners to take responsibility and search for answers to solve these problems.
The first verse describes how current leaders are not leading effectively and are instead taking from the younger generation. The guilt felt by the current generation will not solve the problems caused by previous generations, but the lyrics suggest that by attempting to fix the past, there may be hope for the future. The chorus questions what the current generation has done to contribute to the state of the world and suggests that excuses will not solve the problems.
The second verse continues the theme of past generations causing problems for the present, highlighting the selfish actions of previous generations. The lyrics call for listeners to search for answers to problems that have been caused by this "pitiful game," such as oil wars and rogue states. The song implores the listener to "be best, son, for all of us," meaning that the younger generation must strive to do better and create positive change.
Line by Line Meaning
They came along not to lead
The people in charge didn't come to lead us, they came to take advantage of us.
To suck the will of our men, but you know we'll succeed
They want to drain our determination, but we won't let them break us.
But the guilt in us won't kill this beast
We are aware of the damage we've caused, but our regrets won't fix the problem.
Our generation it longs to say
As the youth of today, we want to express our concerns.
Please fix our past and you just might, might find your way
If you fix what our previous generation destroyed, you might find a path ahead.
Oh what have we done?
What have we done to our world?
Excuses won't help us son
We can't keep making excuses for our actions.
Flushed out all that's good on earth
We destroyed all that's good in the world.
It's your time for you to search
It's up to you to find a solution.
For answers, a hay-stacked needle
The solution seems impossible to find.
Bring down a selfish people
We need to overthrow the selfish people in charge.
Generations thrived on lust
Previous generations were obsessed with greed and pleasure.
Be best, son, for all of us
We need to make a change for the good of everyone.
We mustered all, but forget
We put in effort, but forgot to think of the consequences.
And selfishly gorged on escapism yet
We selfishly indulged in distractions.
All the baseless facts, and the whisper game
We believed in lies and rumors without any evidence.
But we bet it all on the devil's name
We took a chance with something dangerous.
But realize we're all guilty, all here to blame
We need to accept responsibility for our actions.
One taste, a white lie
We were tempted by a small lie.
But don't turn away 'cause I'm telling you why
Don't ignore me, I'm warning you.
Don't think I'm to blame
It's not just my fault.
Contributed years to this pitiful game
We've been a part of this bad situation for years.
Oil wars and rogue states
There are wars fought over oil and countries that don't follow the rules.
There's sense to it all, but our vision abates
There's a reason behind it, but we can't see it.
Spread peace, they'll unwind
If we work towards peace, we can fix things.
Please quest for this now, we don't have any time
We have to act fast to fix things.
Writer(s): Casey James Lewis
Contributed by Charlie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.