Born in Malone, New York, Mould lived in several places, including Pine City, Minnesota and the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, where he attended Macalester College. There, he formed Hüsker Dü in the late 1970s, with drummer/singer Grant Hart and bass guitarist Greg Norton.
Mould released his first solo album after Hüsker Dü broke up; 1989's Workbook eschewed Mould's trademark wall-of-noise guitar for a stripped-down sound featuring acoustic guitars and cellos. 1991's jagged Black Sheets of Rain put Mould in more familiar territory, recalling Hüsker Dü's loudest, angriest moments. Mould also started a record label, Singles Only Label, which released singles from up and coming bands such as Grant Lee Buffalo.
Mould then formed the group Sugar, a college/alternative radio favorite in the mid-1990s. Along with extensive touring, Sugar released two albums, an EP and a B-sides collection before splitting.
Mould returned to solo recording, releasing a self-titled album in 1996 (which is often referred to as Hubcap because of the cover photo) and 1998's The Last Dog and Pony Show. During a stint living in New York City in the late-1990s, Mould's tastes took a detour into dance music and electronica. Those influences were clear on his 2002 release Modulate, which featured a strong electronica influence to mixed critical reviews. To pursue this sound, Mould also began recording under the pseudonym LoudBomb (an anagram of his name). He has released one CD so far under this name.
Mould took a brief break from the music world to get involved with another passion of his, professional wrestling, when he joined WCW as a scriptwriter for a brief period. Creative differences with some of the other writers of the league led to Mould leaving the company and returning to music. The liner notes for Modulate thank some of the wrestlers he associated with, most notably Kevin Nash and Kevin Sullivan.
In addition to his solo work, Mould is also a live DJ in collaboration with Washington DC-area dance music artist Richard Morel, under the collective banner Blowoff. A recording under that banner was released in September 2006. Mould has been asked to do remixes for a variety of dance and alternative rock artists. A recent remix of the Interpol song "Length Of Love" has led to more critical acclaim for the veteran artist.
For much of the 1990s, Mould toured playing solo acoustic renditions of his catalog (occasionally switching to electric guitar midway through his set). In 2005 his solo album Body of Song was cross-announced with his first band tour since 1998. Brendan Canty, best known as the drummer for Fugazi, and Mould's Blowoff collaborator, Morel, played drums and keyboards, respectively, for the 2005 tour. Mould's latest album, District Line, was released in February 2008.
Though his homosexuality was previously something of an open secret, Mould was outed in the early 1990s; he is now openly gay. Though it was often rumored during his Hüsker Dü days that he and bandmate Hart were an item (Hart was also gay, and both acknowledge taking partners on tour), both have flatly denied ever having been romantically involved.
In 2006, Mould contributed the song "If I Can't Change Your Mind" to the album Wed-Rock, an album to promote same-sex marriage.
On September 29, 2005, Mould's song "Circles" was featured on The OC as Marissa Cooper was starting her first day at her public school in Season 3. Mould's song "Dog on Fire" is the theme song for The Daily Show. They Might Be Giants perform the current version. The song "See a Little Light" has been used more than once in various television applications: It was used in the closing scene of the original un-aired test pilot episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, it became one of the principal theme songs for the HBO series The Mind of the Married Man and was also used in a television commercial for TIAA-CREF (August 2007). Mould also composed the theme for the TLC program, In a Fix.
Mould and director Cameron Crowe are close friends; the character Bob Sugar (played by Jay Mohr) in Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire is named for both Mould and his former band, Sugar.
Mould appeared on an episode of IFC's The Henry Rollins Show on June 15, 2007.
Mould also played lead guitar in the house band for the film of John Cameron Mitchell's Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Mould also participated in a Hedwig tribute album, Wig in a Box, on which he covered the song "Nailed."
Solo Discography
Workbook LP (Virgin, 1989)
See A Little Light Single (Virgin, 1989)
Wishing Well + 4 Tracks Single (Virgin, 1989)
Black Sheets of Rain LP (Virgin, 1990)
Poison Years Compilation LP (Virgin, 1994)
Egøverride Single (Rykodisc, 1995)
Bob Mould LP (Rykodisc, 1996)
The Last Dog and Pony Show LP (Rykodisc, 1998)
Modulate LP (Granary Music, 2002)
Live Dog 98: The Forum, London UK Live LP (Granary Music, 2002)
Long Playing Grooves (released under anagram LoudBomb) LP (Granary Music, 2002)
Body of Song (Yep Roc, 2005)
District Line (Granary Music, 2008)
Silver Age (Edsel 2012)
Beauty & Ruin (Merge Records, 2014)
Patch the Sky (Merge Records, 2016)
Sunshine Rock (Merge Records, 2019)
Bootlegs
The Calm Before the Storm (Kiss The Stone, 1994)
Bands Produced
Soul Asylum, Made To Be Broken LP
Articles of Faith, Give Thanks and In this Life LPs
Magnapop, Hot Boxing LP
Verbow, Chronicles LP
The Zulus, Down on the Floor LP
Impaler, If We Had Brains... We'd Be Dangerous LP
Low, Tonight the Monkeys Die Remixes EP
http://www.bobmould.com
http://modulate.blogspot.com
Forgiveness
Bob Mould Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I need to lift you up before I fall
I'll comfort you, I know it makes a difference
When nothing else is making sense at all
I won't leave a message, I've bothered you enough
It might be best to take some time off
I've left for the weekend, I let the neighbors know
I know I should have asked for your permission
I guess I shouldn't play this stupid game
But if you put yourself in my position
You'll see I'm not the only one to blame
Plants on the back porch, water them tonight
Make sure to keep them in the sunlight
If you neglect them, they will never grow
Sometimes plants don't come back
And you won't know
I don't know
They won't grow
So don't go
I come to you to ask for your forgiveness
I need to lift you up before I fall
I'll comfort you, I know it makes a difference
And nothing else
is making sense at all.
The song Forgiveness by Bob Mould expresses feelings of regret and sorrow over hurtful actions taken towards a loved one. Mould approaches his loved one to ask for forgiveness, acknowledging his mistakes and taking responsibility for his actions. He expresses a desire to comfort his loved one, recognizing that he needs to lift her up before he himself falls. He also urges her to take care of the plants on the back porch, using them as a metaphor for the fragility of relationships.
The way Mould uses specific imagery in this song adds depth and emotion to his lyrics. The plants on the back porch, for instance, symbolize the delicate nature of a relationship, highlighting the fact that neglecting it can be devastating. The singer's use of first-person point of view draws the listener into the experience, making them empathize with the feelings of the singer.
Overall, Forgiveness is a poignant, introspective song that speaks to the complexity of human relationships and the power of forgiveness. It emphasizes the importance of acknowledging one's mistakes and taking responsibility for our actions, while also showing that reconciliation and forgiveness are always possible if both parties are willing to work at it.
Line by Line Meaning
I come to you to ask for your forgiveness
I'm sorry for what I did and I hope you can forgive me.
I need to lift you up before I fall
I want to make things right so we can both move forward.
I'll comfort you, I know it makes a difference
I want to be there for you when you need me, especially during tough times.
When nothing else is making sense at all
Even when life feels confusing and overwhelming, I'll be here for you.
I won't leave a message, I've bothered you enough
I don't want to add to your stress, so I won't keep contacting you if you need space.
It might be best to take some time off
If you need to step back from our relationship for a bit, I understand and support you.
I've left for the weekend, I let the neighbors know
I'll be away for a little while and made sure someone else knows in case you need help.
They see strangers come and go
People may come and go from our lives, but I hope we can stay connected.
I know I should have asked for your permission
I realize I made a mistake by not talking things through with you first.
I guess I shouldn't play this stupid game
I regret hurting you and I shouldn't have acted recklessly.
But if you put yourself in my position
If you were in my shoes, you might understand why I did what I did.
You'll see I'm not the only one to blame
There were factors beyond just my actions that led to this situation.
Plants on the back porch, water them tonight
Here's something practical you can do to take care of yourself and your environment.
Make sure to keep them in the sunlight
Just like plants need sunlight, we also need to take care of ourselves and each other.
If you neglect them, they will never grow
We can't expect growth or improvement without putting in the effort to nurture it.
Sometimes plants don't come back
Despite our best efforts, some things may still not work out the way we want them to.
And you won't know
We can't always predict or control the outcomes of our efforts.
I don't know
There's a lot in life that we don't have the answers to.
They won't grow
Without proper care and attention, things won't progress or flourish.
So don't go
Let's stick together and support each other, even through difficult times.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ROBERT ARTHUR MOULD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
RL Fiar
I come to you to ask for your forgiveness
I need to lift you up before I fall
I'll comfort you, I know it makes a difference
When nothing else is making sense at all
I won't leave a message, I've bothered you enough
It might be best to take some time off
I've left for the weekend, I let the neighbors know
They see strangers come and go
I know I should have asked for your permission
I guess I shouldn't play this stupid game
But if you put yourself in my position
You'll see I'm not the only one to blame
Plants on the back porch, water them tonight
Make sure to keep them in the sunlight
If you neglect them, they will never grow
Sometimes plants don't come back
And you won't know
I don't know
They won't grow
So don't go
I come to you to ask for your forgiveness
I need to lift you up before I fall
I'll comfort you, I hope it makes a difference
And nothing else
Darren Stewart
Brilliant. .
Ryan King
I like this.