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
Keep Believing
Bob Mould Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And all our sadness has been washed away
The drug that keeps me breathing
I stick it in me every day
The needle / The sound
This groove it goes around
I'm dialing up a song from far away
And you can't get this feeling anywhere but
Here, right here, right now
No choice / Can't leave
I have to keep believing
Bring me thoughts and words, pass me the revolver
I can see for miles, and everything's in colour
Rock and roll all night, until I feel the thunder
I got a handle on some complicated fun
We're all sniffing glue, pleasures so unknown
A circle drawn in blue, the murmur baritone
Picnic on a Pedro lawn, heaven took that monkey song
Never mind the battle won, could you be the loveless one?
Always keep believing
Have to keep believing
Never lose that feeling
Have to keep believing
The first stanza of Bob Mould's song 'Keep Believing' hints at the destruction of the singer's addiction. The 'drug that keeps me breathing' is a metaphor for something the singer needs to survive: whether that's the physical needle, or the needle of music that sustains him. The chorus is an anthem that keeps repeating, representing the need to hold onto something that gives life meaning. The singer is desperate to keep believing, and can't leave the drug behind.
The second stanza begins with the singer's request for thoughts and words, and a revolver. This line conjures images of depression and suicide, and it seems as though the singer is looking for a way out. However, he sees things clearly, as if he has a handle on the situation. The colours and sounds all make sense to him, and he is having 'complicated fun'.
The bridge of the song removes the singer from himself, and sees himself as part of a group of people all looking for pleasure. The circle drawn in blue is a metaphor for unity and togetherness, and the monkey song could be a metaphor for the addictive groove that keeps them all moving forward. The final line of the song is the most important: 'Always keep believing/ Have to keep believing/ Never lose that feeling/ Have to keep believing'. The repetition hammers it home: the singer needs to hold onto the faith that he will find happiness or a way out.
Line by Line Meaning
And now the hearts are beating
The current moment is intense and exciting.
And all our sadness has been washed away
The current experience we're having is positive enough to negate any past negative experiences.
The drug that keeps me breathing
The thing that keeps me going is addictive and potentially harmful.
I stick it in me every day
I need it so badly that I can't go a day without it.
The needle / The sound
The repetition is comforting and all-consuming.
This groove it goes around
The repetition is comforting and all-consuming.
An anthem keeps repeating
A powerful message is repeated over and over again, serving as a source of motivation.
I'm dialing up a song from far away
I'm searching for inspiration and guidance from outside sources.
And you can't get this feeling anywhere but
This moment is unique and can't be replicated.
Here, right here, right now
This is the only place and time that matters.
No choice / Can't leave
I'm forced to stay in this moment, even if it's uncomfortable or painful.
I have to keep believing
I must maintain a positive attitude and outlook in order to keep going.
Bring me thoughts and words, pass me the revolver
I need something to inspire me, even if it's dangerous or self-destructive.
I can see for miles, and everything's in colour
I have a new perspective on things and feel like I can conquer anything.
Rock and roll all night, until I feel the thunder
I'm living in the moment and embracing the excitement and energy of the current experience.
I got a handle on some complicated fun
I'm managing to enjoy something that's difficult or challenging.
We're all sniffing glue, pleasures so unknown
We're all doing something risky or dangerous in order to feel better.
A circle drawn in blue, the murmur baritone
We're all in this together, and the shared experience is powerful.
Picnic on a Pedro lawn, heaven took that monkey song
We're making the best of a bad situation, and finding moments of joy and transcendence despite the circumstances.
Never mind the battle won, could you be the loveless one?
Even if we achieve our goals, we may still feel incomplete or unfulfilled without love and connection.
Always keep believing
Maintaining a positive attitude and outlook is crucial, even when things are difficult or uncertain.
Have to keep believing
Maintaining a positive attitude and outlook is crucial, even when things are difficult or uncertain.
Never lose that feeling
Even if it's difficult to hold onto, we must never forget the sense of hope and possibility that keeps us going.
Have to keep believing
Maintaining a positive attitude and outlook is crucial, even when things are difficult or uncertain.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BOB MOULD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tomi Kazi
MASTERPIECE.....
cristian cannata
Great album
IAmKrow
I wonder if "the murmur baritone" is a reference to REM's first record
sandblasted77
+IAmKrow It is. This is a list of the bands referenced (from an AMA he did on reddit): "In order: Byrds, Beatles, Who, Cheap Trick. KISS, J Thunders, Suicide Commandos. Ramones, Joy Division, Germs, REM. Minutemen, Pixies, Nirvana, then a mashup of HD and My Bloody Valentine. And the "never lose that feeling" is a nod to Swervedriver."
IAmKrow
That's very cool man. I'm sad to say many of these references were lost on me. Thank you!