The name of the group is derived etymologically from Swedish liquor Brännvin, a style of spirit best described as low-grade vodka. The name originated as a joke associated with the taupe-coloured Volkswagen Camper Van owned by Bergen in the mid-1990s which was said to run solely on bran flakes, brännvin and brand recognition when carrying the artists on tour around Canada.
1994–1996: Formation
In 1994, James Di Salvio (b. November 28, 1972) had received a royalty cheque for work on a remix he had done on a track for Quebec songwriter Jean Leloup, and invited his friend E.P. Bergen (b. 13 April 1972) to "come help him spend the money".[2] The two got together in Manhattan and coined Bran Van 3000 in 1994. Di Salvio was a video director and asked E.P. to come teach him how to produce tracks with a sampler and turntables. Together they went and bought studio equipment in Times Square. E.P. returned to Montreal and immediately co-wrote/produced a single with Jean Leloup called: "Johnny Go". E.P. invited James to come over and record his first ever rap on that song. It later went to number one in the Quebec charts. James Di Salvio also directed the music video. This was in effect the first ever Bran Van 3000 collaboration.
Together James and E.P. went back to New York to record "Forest" and "Ma Chambre" for Jean Leloup's platinum album "Le Dome". These tracks were very successful, leading to a record deal with Audiogram Records. Together with Haig V, they co-produced the first BV3 album. Jean Leloup gave "Forest" to Bran Van 3000. Bergen started a cover of "Come On Feel The Noise" with plans to have Sara Johnston sing on it. Di Salvio discovered Liquid. In 1996, the album was almost finished. As a joke, James and E.P. sent a demo of the unfinished songs "Drinking In LA", "Couch Surfer" and "Everywhere" to the Canadian Music Week contest. Bran Van 3000 came in first place with another act (Jack Rustle), but got disqualified because there was no real band to perform the showcase. They finished the album and E.P. started auditioning the touring band that included Gary Mackenzie, Nick Hynes and Rob Joanisse.
1996–1999: Glee
Bran Van 3000 finally released their first single, "Drinking in L.A.", in February 1997 in Canada. In April of the same year, the band released their first album, called Glee. The record went gold in 1998 and won a Juno Award for best alternative album. It contained 17 tracks, one of them entirely in French called "Forest" featuring Jean Leloup. "Afrodiziak", produced by E.P. Bergen sold 100 000 copies in Germany with EMI and appeared in the movie XChange. The song "Everywhere" was featured on the soundtrack to the film Practical Magic and "Drinking in L.A." was featured in the soundtrack to Playing by Heart. "Ceci n'est pas une chanson" (later "Une chanson") contains the main melody of "Perfect" song from The The.
In March 1998, Glee was released internationally albeit some changes: "Ceci n'est pas une chanson" became an instrumental simply called "Une chanson"; the French song, "Forest", was reworked with several English verses. The international version has 19 tracks. Previously unreleased songs are "Rainshine", "Carry On" and "Old School".
After signing with Capitol Records, Bran Van 3000 began a massive touring schedule. It started across Canada, then zigzagged across the United States in Bob Dylan's Tour bus. Every day, the band was waiting for confirmation of show dates. The dates were sometimes confirmed the day before and the band would have to drive for ten hours to the next gig, only to find the posters rolled up in the coat check of many venues instead of on the walls. This inadequate tour planning forced the band to play in front of 20 to 50 people a night. Things eventually got better.
In Europe, EMI booked the band months ahead of time so that there was adequate promo. The band enjoyed larger crowds and got the rockstar treatment in every country in Western Europe. They also opened up for Massive Attack, Björk in sports arenas, as well as Pulp and Moby when they got back home.
In July 1998, "Drinking in L.A." reached No. 36 in the UK Singles Chart,[4] becoming their first transatlantic hit. In August 1999 the single was re-released after the song was featured in a popular TV commercial for Rolling Rock, and peaked at No. 3 in the UK.
2000–2001: Discosis
In 2000, E.P. Bergen temporarily quit Bran Van 3000 to make a solo record: Airport Lounge and work on HBO movie scores: "Dead Awake" starring Stephen Baldwin and "Swindle" starring Tom Sizemore and Dave Foley of The Kids in the Hall.
In the summer of 2001, Bran Van 3000 released the album Discosis. The song "Astounded" featured the final recorded performance from soul legend Curtis Mayfield before his death and became the most successful Canadian single by the collective. Other collaborators on the album were Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour and reggae artist Eek-a-Mouse. The song Go Shopping was featured on the soundtrack to the Mexican film Y tu mamá también.
2002–2006: Hiatus
In the summer of 2002 the band's Web site indicated that it was not working on new material or touring, nor did the band at that time had any plans of doing so.
2006–2007: Rosé
Unbeknownst to fans in 2006, E.P. Bergen contacted Audiogram and the publishers to obtain the initial financing of a third album. It was later announced that BV3 was working on a third album, Rosé, which was released in Canada on October 30 and in the US on November 27, 2007. Rosé was co-produced by James Di Salvio and Sara Johnston with the collaboration of Fatlip, Max-A-Million, Swanza, Chris Opperman, Noel Osborne and others. The album was written in Los Angeles and was recorded at Depeche Mode's studio and in Hollywood at Steve Vai's Studio. On July 1, 2008, the original group got back together, on stage, at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, playing songs from Rosé as well as some of their previous hits, in front of a crowd numbering around 180,000.
2010–2012: The Garden
After the death of his friend and father, Bobby Di Salvio, James got the collective back together and confirmed a new album on August 2010. "The Garden" was released on October 19, 2010. Since then Di Salvio and parts of the group are touring through Montreal and Canada, collaborating with different singers and instrumentalists like Pierre-Luc Cérat, Nick Hynes, Pascal Lepage Stéphane Moraille.
Montreal
Bran Van 3000 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In fact I love to watch you do anything
And yes I do feel this thing happening
But you'll have to excuse me girl
'Cause my taxi's waiting
Although I do
Yes I do
One day God walked on old Mount Royal
Just to dream up the human form
Threw stones and cans and comic books in a kettle
And you came out like a shining goddess heavy metal
Say it's just too bad some hearts don't settle
And the pipes are leaking and you feel like leaving
Yeah, we heard this one before
I said, Dear God, buddy, now don't you meddle
'Cause I've got my own little twisted ways of showing you that I do
Yes I do
I love you in my own twisted ways
And sing it
Like we used to sing
See Kermit the Frog was one day daydreaming
Thinking about himself at a red light
With that it-ain't-easy-being-greenin'
And the cars behind him kept honking and honking
And Kermit's last words as he flipped the bird
Was, Damn you Muppets just keep on taking!
See I've got my own things now so stop tooting
I do my lily pad jumping
Miss Piggy bumping
Lotta Miss Piggys and that's all good
And I'm gonna turn this red light
Into a block party
So we can get down in basics of what?
Rainbow connecting
Yes I do
I love you in my own twisted ways
The first verse of the song "Montreal" by Bran Van 3000 offers an insight into the singer's admiration for someone he cares for. He shows his fondness for her by stating that he loves to watch her in any situation, but unfortunately, he has to leave her as his taxi is waiting. However, he confesses that he loves her in his "own twisted ways."
The second verse tells a story from the singer's perspective about how God created humans by throwing stones, cans, and comic books into a kettle, resulting in a "shining goddess heavy metal." He questions why some hearts do not settle even though they should, and talks about how one may feel like leaving when the pipes start leaking. However, the singer has unique ways of demonstrating his love to his girl. He pleads with God not to meddle in his affairs and shows that he loves his girl despite his unorthodox methods.
The chorus speaks to his love for this girl, ending with the line "I love you in my own twisted ways." The final verse refers to Kermit the Frog daydreaming while sitting at a red light. He thinks about how it is not easy being green and how all the cars behind him kept honking. His last words as he flipped the bird were a statement towards the other Muppets, who kept taking what he gave. The section concludes with the singer sharing some details about his life and how he will turn a red light into a block party with lots of Miss Piggy bumping, rainbow connecting, and lily pad jumping.
Line by Line Meaning
I think I love to watch you laughing
I really enjoy seeing you happy
In fact I love to watch you do anything
It brings me joy to observe you engaging in any activity
And yes I do feel this thing happening
I'm experiencing a feeling towards you that is growing stronger
But you'll have to excuse me girl
I apologize, but I must go
'Cause my taxi's waiting Although I do
I have transportation arranged to leave, but I still have feelings for you.
Yes I do I love you in my own twisted ways
Despite my idiosyncrasies, I care for you deeply.
One day God walked on old Mount Royal
The almighty once traversed the landmark of Mount Royal
Just to dream up the human form
It was there that human life was inspired
Threw stones and cans and comic books in a kettle
God combined various elements to create the essence of humanity
And you came out like a shining goddess heavy metal
From that mixture, you emerged as an exceptional and remarkable individual
Say it's just too bad some hearts don't settle
It's a shame that not every heart can find contentment
And the pipes are leaking and you feel like leaving
The current situation may be unpleasant and causing you to consider departing
Yeah, we heard this one before
This sort of situation is not new to us
I said, Dear God, buddy, now don't you meddle
I implored the deity to not interfere in our affairs
'Cause I've got my own little twisted ways of showing you that I do
Nevertheless, I have my own peculiar methods of demonstrating how much I care for you.
And sing it Like we used to sing
Let us recreate the harmony we once enjoyed together
See Kermit the Frog was one day daydreaming
There was a moment where Kermit the Frog was lost in thought
Thinking about himself at a red light
He was contemplating his life during a pause at a traffic signal
With that it-ain't-easy-being-greenin'
Kermit was pondering the challenges of being different
And the cars behind him kept honking and honking
Other drivers became impatient and sounded their horns in annoyance
And Kermit's last words as he flipped the bird
Kermit's final statement before leaving was a gesture of exasperation
Was, Damn you Muppets just keep on taking!
He lamented about the constant demands placed on him and his colleagues to perform
See I've got my own things now so stop tooting
I have my own priorities and projects, so please stop interrupting me
I do my lily pad jumping Miss Piggy bumping
I engage in the activities that constitute my own unique experience
Lotta Miss Piggys and that's all good
I have many diverse interests and that's perfectly fine
And I'm gonna turn this red light Into a block party
I plan to transform this idle moment into a lively celebration
So we can get down in basics of what? Rainbow connecting
In order to achieve true harmony, we should focus on uniting in our humanity
Yes I do I love you in my own twisted ways
Despite my quirks, I still deeply care for you.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JAMES DI SALVIO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind