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.
Problems
Bran Van 3000 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where action rules,Â
That God is me,Â
In a war against my body,Â
In the poetry of poverty.Â
'Cause it's the rich ones who make it,Â
'Cause it's the rich ones who have the guts to take it.Â
They feel fine. [Repeata: x1]
Check out complainer by the bar,Â
Let's kick his ass and make him beg for more,Â
Let's line him up,Â
And make him scream and shout,Â
And show him he's got nothing to complain about.Â
'Cause I believe in the groove complacent,Â
So jack me up and fuck me up with entertainment,Â
Yeah, I feel fine.Â
The lyrics of "Problems" by Bran Van 3000 can be interpreted as a commentary on the society we live in, where action, money and power define our worth. The singer talks about living in a frequency where action rules, indicating that taking action or being proactive is considered as the key to success. The line "That God is me" can be seen as a reflection of the self-centeredness and narcissism prevalent in today's world. The singer also talks about being in a war against his body, which could be interpreted as a struggle to meet the societal beauty standards or the pressure to conform to the societal norms.
The second verse of the song talks about the tendency of people to belittle others' problems and concerns. The singer refers to a complainer by the bar and suggests that he should be kicked and made to beg for more. This verse perhaps reflects the lack of empathy and compassion prevalent in society today, where people tend to dismiss other people's struggles, pain and frustrations. The chorus "I feel fine" could be seen as a sarcastic remark on society's obsession with portraying a happy and positive facade, while ignoring the harsh realities of life.
Line by Line Meaning
I live in a frequency, Where action rules, That God is me, In a war against my body, In the poetry of poverty.
I exist in a world where it's all about taking action and asserting your dominance. I believe that I am in control of everything, even though I am at odds with myself and struggling to make ends meet.
'Cause it's the rich ones who make it, 'Cause it's the rich ones who have the guts to take it. They feel fine.
The wealthy ones are the ones who succeed because they are willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. They're not bothered by the morality of their actions, and therefore, they feel content with their success.
Check out complainer by the bar, Let's kick his ass and make him beg for more, Let's line him up, And make him scream and shout, And show him he's got nothing to complain about.
Look at that person who is whining over there. We should bully them until they submit to us, so that they will realize they should be grateful for what they have and have no reason to complain.
'Cause I believe in the groove complacent, So jack me up and fuck me up with entertainment, Yeah, I feel fine.
I choose to embrace a passive lifestyle and let the entertainment of the world consume me. This is what brings me pleasure, so I don't really care about much else in my life.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tyler Durden
So short but so good !
eddy eddy
Still waiting for a longer version
Victoria Dominguez
This is my favorite version
Jack Hamcen
So Short but so good
Remo Gtz
Dat voice..
uruky b
<3
Méchant Manu
vinyl re-issue just came out folks !
Jack Hamcen
Yes, Tyler Durden, très bon mais trop court, en effet
D Palmer
yes
Méchant Manu
vinyl re-issue just came out folks !