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.
Stepchild
Bran Van 3000 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the time.
Why, don't you like yourself?
No, it's not that. I mean it's just not what you thought it would be. I mean, my old man, he used to sit and he'd go, "I don't know." I mean, he'd just be sitting there and he'd say, "I don't know". And I'd say, "What daddy? What don't you know?" And he'd say, "I don't know". [Have you ever thought](?) that you'd go, "I don't know, I don't know. And I guess you never do figure it out."
Don't you like yourself?
No, it's not that. I guess, in some way, you fucked up. In some way down the line, something went wrong and you spend the rest of your life trying to figure it out.
Don't you like yourself?
Like yourself?
Like yourself?
Like yourself?
Why, don't you like yourself? (x2)
Like yourself?
The lyrics to Bran Van 3000's song Stepchild seem to be a conversation between two people, discussing their unhappiness with themselves and their desire to be someone else. The first speaker expresses that they frequently wish they were somebody else and when asked why they don't like themselves, they explain that it's not necessarily that they don't like themselves, but that their life isn't what they expected it to be. They share a story about their father, who used to sit and say "I don't know", leaving the singer with a sense of uncertainty about understanding their own life.
The second speaker asks, "Don't you like yourself?", to which the first responds by explaining that they do, but they feel like they messed up somewhere along the way and spend the rest of their life trying to figure it out. The repetition of "Like yourself?" and "Why, don't you like yourself?" highlights the struggle of self-acceptance and the idea that it's not always a simple answer. The lyrics suggest that we may all experience moments of doubt and questioning about ourselves and our choices in life, and that this is a struggle that we must all navigate.
Overall, the song seems to be a reflection on the complexity of the human experience and the challenges of self-acceptance and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you ever wish you were somebody else?
Do you sometimes feel discontented with who you are and want to be someone different?
All the time.
Yes, I often feel this way.
Why, don't you like yourself?
Is this because you don't accept or love who you are?
No, it's not that. I mean it's just not what you thought it would be.
Actually, it's not about not liking myself. It's just that life turned out differently than what I imagined.
I mean, my old man, he used to sit and he'd go, 'I don't know.'
My father would often sit in silence and seem unsure about life.
I mean, he'd just be sitting there and he'd say, 'I don't know'.
He would say, 'I don't know' without any clear reason or explanation.
And I'd say, 'What daddy? What don't you know?'
I would ask him what was bothering him or what he didn't understand.
And he'd say, 'I don't know'. [Have you ever thought](?) that you'd go, 'I don't know, I don't know.
Despite my questioning, he would still repeat, 'I don't know'. It's like he had no answers or clarity. Do you think you could also end up feeling this way?
And I guess you never do figure it out.'
It seems as though the uncertainty and confusion about life never really goes away. It's something you just have to accept.
No, it's not that. I guess, in some way, you fucked up. In some way down the line, something went wrong and you spend the rest of your life trying to figure it out.
Actually, it's not just about feeling unfulfilled or unsure. It's also about the realization that somewhere along the way, you made a mistake or didn't do things right. And now you're constantly trying to make sense of it all.
Like yourself?
Is it really that easy to just 'like yourself' when there are so many unanswered questions and doubts?
Like yourself?
It's almost as if this simplistic question doesn't do justice to the complexity of one's feelings and experiences.
Like yourself?
It's not that simple.
Why, don't you like yourself? (x2)
Once again, this question oversimplifies a much more nuanced and complicated issue. It's not just about liking or not liking oneself.
Lyrics © Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Guo Yi, Eric-Pierre Bergen, James Di Salvio, Yue Guo, Jayne Hill, Dominic Hynes, Robert Joanisse, Sara Johnston, Gary McKenzie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@patriceducharme1144
Any bass tabs for this one ? Its the tune that motivated me to play bass
@hilariousiam
K ok lpppllla
@fenthedog
Im a guitar player and i think the base on this is phenomenal! I even considered getting a bass
@brianwebber6476
Ditto :)
@kiddfox98
What is that dialogue from?
@kiddfox98
Hello.