The group's trademark violin-coated melodies and their ironic take on American culture put them one step away from being a novelty act in the eyes of many critics. But as the band would move from irreverently playful to experimental with their intricate, psychedelic pop meanderings they carved out their own niche in the music world. CVB consciously played with building a mystique about the band, using articles, liner notes and press interviews to weave a bizarre mythology about the band, to the point where it is still often difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.
CVB had roots in the earlier projects Sitting Duck and Estonian Gauchos, proto-CVB projects from which some of the earliest CVB songs originated. Original bandmembers from CVB's early recordings, including 'Telephone Free Landslide Victory,' included David Lowery, Chris Molla, and Anthony Guess, all of whom also did time in Eric Curkendall's project Box O'Laffs.
The core touring and recording contingent of this band consisted of David Lowery, Victor Krummenacher, Jonathan Segel and Greg Lisher with Anthony Guess on drums from early 1985 to fall 1985 for their first album, 'Telephone Free Landslide Victory'. Guess left the band in late 1985 following the tour and went on to collaborate with numerous other musicians and bands, including Pile of Disaster, World Entertainment War, Calm Down Juanita, the Hollywood Lightweights, Billy Dwayne & the Creepers, Travis Morrissey & The Good Ship, and his current project, I Die Everyday.
Chris Pedersen took over drumming in the late 80's and since reformation in 2000, with Cracker drummer, Frank Funaro. After signing to Virgin Records in 1988 and releasing two eclectic yet slightly more accessible LPs, they disbanded in 1990; singer David Lowery went on to found the band Cracker (with guitarist Johnny Hickman, a former member of Estonian Gauchos), while the other members - guitarists Greg Lisher and David Immerglück, bassist Victor Krummenacher and drummer Chris Pedersen - devoted themselves full-time to the Monks of Doom, which had begun several years earlier as a non-Lowery side project. Violinist Jonathan Segel went on to play with Granfaloon Bus, Dieselhed, Hieronymus Firebrain, Jack & Jill and more. Segel and Krummenacher also continue to release solo recordings. More recently Segel has been involved in experimental music, including collaborations with Fred Frith and Joelle Leandre. Krummenacher and Segel collectively run their own record label, Magnetic. Chris Pedersen moved to Australia and currently plays drums for the dub band Daktari.
In 2000, ex-members regrouped to compile the experimental rarity set Camper Van Beethoven Is Dead. Long Live Camper Van Beethoven. In 2002, they released Tusk. Allegedly recorded in 1987, it had all the same tracks as the Fleetwood Mac album of the same name, and a parody of the original album's cover art. A series of reunion tour dates followed with many of the band's former members. The group officially reformed in 2004 to record New Roman Times, their first official studio album in 15 years. A live concert disc was also released entitled In The Mouth of the Crocodile, capturing a 2004 reunion performance in Seattle. Also, segments of a 2004 performance in Chicago were released the following year as Discotheque CVB: Live In Chicago, which was only available at a limited number of record stores. The band continue to play live and co-host the Annual Cracker Camper Van Beethoven Campout, a 3-day alternative music festival in Pioneertown, CA held every September.
CVB's 1985 staple "Take the Skinheads Bowling" was covered by Teenage Fanclub and used as the title track for the 2002 Michael Moore film Bowling for Columbine. A portion of the original Camper Van Beethoven recording can be heard as an introduction to the DVD release of the film. The song has also been covered by many other artists, most notably Manic Street Preachers and Sugarlust, who play it in every show they do; they all have skinheads and it has become their signature cover song.
Members of Camper Van Beethoven collaborated with Eugene Chadbourne on a number of records under the name Camper Van Chadbourne.
The band's official site is campervanbeethoven.com
Sad Lover's Waltz
Camper Van Beethoven Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Step away
One step for you and one step for me
Step away
But don't take the third step
'Cause that's just the sad lover's waltz
But don't take the third step
'Cause that's just the sad lover's waltz
One step for anger and one step for pain
Step away
One step for right and one step for wrong
Step away
But don't take the third step
'Cause that's just the sad lover's waltz
Don't take the third step
'Cause that's just the sad lover's waltz
One step for boys and one step for girls
Step away
One step for you and one step for me
Step away
One more step makes three
And three step's a waltz
Don't take a third step
'Cause that's just a sad lover's waltz
The lyrics of Camper Van Beethoven's "Sad Lover's Waltz" present a unique and intriguing message about the dangers of taking certain steps in a relationship. The song sets up the idea that there are steps that can be taken in relationships, like steps taken in a dance, and that these steps can have different meanings and consequences. The first two verses feature different pairs of steps that relate to different emotions and decisions, but the refrain warns against taking a third step, which would result in the "sad lover's waltz." This third step represents a costly misstep in the dance of the relationship, leading to disappointment or heartbreak.
The song's lyrics use the analogy of dance steps to talk about relationships in a unique and memorable way. The idea that certain steps in a relationship can have different meanings and consequences is both poetic and insightful. The warning against taking the third step suggests that relationships are delicate, and that one wrong move can lead to heartbreak. The use of repetition in the song also emphasizes the importance of following the warning: the refrain is repeated twice in each verse, driving home the idea that the sad lover's waltz is a real danger.
Overall, "Sad Lover's Waltz" is a haunting and beautiful song that presents a timeless message about the fragility of relationships. It speaks to the idea that relationships can be like dances, with steps that need to be taken carefully and deliberately in order to avoid disaster.
Line by Line Meaning
One step for boys and one step for girls
There are steps for everyone, boys and girls alike, to take when involved in a relationship.
Step away
Take a step back from the relationship or situation.
One step for you and one step for me
Both parties involved in the relationship must take their respective actions or steps to keep the relationship going.
But don't take the third step
Avoid taking actions or steps that might lead to complications or destroy the relationship.
'Cause that's just the sad lover's waltz
Doing something detrimental for the relationship will lead to a sad end – just like how one wrong step in a waltz can lead to a dance gone wrong.
One step for anger and one step for pain
There are steps to follow when one gets emotional, may it be anger, pain or other types of emotions.
One step for right and one step for wrong
There are steps one must take to do things right or to avoid doing wrong things.
One more step makes three
Taking an additional step will lead to a third step – a step too many.
And three step's a waltz
Three steps make a waltz; here the waltz represents a dance towards self-destruction.
Don't take a third step
Avoid actions that might lead to the third step or self-destruction.
'Cause that's just a sad lover's waltz
Doing something detrimental will lead to a sad end – just like how one wrong step in a waltz can lead to a dance gone wrong.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: KRUMMENACHER, LISHER, LOWERY, MOLLA, SEGEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind