The band's origin dates back to the summer of 1989 when Zak Tell and Jocke Skog met while working together at the Rosenlund Hospital somewhere in the vicinity of Stockholm. In 1990 they were joined by the Norwegian guitarists Bård Torstensen and Erlend Ottem who were also working at the same hospital. Soon the four realized their similar interests in music. Bård and Erlend previously played in a band called Theo in their hometown Arendal back in Norway. Their free time was invested in exploring the musical world, composing and writing songs while evolving into a band.
Their original demo comprising three tracks (Waste of Time, Nigger and Profit Preacher) quickly secured them local radio airplay and consequently brought them to the attention of the MVG label. "Nigger" is an anti-racism statement that caused quite a stir and was a massive success; it was also released as a single. By the beginning of the 1990s, Clawfinger self-released their debut Deaf Dumb Blind. This sold in over 600,000 copies worldwide and was critically acclaimed in Swedish press. With the addition of André Skaug and drummer Morten Skaug, Clawfinger went on tour and played at countless European festivals including major support slots with Anthrax and Alice in Chains.
The band received many awards, including two home Grammies at the Swedish Grammy Awards in 1994 for best hard rock band and best music video. After touring, they went straight back in the studio to record their second album, Use Your Brain. After the release of this album they went on yet another touring campaign, most notably participating at Ozzy Osbourne's Monsters of Rock Festival in Brazil and Chile, rocking alongside American metal counterparts like Megadeth, Faith No More, and Alice Cooper. Back in Europe they continued their touring campaign by participating at festivals and countless gigs.
Their self-titled album Clawfinger was released in 1997. The first song on the album is Two Sides, which expanded the band's reach by using female choir vocals and a Middle Eastern sound. The rest of the album continues with the band's typical aggressive voice and socio-political lyrics.
A Whole Lot of Nothing was the fourth album released on 23 July 2001. The music showcases the same aggressive guitars, with more distortion effects and sounds, adding a whole new level of diversification. As for the synthesizers, on this particular album they're more present than on any other of Clawfinger's works.
Zeros & Heroes was released in 2003 and it caused controversy in America because the song Step Aside did not sit well with most American audiences due to the fact it slams George W. Bush and the post 9/11 (and not only) military politics of the US. It offers yet another style change for the ears of the listener. The electronic sound and synthesizers from A Whole Lot of Nothing are gone and replaced by a more complex and melodic guitar riffing.
Hate Yourself With Style was released in 2005. The album continued the path entered on Zeros & Heroes and is characterized by hardrock style melodic speedy guitar riffs. The keyboards which particularly characterized A Whole Lot of Nothing have completely disappeared.
Life Will Kill You was released in 2007. It has spawned three singles: Prisoners, The Price We Pay, and Little Baby.
The band officially disbanded in 23 August 2013.
Current members:
Zak Tell — vocals
Jocke Skog — keyboards
Bard Torstensen — guitar
Henka Johansson — drums
Andre Skaug — bass
Stars & Stripes
Clawfinger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you use your flag to symbolize the power of the nation and rule all across the land
The stars and the stripes of the passive population,nobody says a word
The U.S of A united states of frustration nobody ever gets heard
Manipulate the masses with your oral masturbation and your bullshit lullabies
feed them crap and set the trap on every t.v station with your god damn lies
keep them low on what you know and low on education so they just won't understand
and take away what might be left of there imagination and feed them from your hand
Tell me what is black and what is white
cos' god knows what is wrong and what is right
show me all your power and your might
Help Me!
Fourth of July you say you need a celebration i cant understand what for
to celebrate 200 hundred years of mind manipulation well thank you Tipper Gore
Encourage all the people in your racial seperation well what about equality?
feed them all with sex and drugs and worthless information is that how you wan't it to be?
Chorus
Take away all common sense and all communication just to benefit your way
then take away and make them a pay a move of desperation and hope they will obey
you can't understand why you're misunderstood you believe what you're doing is good
you laugh in the face of the poor and the weak and take awy there freedom to speak
You build up a wall with your false perfection just to protect yourself
but you can't understand that you're the disease and you're killing everybody else
and you won't understand until life does cease to excist on our planet earth
So you play with your kids and you pay for your sins and then you pray in the church
Chorus
Clawfinger's "Stars & Stripes" is a critical commentary on American society, politics and media. The lyrics speak of the power that the ruling class holds over the common people, and the way in which this power is used to manipulate and control them. The song challenges the use of America's flag as a symbol of power and authority, suggesting that it is used to give the impression of a united and strong nation, while in reality, the country is plagued by division and inequality.
The song's chorus reflects the confusion and frustration that the singer feels towards the American way of life. He questions the notion of right and wrong, asking for guidance on what is truly just in the face of such oppression. The verse speaks of the Fourth of July celebrations, ridiculing the concept of national pride when the country is suffering. It criticises the use of sex, drugs and other forms of distracting entertainment to suppress and control the population.
Overall, Clawfinger's "Stars & Stripes" is a cry for change and an urgent call for people to wake up and take action against the oppressive forces that hold them down. It highlights the need for true equality, education and an unfiltered understanding of the reality of American life.
Line by Line Meaning
The power to possess your entire generation i just can't understand
I don't comprehend how you have the power to control an entire generation of people.
you use your flag to symbolize the power of the nation and rule all across the land
You use the flag to represent and assert the country's power and control.
The stars and the stripes of the passive population,nobody says a word
The flag appeals to a passive population who does not question the symbolism.
The U.S of A united states of frustration nobody ever gets heard
Many people in the USA feel frustrated and unheard.
Manipulate the masses with your oral masturbation and your bullshit lullabies
You manipulate people with your fake promises and lies.
feed them crap and set the trap on every t.v station with your god damn lies
You propagate lies and misinformation across every TV channel.
keep them low on what you know and low on education so they just won't understand
You keep people ignorant and uneducated so that they won't realize the truth.
and take away what might be left of there imagination and feed them from your hand
You deprive people of their imagination and feed them only what you want them to know.
Tell me what is black and what is white cos' god knows what is wrong and what is right show me all your power and your might Help Me!
Tell me, what is the real truth, because everything seems so grey and unclear.
Fourth of July you say you need a celebration i cant understand what for to celebrate 200 hundred years of mind manipulation well thank you Tipper Gore
I don't understand why you're celebrating the 4th of July, which has turned into two centuries of brainwashing, thanks to people like Tipper Gore.
Encourage all the people in your racial separation well what about equality? feed them all with sex and drugs and worthless information is that how you wan't it to be?
You encourage segregation and inequality, while feeding everyone with superficial and meaningless pursuits.
Chorus
Take away all common sense and all communication just to benefit your way then take away and make them a pay a move of desperation and hope they will obey
You take away common sense and communication for your own gain, and then make people pay in desperation, hoping they'll follow you.
you can't understand why you're misunderstood you believe what you're doing is good you laugh in the face of the poor and the weak and take away there freedom to speak
You can't understand why people misunderstand you, even though you believe that what you're doing is right. You ridicule and silence the poor and weaker members of society.
You build up a wall with your false perfection just to protect yourself but you can't understand that you're the disease and you're killing everybody else
You build up an illusion of perfection to protect your own interests, but fail to see that you are actually the problem that's causing harm to everyone else.
and you won't understand until life does cease to excist on our planet earth So you play with your kids and you pay for your sins and then you pray in the church
You will only realize the impact of your actions when it's too late and the earth ceases to exist. In the meantime, you distract yourself with family, payoffs, and religion.
Contributed by Bailey N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.