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
Wrong State of Mind
Clawfinger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I wasn't paying attention to the statement being made
And when I looked up at a banner and saw just what it said
Then I wished that I was somewhere else instead
Because the message on the banner was for white supremacy
And no matter how hard I tried it didn't make any sense to me
So I studied the people around me trying to think of what to say
But the only thing I could think of was to laugh and walk away
I was dreaming that I was talking to a man about his faith
And I was far away from home in some kind of exotical place
The situation was such that when I looked at my surrounding
I got nervous and my heart just started pounding
I realized that I was the only man that was Caucasian
All the people around me looked like oriental Asian
I was a legal alien in a difficult situation
But I could relate to the state I was in when I thought about discrimination
Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time
Or was I in the wrong state of mind
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
I was dreaming that I was at home and when I took a look around
It was as if the entire population had suddenly gone underground
I was standing all by myself and there was no one to be found
The only thing worse than a terrible noise is not even hearing a sound
There wasn't a trace of a human face as far as my eyes could see
I started to feel kind of lonely and I wanted some company
I had to make do with myself and the thought didn't appeal to me
'Cause the only thing worse than to many people is feeling completely lonely
Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time
Or was I in the wrong state of mind
Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time
Or was I in the wrong state of mind
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
Anybody could be related with a monkey in a tree
Or an ancient tribe from Africa but that doesn't bother me
I've probably got lots of relatives that are Jews and nobody knows
Maybe that's the reason for the size of my big and beautiful nose
My family tree is a mystery that comes from all over the place
So tell me the logical definition of a perfect race
Some people are dressed in a darker tan and some have a lighter shade
And I can assure you nobody's sure exactly where they were made
Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time
Or was I in the wrong state of mind
Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time
Or was I in the wrong state of mind
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
The lyrics of Clawfinger's "Wrong State of Mind" describe three different situations where the singer is in a state of distress due to being in what feels like the wrong place, or having the wrong state of mind. The first situation finds the singer caught up in a parade and feeling uneasy upon realizing that the message on the banner promotes white supremacy. He tries to find the right words to say but decides to laugh and walk away instead.
In the second situation, the singer is in a foreign land where he is the only Caucasian amongst a predominantly Asian population. This makes him feel nervous, especially as he can relate to being in a state of discrimination. The last situation finds him alone at home with the population having disappeared, leaving him feeling lonely and desolate.
The song touches on themes of discrimination, loneliness, and the absurdity of racial classifications, ultimately challenging conventional ideas of what constitutes a "perfect race" and asking whether being in the "wrong place" or having the "wrong state of mind" is truly a bad thing.
Line by Line Meaning
I was dreaming that I was caught up in the middle of a parade
The singer is dreaming that they are a part of a parade.
But I wasn't paying attention to the statement being made
The singer was not paying attention to the message of the parade.
And when I looked up at a banner and saw just what it said
The singer looked up and read the message on a banner.
Then I wished that I was somewhere else instead
After reading the message, the artist wishes they were somewhere else.
Because the message on the banner was for white supremacy
The message on the banner was promoting white supremacy.
And no matter how hard I tried it didn't make any sense to me
The singer could not understand why anyone would promote white supremacy.
So I studied the people around me trying to think of what to say
The singer observed the people around them, trying to come up with a response.
But the only thing I could think of was to laugh and walk away
The only response the artist could come up with was to laugh and leave the situation.
I was dreaming that I was talking to a man about his faith
In this dream, the artist was talking to a man about his religion.
And I was far away from home in some kind of exotical place
The artist was not in their usual setting, but somewhere exotic.
The situation was such that when I looked at my surrounding
The environment made the singer uneasy.
I got nervous and my heart just started pounding
The artist became nervous and their heart began to race.
I realized that I was the only man that was Caucasian
The singer noticed that they were the only Caucasian person there.
All the people around me looked like oriental Asian
The other people in the area were all of Asian descent.
I was a legal alien in a difficult situation
The singer felt like an outsider in this unfamiliar setting.
But I could relate to the state I was in when I thought about discrimination
The artist could understand the feeling of being discriminated against.
I was dreaming that I was at home and when I took a look around
In this dream, the artist was at home and noticed something strange.
It was as if the entire population had suddenly gone underground
The singer noticed that everyone in their community had disappeared.
I was standing all by myself and there was no one to be found
The singer was alone in this empty community.
The only thing worse than a terrible noise is not even hearing a sound
The silence was more unsettling than any noise could be.
There wasn't a trace of a human face as far as my eyes could see
The lack of any people in the area was eerie.
I started to feel kind of lonely and I wanted some company
The artist began to feel lonely and desired someone else's presence.
I had to make do with myself and the thought didn't appeal to me
The singer had to be content with their own company, which they did not find appealing.
'Cause the only thing worse than to many people is feeling completely lonely
The artist would rather have too many people than no one at all.
Anybody could be related with a monkey in a tree
The singer believes that anyone could be related to anything, such as a monkey in a tree.
Or an ancient tribe from Africa but that doesn't bother me
The singer doesn't mind being related to an ancient tribe from Africa.
I've probably got lots of relatives that are Jews and nobody knows
The singer believes they may have Jewish relatives, but nobody knows for sure.
Maybe that's the reason for the size of my big and beautiful nose
The artist believes that their Jewish ancestry may be the reason for their large nose, which they find beautiful.
My family tree is a mystery that comes from all over the place
The artist's family tree is a mystery with roots in many different places.
So tell me the logical definition of a perfect race
The singer challenges anyone to define what they believe the perfect race is.
Some people are dressed in a darker tan and some have a lighter shade
People have different skin tones, some darker or lighter than others.
And I can assure you nobody's sure exactly where they were made
Nobody knows exactly where they come from or why they look the way they do.
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
The artist questions whether they were in the wrong place, wrong time, or wrong state of mind.
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
The artist questions whether they were in the wrong place, wrong time, or wrong state of mind.
Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time
The singer is questioning if they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
The artist questions whether they were in the wrong place, wrong time, or wrong state of mind.
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
The singer questions whether they were in the wrong place, wrong time, or wrong state of mind.
Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time
The singer is questioning if they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
The singer questions whether they were in the wrong place, wrong time, or wrong state of mind.
Wrong place, wrong time or wrong state of mind
The artist questions whether they were in the wrong place, wrong time, or wrong state of mind.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BARD SVERRE TORSTENSEN, ERLEND OTTEM, JOCKE SKOG, ZAK NIKOLAS TELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind