… Read Full Bio ↴The Crash Test Dummies is a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The band is most identifiable through Brad Roberts (vocals, guitar) and his distinctive bass-baritone voice. The band members have fluctuated over the years, but its best known line-up consisted of Roberts, Ellen Reid (co-vocals, keyboards), Brad's brother Dan Roberts (bass guitar, backing vocals), Benjamin Darvill (harmonica, mandolin), and Mitch Dorge (drums, percussion). The band is best known internationally for their 1993 single "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" and best known in Canada for the 1991 single "Superman's Song".
After a multi-year hiatus, the band returned in 2015 with a tour and the new charity single "Promised Land" which was a collaboration with Marc Mysterio[1] following up his remix of "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm".
The origin of the Crash Test Dummies is tied to the history of two Winnipeg nightspots, the Spectrum Cabaret and the Blue Note Cafe, owned by Curtis Riddell.
In the mid-1980s, Riddell joined with Brad Roberts to form the decidedly less-than-serious bar band Bad Brad Roberts and the St. James Rhythm Pigs. Over time, the band evolved into the Crash Test Dummies, a name suggested by a friend of the band who was in medical school. The diagnostic mannequin, known colloquially as a crash test dummy, was known to the public already by this time. Ellen Reid and Benjamin Darvill became permanent additions. George West, the original bass player, quit and was replaced by Dan Roberts, Brad's brother. Riddell was replaced by Vince Lambert, who was fired and replaced by Mitch Dorge just before the release of The Ghosts That Haunt Me.
After signing with BMG Records in 1991, the band signed with manager Jeff Rogers (Swell).
In the summer of 2017, the full band, except Benjamin Darvill, reunited for a show in Winnipeg and Brad Roberts went on a tour of South Africa in early 2018.
In July 2018, a reunited photo of Brad Roberts, Ellen Reid, Dan Roberts, and Mitch Dorge was posted on the official Crash Test Dummies Facebook page, along with the announcement of Canadian Tour Dates for the fall.
Throughout their career, Crash Test Dummies have experimented with many different styles and genres of music. These styles include the acoustic folk rock of The Ghosts That Haunt Me, the electric alternative rock of A Worm's Life, the urban influences of Give Yourself a Hand, and the optigan-based compositions of Oooh La La!.
Crash Test Dummies recorded as a full five piece band from their debut album The Ghosts That Haunt Me until Give Yourself a Hand. At this time, the most notable instrumentation of the band's music included Brad Roberts' lead guitar, Ellen Reid's keyboards, and Benjamin Darvill's harmonica. Another notable element of Crash Test Dummies' music are the contrasting harmonies between Brad Roberts' deep lead vocals and Ellen Reid's backing vocals in the higher register.
Beginning with I Don't Care That You Don't Mind in 2001, the band's albums were recorded primarily by Brad Roberts, Ellen Reid, and a rotating roster of session musicians.
One of the biggest influences for Brad Roberts was the band XTC and Andy Partridge in particular. The band even went on to cover two of XTC's songs: "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" for the soundtrack to the film Dumb and Dumber, and "All You Pretty Girls" for the XTC tribute album A Testimonial Dinner.
Sonnet 3
Crash Test Dummies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The river with its crusted banks of ice
Bespeak of winter drownings long ago
The chest pressed tightly, as though in a vise
The birds have flown away to warmer climes
The mammals in their caves to hibernate
The summer seems a lost and gentle time
The children's cheeks have turned a rosy red
The wealthy are beside their fires, warm
And then there's he who is without a bed
In which to lay and ride the raging storm
And in the graveyard, cold old bones do lie
And far above, the stars light up the sky
In Crash Test Dummies' song Sonnet 3, the winter season is used as a metaphor for loneliness and isolation. The first stanza describes the wintry landscape, as the cold and snowy woods and iced-over river indicate the bleak and lifeless environment. The phrase "winter drownings long ago" signifies the loss and death that have already occurred, adding to the sense of desolation. In the second stanza, the absence of birds and mammals reinforces the idea that nature has retreated, leaving the singer alone. The "summer seems a lost and gentle time" because it represents a bygone era of warmth and liveliness that can no longer be found. The imagery of the swinging gate, which now has no grass growing against it, implies the passage of time and the loss of innocence.
The third stanza shifts focus to the people affected by the cold. While the wealthy are comfortably warm by their fires, the singer observes a person without a bed who cannot escape the storm. The contrast between the haves and have-nots emphasizes the theme of isolation and despair. The final couplet brings the poem full circle, as the "cold old bones" buried in the graveyard are a reminder of the transience of life. However, the stars that "light up the sky" suggest that there is still beauty and hope to be found, even in the darkest of times.
Line by Line Meaning
The cold is here, the woods are full of snow
The winter season is present, signaling the presence of snow in the woods.
The river with its crusted banks of ice
The river has frozen over creating a crust of ice on its banks.
Bespeak of winter drownings long ago
The river's frozen banks signify the risks of winter drownings that happened in the past.
The chest pressed tightly, as though in a vise
The cold weather is causing the singer's chest to constrict, making it feel like it's in a vise.
The birds have flown away to warmer climes
The birds have migrated away to warmer areas due to the harshness of the cold.
The mammals in their caves to hibernate
The mammals have retreated to their caves to hibernate and survive the winter.
The summer seems a lost and gentle time
The warmth of summer seems distant and a memory compared to the current coldness.
When grass grew up against the swinging gate
In the past, grass used to grow alongside a swinging gate during the warmer months.
The children's cheeks have turned a rosy red
The children's cheeks have become red due to the cold weather.
The wealthy are beside their fires, warm
The wealthy have the luxury of being warm by their fires during the winter season.
And then there's he who is without a bed
There are less fortunate people who do not have a bed to keep warm during the winter season.
In which to lay and ride the raging storm
Those without a bed have to endure the harsh winter weather without adequate protection.
And in the graveyard, cold old bones do lie
Graveyards are filled with the deceased who have succumbed to the coldness of winter.
And far above, the stars light up the sky
The stars continue to shine brightly even during the coldest winter nights.
Contributed by Liam W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Miguel Sanchez Leon
This album is a hidden music jewel. For some reason every once in a while I even forget it exists, and then after every "rediscovery" I feel amazed that this was ever made.
🍀 The Sober Irishman 🍀
Very good post...i step away from CTD but always return and enjoy their songs all over again and again. Few groups have been a part of my life since 1993 as CTD.
🍀🍀
Scissoroar
Perfect comment
Alternative Affirmations
Better Christmas album than their Christmas album
Stephen Ellis
I remember listening to this album as the horror was unfolding in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2004. The music is as pertinent today as it was then. Thank you for posting.
Tom C. Pipes
12:11 There was never written a song more appropriate for the days we’re living in now.
Savage Bushranger
...Have the Billions been humbled?
Are they ready to die?
No they won't listen...
They don't know they're in Hell...
They're really quite happy...
With things and themselves...
Miguel Sanchez Leon
This comment is valid, no matter when
or whereyou read it.Zuhatz Art
Real music and real lyrics, amazing album! 'Is the spell really broken' song is so, so beautiful and perfect for these times!
putnam83
So wonderfully dour, a soundtrack to a forgotten Edward Gorey Western, inexplicably beautiful.