… 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.
swatting flies
Crash Test Dummies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here in my little house by the sea
I search for a usable memory but none comes to me
In grade one, my teacher could do embalming
She'd stuff the bodies of dead little birds
She told us if ever we found one, just to bring it to her
It lay very still in its cage
And we'd feed him living flies
Then she'd read the old testament to us
But first she'd remind us the stories were true
And we'd hear of locusts and plagues and the tortures they knew
And in the science room was an iguana
I remember it now in my house by the seaside
Swatting flies
The lyrics of Crash Test Dummies' song "Swatting Flies" are a reflection on memory and how difficult it can be to recall usable ones. The singer of the song acknowledges that they are in a creative rut and unable to come up with any new ideas. They attempt to look to the past for inspiration, but all they can remember are strange and unsettling memories.
The song references the singer's grade one teacher, who had a macabre hobby of stuffing dead birds. The teacher encouraged her students to bring her any dead birds they found so that she could add them to her collection. In addition to this, the teacher also kept an iguana in the science room, which the students would feed living flies to.
The memory of the iguana seems to stick with the singer, who remembers it in their present-day house by the sea, swatting flies. The song also alludes to the religious indoctrination that the singer experienced in grade one, with the teacher reading them stories from the Old Testament and reminding them that they were true.
Overall, "Swatting Flies" is a poignant and introspective song that touches on themes of memory, mortality, and the ways in which our past experiences shape us.
Line by Line Meaning
Now that I've used up all my ideas
I am unable to think of anything new or creative
Here in my little house by the sea
I am currently living in a small seaside house
I search for a usable memory but none comes to me
I am trying to recall a memory that could be useful, but none comes to mind
In grade one, my teacher could do embalming
When I was in grade one, my teacher had the skill of preparing dead bodies for burial
She'd stuff the bodies of dead little birds
She would preserve the remains of small deceased birds
She told us if ever we found one, just to bring it to her
Instructing us to bring any dead bird we found to her
And in the science room was an iguana
There was an iguana kept in the science classroom
It lay very still in its cage
The iguana remained motionless within its enclosure
And we'd feed him living flies
We would give the iguana flies that were still alive
Then she'd read the old testament to us
The teacher would read passages from the Old Testament
But first she'd remind us the stories were true
Before reading, she would emphasize that the stories within were factual
And we'd hear of locusts and plagues and the tortures they knew
The stories we listened to spoke of swarms of insects, devastating trials, and various forms of suffering
I remember it now in my house by the seaside
I can now recall the iguana from the science classroom while residing in my beachside dwelling
Swatting flies
Killing insects by knocking them out of the air
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRAD ROBERTS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Andy Plays Games
Crash Test Dummies' best song. Such a small but interesting narrative that I can readily see in my minds eye, the same every time.
Spencer H
Love It!!
Zen11:11 Tarot 🌛🔮
♡♡
iAMaVOIDtripper GutterSlush666
Taxidermy?..... 🤔🤘