Formed in 1996, they played consistently for two years in and around the north-eastern United States and Canada, opening for The New Bomb Turks, Nashville Pussy, Blonde Redhead, The Make-Up, The Dirtbombs, The Chrome Cranks and The Demolition Doll Rods. Originally they did not even want to release an album opting to have the band's live reputation spread via word of mouth.
Eventually, the trio relented and put out a self-titled six song e.p. on Sonic Unyon records in 1998. In 1999 they released the self-produced My Love Is Bold E.P. and achieved national exposure with the single "Bounce". They were nominated for a Juno Award in 2000 for Best Alternative Album.
In 2001 Bad Taste Records released a compilation of the band's early recordings, demos, and b-sides entitled, I'm Alive and On Fire. A 5 week European tour followed to promote the release including shows at the Roskilde festival in Denmark and Hultsfred festival in Sweden. By the end of the year they had returned 2 more times, most notably as main support for the Backyard Babies.
2002: Born A Lion
In 2002 they released their first full-length album, Born A Lion, produced by Bill Bell, on Bad Taste Records in Europe and on Universal in Canada. The band did several European tours and two Canadian tours to promote the record including an unprecedented repeat performance at Roskilde and the now legendary return to Hultsfred as well as notable stops to Pukkelpop in Belgium and The Lowlands festival in the Netherlands. They also managed to grab the opening slot with The Rolling Stones on their "40 Licks" World tour kick-off show at the Palais Royale in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on August 16, 2002.
2003: We Sweat Blood
2003 saw the release of We Sweat Blood, produced by Matt DeMatteo, and the group taking a heavier approach to their hard-rock sound. More touring followed that included Europe and Japan. They were also nominated for two Junos: Best Rock Album (Born a Lion) and Best video (Lovercall).
While success was happening abroad, home relations with Universal Canada had soured and the band was dropped mid-album run. Explanations from the label were vague, but speculations point to Jones' February 2004 appearance on CBC Sunday where Jones appeared as a pro-downloader opposite then CRIA president, Brian Robertson. Getting dropped from Universal Canada did little to stop the group as they continued to tour heavily for the rest of the year well into 2004 with bands like Turbonegro, Sepultura and The Bronx. While touring they managed to pick up another Juno nomination for Best Rock Album (We Sweat Blood) and tour Australia as well as more European dates including Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park in Germany and Download, Leeds and Reading in England.
2005-2006: Sleep Is The Enemy
Early 2005 was taken up by recording the follow-up to We Sweat Blood, but not without a series of tours amidst recording that brought the band to the Netherlands, Germany and South Africa. In April, American label, Razor & Tie released We Sweat Blood and the band set out to America in support as well.[6] Working two releases simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic proved quite hard and the worldwide release for the upcoming album, Sleep Is The Enemy, produced by Matt DeMatteo, was pushed back to 2006.
During the summer and fall of 2005 the band toured America heavily with two of We Sweat Blood's singles being second most added to active rock radio in America ("Lovercall" and "Forget My Name"). Stateside tours with Flogging Molly, Our Lady Peace, The Supersuckers, and The (International) Noise Conspiracy followed. Prior to the release of Sleep Is The Enemy drummer Damon Richardson left the band, citing fatigue as a reason for leaving. He was replaced by Dan Cornelius.
In January and February 2006, under new Canadian label, Aquarius Records, the band set out to do their first Canadian tour in almost 4 years opening up for Nickelback, With the release of Sleep Is The Enemy came more touring including America and a headlining European club tour with support from Brant Bjork & The Bros.
The summer saw them perform at Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, With Full Force and Wacken Open Air in Germany; Hellfest and Furiafest in France, Metaltown in Sweden, Pinkpop and Lowlands in The Netherlands, Tuska Festival, Ruisrock and Ankkarock in Finland, Gampel in Switzerland and Wireless in the UK among at least a dozen more. In October 2006, a 2 week tour of Norway saw the band play with ex-Kyuss front-man, John Garcia who appeared on the song "Invisible" off Sleep Is The Enemy.
2008: Never Too Loud
Their fourth album, Never Too Loud was released on February 27, 2008[9] and produced by Nick Raskulinecz. The album yielded three singles, "Code Of The Road" followed by "Take Me Home" and "King Of Magazines". A major city tour of Europe in April 2008 was followed by a Canadian tour in May and a three month stint in Europe playing almost 30 dates on the festival circuit that included Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park and With Full Force in Germany; Bospop and Lowlands in The Netherlands; Sziget Festival in Hungary; Rabarock in Estonia; Provinssi Rock in Finland; and Eurockeennes and Hellfest in France, where Jones got to sing on stage with one of his favorite bands, Death Angel for the song, "Bored". In the fall/winter of 2008 Danko Jones toured England, Germany, France and Benelux opening for Motörhead.
2009: B-Sides
On February 3, 2009 B-Sides was released in Europe only - a collection of previously released b-sides from European singles and unreleased tracks that spanned 1996 to 2008. On February 24 they commenced a 7 week tour in support of the release that spanned The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France and the UK with support coming from The Backyard Babies, Winnebego Deal and The Black Spiders. The CD yielded the singles "Sugar High" and "My Problems (Are Your Problems Now)". A greatest hits compilation titled This Is Danko Jones was released on April 7 the same year in Canada only.
In the summer the band managed a few festival appearances, most notably, the Sziget Festival in Hungary on the main stage with Faith No More and The Offspring, as well as Huntenpop in The Netherlands, Wintherthur and Gampel Open Air in Switzerland, Parken Festival in Norway and Jurassic Rock in Finland. In January and February 2010 the band toured across Canada with Guns N' Roses and Sebastian Bach. In March the same year they toured the United States with Clutch.
2010: Below the Belt
Their fifth album Below the Belt was released on May 11, 2010 and produced by Matt DeMatteo. The album's first single, "Full of Regret", features Elijah Wood, Lemmy Kilmister, Selma Blair and Mike Watt in the accompanying video. It debuted at #36 on Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks in November. It is also featured on EA's NHL 11 soundtrack. The second single, "Had Enough", has Ralph Macchio appearing in the accompanying video.
On June 8, 2011 Danko Jones announced on the band's website that drummer Dan Cornelius was no longer with the band. In the same statement Danko Jones said Atom Willard had joined as a replacement. In a March 2012 question-and-answer session with fans on Twitter Danko Jones said: "Dan's time with the band had run its course but it was completely mutual from both sides. An amicable split."
2012: New Album
In early 2012 Danko Jones revealed the band was working on a new album, posting footage of the writing process on the band's YouTube channel. Jones said the album was likely to be out in the European fall (autumn). He added a book and DVD about the band's history would also be released in 2012.
Albums
Born a Lion (2002) (Bad Taste Records / Universal Canada)
We Sweat Blood (2003) (Bad Taste Records / Razor & Tie)
Sleep Is the Enemy (2006) (Bad Taste Records | Aquarius Records)
Never Too Loud (2008) (Bad Taste Records / Aquarius Records)
Below the Belt (2010) (Bad Taste Records / Aquarius Records)
EPs and Others
Sugar Chocolate 7" (1998) (Sonic Unyon)
Danko Jones EP (1998) (Sonic Unyon)
My Love Is Bold (1999) (Sound King / Outside Music)
I'm Alive and on Fire (2001) (Bad Taste Records)
Ritual of the Savage 10" (split with Gluecifer & Peter Pan Speedrock) (2003) (Drunken Maria / Suburban)
B-Sides (2009) (Bad Taste Records)
This Is Danko Jones (2009) (Canadian-only greatest hits release) (Emd Int'l Records)
Having Fun on Stage with Danko Jones 7 (2009) (Yeah Right! Records)
Mouth to Mouth (2011) (digital-only release)
Bring On the Mountain (2012) (DVD)
I Believed in God
Danko Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So I raised my arms and fell to the ground
When I believed in god
When she walked out in the middle of the
Room, I believed in god, I raised my arms
And fell to my knees, and I believed in god
The sun shone on her beautiful eyes, and
Wrong into everything right
And I believed in god
But he's evil
He's evil, he's evil, he's evil
'Cause she don't want me
When she turned round and was bathed
In light, I believed in god, the sky parted
As the day turned to night, and I believed
In god, choirs sang from up above, and
I believed in god, when I realized I could
Fall in love, I believed in god
But he's evil
He's evil, he's evil, he's evil
'Cause she don't want me
Praise god when you see her face
When she walks by you will speak his name
But when you're broken hearted
You'll know where evil started
It's spoken with her eyes
Hallowed in disguise
I wanted her with me
But now it's plain to see
All hope is gone
When she walked out in the middle of the
Room, I believed in god, I raised my arms
And fell to my knees, and I believed in god
The sun shone on her beautiful eyes, and
I believed in god, she made everything
Wrong into everything right
And I believed in god
But he's evil
He's evil, he's evil, he's evil
'Cause she don't want me
Praise god when you see her face
When she walks by you will speak his name
But when you're broken hearted
You'll know where evil started
Praise god when the light hits her face
When she walks by you will speak his name
But when you're broken hearted
You'll know where evil started
In "I Believed in God," Danko Jones reflects on his experience with faith and heartbreak. The song can be interpreted as a narrative about the singer's journey from believing in a higher power to feeling abandoned and betrayed by that same force.
The opening lines of the song convey the singer's initial belief in God as an infallible being who would never let him down. As the song progresses, he recalls moments of profound beauty and connection that reinforced his faith, such as a woman's radiant presence and the sense of falling in love. However, these moments are ultimately contrasted with the realization that the singer has been forsaken, either by God or the woman who embodies his ideals.
The repeated refrain of "he's evil" can be seen as a rejection of the idea that a benevolent God would allow such pain and heartbreak to exist. It is understandable that the singer would attribute the cause of this hurt to a supernatural element when wrestling with the harsh reality of having lost someone who was once perceived as a divine gift.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought he would never let me down
I had faith in God and believed he would never abandon me
So I raised my arms and fell to the ground
My belief in God was so strong that I physically expressed it by raising my arms and falling to the ground
When she walked out in the middle of the Room, I believed in god, I raised my arms And fell to my knees, and I believed in god
When the woman I loved left me, I turned to God for comfort and believed in him even more passionately, expressing my faith by falling to my knees
The sun shone on her beautiful eyes, and I believed in god, she made everything Wrong into everything right And I believed in god
Even in difficult times, when the woman I loved was around, I truly believed in God because she was the light in my life and made everything seem right
But he's evil He's evil, he's evil, he's evil
Despite my belief in God, I contemplate that he may be evil for not giving me what I wanted - to be with the woman I loved
Praise god when you see her face When she walks by you will speak his name But when you're broken hearted You'll know where evil started
When I see the woman I love, I am reminded of God's greatness and praise him, but when I am heartbroken, I realize that the cause of my pain is linked to her and the fact that I couldn't be with her
It's spoken with her eyes Hallowed in disguise I wanted her with me But now it's plain to see All hope is gone
The woman I love gave mixed signals and I confused them for signs from God, but in reality, I wanted her to be with me because I was desperate for love, and now I realize that hope for a future with her is lost
Praise god when the light hits her face When she walks by you will speak his name But when you're broken hearted You'll know where evil started
I still believe in God's power and give him praise when I see the woman I love, but in times of heartbreak, I can't help but feel that the source of my pain and suffering is linked to her
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brian Tynan
Greetings Josefin,
I hope things are well with you.
I am contacting you on behalf of Matt DeMatteo and enquiring about the status of his producer royalties.
Please provide an update as we would like to ensure these royalties are current.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Kind regards,
Brian Tynan (as per Matt DeMatteo)
RECORD HIGH PRODUCTIONS LTD.
phil baker
Just got the new DANKO JONES album and it is AWESOME..... It is called FIRE MUSIC and it jams from start to finish!!!!!!!!!!!
FR rocktaliga
God bless you Mr Danko Jones!:)) I love this music, Danko is one of my favourite artists.
Dennis King
I believed in Danko Jones and it was good..Very very good!!
The Yael Show Kaspa
these guys rock!!!!! so awesome
Ivor Biggun
a killer tune at any rate
Alman- Kun
i never knew there's a great band like this....What the hell am I doing recently??????
Th3Juic3
We're lucky here in Finland, we have not only Danko Jones in a festival in June, but there are also bands like Rammstein, Green Day, Billy Talent, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Gaslight Anthem and Airbourne! In the same weekend! Going there.
Mertaan
Beginning kinda reminds me of Gnarls Barkley, 2:05 - 2:35 reminds me of Avenged Sevenfold. Great work, Danko!
metal head
Wicked tune!
Roger K-joe
we are lucky french guys, only one concert in France, in Marseille next sunday, heavy rock comes to us with Danko, OH YEEEEEEEAH !