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)
Your Tears My Smile
Danko Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The truth always alludes you
No one does it better
You'll say anything you need to
You know
You know exactly what you're doing
More than anyone else
You hate yourself and sit there brooding
Been pampered all your life
But words can't cut like a knife
And when they do
Your tears, my smile
You cry
Like a five-year-old child
At the drop of a dime
I see the welling in your eyes
You cheat
You're cheating on repeat
You're hollow on the inside
But you think you've got it beat
I've never met somebody
With so much hate I'm sorry
But you're just spoiled and rotten
And will be soon forgotten
Until that day
Your tears, my smile
Your tears, my smile
You lie
The truth always alludes you
No one does it better
You'll say anything you need to
You know
You know exactly what you're doing
More than anyone else
You hate yourself and sit there brooding
I found you to be vacant
Your tantrums escalated
Your sulking and self-loathing
Got tired and annoying
Been pampered all your life
But words can't cut like a knife
And when they do
Your tears, my smile
Your tears, my smile
Your tears, my smile
Your tears, my smile
The lyrics of Danko Jones's song "Your Tears My Smile" are a scathing critique of a person who is not only a pathological liar but also deeply insecure and full of self-loathing. The first verse establishes the theme of dishonesty, with the singer accusing the subject of the song of being someone who always avoids telling the truth and will say anything to manipulate those around them. The second verse delves into their emotional immaturity, likening their behavior to that of a five-year-old child who cries at the slightest provocation. The chorus is where the title of the song comes from, with the singer relishing in the subject's misery and using their tears as a source of satisfaction.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer has had enough of this person's behavior and is ready to cut them out of their life. They describe the subject as "vacant" and their tantrums as "annoying," and seem to take pleasure in the idea of forgetting about them entirely.
The overall message of the song seems to be that lying and manipulation will only get you so far in life, and that ultimately it is important to be honest with yourself and those around you.
Line by Line Meaning
You lie
You are not truthful in your words and actions
The truth always alludes you
You are constantly unable to recognize and accept the truth
No one does it better
You are an expert at lying and manipulation
You'll say anything you need to
You are willing to go to any lengths to serve your own interests
You know
You are aware of your actions
You know exactly what you're doing
You are aware of the impact of your actions on others
More than anyone else
You are more aware of your actions than others
You hate yourself and sit there brooding
You are consumed by self-hatred and often sit and wallow in it
Been pampered all your life
You have been overindulged and protected all your life
But words can't cut like a knife
The words of others do not have much impact on you
And when they do
Occasionally, words do affect you
Your tears, my smile
When you cry, it brings me joy
You cry
You frequently cry
Like a five-year-old child
Your crying is reminiscent of that of a young child
At the drop of a dime
You cry easily and quickly
I see the welling in your eyes
I notice the tears forming in your eyes
You cheat
You often deceive and act unethically
You're cheating on repeat
You continuously engage in cheating behavior
You're hollow on the inside
You lack emotional depth and substance
But you think you've got it beat
You believe that you have successfully overcome your issues
I've never met somebody
I have never encountered someone
With so much hate I'm sorry
You possess an intense amount of hatred and I regret to say it
But you're just spoiled and rotten
Your behavior is a result of being indulged and behaving poorly
And will be soon forgotten
Your lack of substance will lead to people forgetting about you
Until that day
Until that point in the future
Your tears, my smile
When you cry, it brings me joy
Contributed by Christopher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@friodosnueve
You look so good when you get out of bed
You're always ready to go
I caught you looking like a million bucks
When you walk out the door
You've got something they call attitude
Dripping all over the floor
Nobody says nothing, they just make their assumptions
And now you got them on all fours
Just need my fix that sticks
And all I gotta say to you is
Oh baby, you're my little rock'n roll
And no matter what you do, I'm gonna tattoo you
On the back of my left shoulder
Oh baby, you're my little rock'n roll
And I don't mean to brag whwn you fly your flag
I salute it like I'm a soldier
You get looks when you walk down the street
Hanging off on my arm
You shake they shiver and you laugh out loud
You know when to turn on the charm
Nobody minds it and they like it alot
When you're walking down the strip
You get away with almost anything
Especially when you're licking your lips
Can't give my girl the best
'Cause all I gonna say to you is
Oh baby, you're my little rock'n roll
And no matter what you do, I'm gonna tattoo you
On the back of my left shoulder
Oh baby, you're my little rock'n roll
It's never been a smooth ride with you by my side
It's like riding on a roller coaster
Oh baby, just do what you do
Come on baby, you know you never lose
You got the moves and you got that soul
'Cause you're my little rock'n roll
Oh baby, you're my little rock'n roll
I don't mean to brag when you fly your flag
I salute it like I'm a soldier
Oh baby, you're my little rock'n roll
It's never been a smooth ride with you by my side
It's like riding on a roller coaster
Oh baby, you're my little rock'n roll
And no matter what you do, I'm gonna tattoo you
On the back of my left shoulder.
🔥
@Monkey2682
Danko Jones kicks ass!! More great tunes. Never disappointed.
@ajberdan
His stuff may be simple to play but it sure is fun! Great for anyone learning guitar or anyone who just likes fun rock'n roll.
@seedsofdiscordia8432
The best on the world \m/
@johnsusan4292
Unlike many people in my life, Danko never lets me down. Smiled like an alligator the first time I heard this track
@thogonzo
Hell yeah ohhh babyyyy😊😁
@skrue68
only discovered Danko about a year ago....but WOW!! What a sound! This is Rock'nRoll!
Can't wait til next time he come to Norway.....👍👍
@theadvertman8496
skrue68 He's playing at the Rockefeller in Oslo on November 29th
@tissitissen
bare timer igjen nå :D
@KINGOFGUITAR2101
This song would be perfect for NHL 20
@paul-pablo
*NFS