The band is fronted by singer/composer Gustav Ejstes, who writes all music and plays the majority of instruments on the band's records. Despite this, Dungen plays live as a four-piece. Gustav, who in his teens started his songwriting with hip hop, is backed live by Swedish progressive rock veteran Reine Fiske (Landberk, Morte Macabre, Paatos, The Guild) on guitar, bassist Mattias Gustavsson (Life On Earth!), and drummer Fredrik Björling (The Guild)-- all of whom have played parts on Dungen's studio albums.
Following two vinyl album releases on Swedish record label Subliminal Sounds, Dungen briefly signed to Dolores Recordings (a subset of Virgin Records) in 2002, on which they released the CD Stadsvandringar and three singles, including one for Djungelboken 2 (the Swedish version of The Jungle Book 2). Gustav soon returned to his friend's independent record label Subliminal Sounds, stating that a major label did not feel right because Dungen is not a pop act.
Although Dungen's songs are sung entirely in Swedish, 2004's Ta Det Lugnt received great acclaim within indie rock circles and established the band's international reputation. This resulted in the band headlining two US tours and landing distribution deals in the US and UK. Dungen also performed their song "Panda" on the popular NBC television talk show Late Night With Conan O'Brien. In 2006, Dungen played at the famous Bonnaroo music festival and has also toured with Wolfmother and the Tucker B's around Australia.
Dungen released their third studio album, Tio Bitar on April 25, 2007 but did not tour in support of it.
The group's next long-player, entitled 4 was released on the 30th of september 2008.
In 2010 Dungen released their fifth studio album, Skit i allt.
Mitten av mars
Dungen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fast hemma hos dig var det kallt ändå
Ingen hade varnat dig för sanningen
I mitten av ditt liv kommer kalla nätter
Och drömmar om sånt du tyckt och gjort
Rättvist för ditt eget kapital
Stenhårt på din dröm om oberoende
Se så många människors bild av lönsamhet
Stämmer inte med din syn på livet
I slutet av ditt liv går solen upp
Fast hemma hos dig är det kallt ändå
Ingen hade varnat för den nya tiden
The Swedish lyrics of the song "Mitten av mars" by Dungen translate to "In the middle of March, spring came this year. But it was still cold at your home. Nobody had warned you about the truth. In the middle of your life, cold nights come with dreams about what you thought and did, fairly for your own capital. Do you remember the first snow that fell hard on your dream of independence? Look at how many people's view of profitability does not match your view of life. At the end of your life, the sun rises. But it is still cold at your home, and nobody warned you about the new time."
This song speaks about the contrast between the natural cycles of life that continue despite the harsh realities of life that we encounter. The coldness inside the home mentioned in the lyrics represents the challenges and struggles that we face as we go through life. The line "In the middle of your life, cold nights come with dreams about what you thought and did, fairly for your own capital," means that as we go through life, we reflect on our past actions and decisions, and the outcomes from those investments we made, whether they were investments of money, time, or relationships.
In the second half of the song, the lyrics convey the hope and optimism that we can find in life despite the coldness and struggles we face. The rising sun at the end of the song signifies a new beginning in life, even if it may still be cold inside. In essence, the song tells us that no matter the severity of the struggles we face in life, there is always a chance to start anew and find hope.
Line by Line Meaning
I mitten av mars kom våren i år
Spring came in the middle of March this year
Fast hemma hos dig var det kallt ändå
But it was still cold at your home
Ingen hade varnat dig för sanningen
No one had warned you about the truth
I mitten av ditt liv kommer kalla nätter
In the middle of your life come cold nights
Och drömmar om sånt du tyckt och gjort
And dreams about things you liked and done
Rättvist för ditt eget kapital
Fair for your own capital
Kommer du ihåg den första snön som föll
Do you remember the first snow that fell
Stenhårt på din dröm om oberoende
Firmly on your dream of independence
Se så många människors bild av lönsamhet
Look at so many people's view of profitability
Stämmer inte med din syn på livet
Does not match your view on life
I slutet av ditt liv går solen upp
At the end of your life, the sun rises
Fast hemma hos dig är det kallt ändå
But it's still cold at your home
Ingen hade varnat för den nya tiden
No one had warned about the new time
Contributed by Emily O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Javier Dextre
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