Heavily influenced by acts like Yazoo, Human League, Depeche Mode, Rational Youth and Robert Marlow, Richard Johansson and Leslie Bayne started the band in 1988 under the name Pole Position.
Robert Enforsen joined the band as lead vocalist in 1989, and the band released their first demo, at which point they changed their name to elegant MACHINERY, a name derived from the album by Data.
Due to Leslie Bayne's stagefright, Johan Malmgren joined the band as a tour musician in 1992. He later became a permanent member.
The band was very successful in Sweden, with a number of successful singles and various awards. In the rest of Europe, their biggest break into the mainstream was with the single Process, which reached number 5 in the Spanish charts.
elegant MACHINERY disbanded in 1999.
In 2001, the band temporarily reunited (with Johan temporarily replaced by Jarmo Ollila of Daily Planet) for their first-ever American appearance, followed by a performance in Mexico. Over the next few years, the band performed a number of times in Europe.
In October 2004, after a successful gig at Romo Night in Gothenburg, the band decided to work on new music. Johan, Richard, and Robert have been joined by original member Leslie Bayne, and plan to release a new single in 2006.
During the band's hiatus, Robert Enforsen worked on a number of side projects, including Enforce, Hype, Gobble & Gag, and Red Light District. Meanwhile, Johan Malmgren joined the Swedish band S.P.O.C.K as a keyboardist, programmer and composer. Johan and Robert also produced the debut album "Lost in a Maze" of the Swedish-British band Univaque in 2004.
To Live
Elegant Machinery Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wishing his chair was his bed
Hours on paper, to earn his leisure
While biding his time towards pleasure
He imagines a fiction ocean
Carrying his strongest emotions
To a peaceful place, where he can rest
He is tied to this dream
Silence falls at his scene
He is tied
CHORUS
Life is not his to live
Still clutching to a dream
Where he knows his scene
So pitiful
Life is not his to give
Still clutching to a dream
Where he knows his scene
So pitiful and frail
REPEAT CHORUS
The song "To Live In 2-3" by Elegant Machinery explores the theme of escapism from the realities of life into a world of imagination. The singer describes a character who is disconnected from the present and prefers to live in his thoughts. He spends his time scribbling on paper, earning his leisure and waiting for the day when he can escape into his inner world, a world filled with memories and emotions that are too difficult to face in real life. The singer describes this inner world as a "fiction ocean," where he can find peace and rest among "his reasons to be blessed."
The character is deeply attached to this dream world to the point where he is tied to it. He experiences moments of silence when he is immersed in his thoughts, and the outside world becomes irrelevant. He is so consumed by his dream that he fails to live in reality. The chorus of the song emphasizes the theme of escapism and how the singer is still clutching to his dream, even though life is not his to give or live. The song's final line conveys a sense of pity for his frailty.
Line by Line Meaning
He travels inside his head
He spends most of his time lost in his thoughts.
Wishing his chair was his bed
He wishes he could rest wherever he sits.
Hours on paper, to earn his leisure
He works hard to indulge in his hobbies and free time.
While biding his time towards pleasure
He waits patiently for the right moment to enjoy himself.
He imagines a fiction ocean
He has a vivid imagination of a non-existent sea.
Carrying his strongest emotions
It allows him to transport his deepest feelings to this imaginary place.
To a peaceful place, where he can rest
This imaginary ocean is his haven of serenity and tranquility.
Among his reasons to be blessed
It's one of the few things that make him happy and grateful.
He is tied to this dream
He's emotionally attached to his imaginative world.
Silence falls at his scene
Everything around him becomes still and quiet when he delves into his fictional world.
He is tied
His attachment makes him a prisoner in his imagined life and not in the present world.
Life is not his to live
He doesn't feel like he's really living his own life.
Still clutching to a dream
He's still holding onto his illusion despite knowing it's not real.
Where he knows his scene
He feels comfortable in this fictional world.
So pitiful
His obsession is sad and unfortunate.
Life is not his to give
He doesn't feel like he's contributing to the world or others around him.
So pitiful and frail
His attachment to his make-believe life makes him weak and vulnerable.
REPEAT CHORUS
The message of the chorus is reiterated.
Contributed by Sadie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.