The group initally formed to compete in the National Campus Band Competition in 1997. Temperley and Quartermain were already in a band at the time, Freud's Pillow, but had met with little success and asked Temperley's childhood friend MacLeod to form a new band, which became Eskimo Joe. The band ended up winning the competition prize: a slot at the 1997 Livid Festival and a session in a studio to record their first EP, Sweater. The title track became so successful on national broadcaster Triple J, it gained much airplay and featured in the Hottest 100 of 1998. A second EP Eskimo Joe followed up in 1999.
Later in 1999, Eskimo Joe was signed on to Modular and in 2001, their debut album Girl, which went gold. After splitting with Modular, they signed a new contract with Mushroom in 2002, releasing sophomore album A Song is a City in 2004. The album went double-platinum and earned the group Best Artist the following year.
Settling down for six weeks over Christmas in 2005, the noticeably darker album Black Fingernails Red Wine, was recorded and released the following June, debuting at number one on the ARIA charts and later going platinum. The band (jokingly) described the album as their "stadium rock" record and headed out on extensive touring around the country, including a stint at Live Earth in Sydney.
The band eventually went on to tour the globe, with trips around the US and Europe, before recording their fourth album, Inshalla, in Byron Bay. The album was released in May 2009 and topped the charts at number one in the ARIA album charts. It explores a very different sound for Eskimo Joe, with lead singer Temperley saying the band were a stage where they wanted to do something different musically and also in their personal lives.
Carousel
Eskimo Joe Lyrics
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While the sky turns from blacker to red
When you wake in the morning he will be gone
And leave you dreaming him close
"Carousel" by Eskimo Joe is a dreamy and emotionally charged song, with a melancholic feeling that resonates with anyone who has ever felt the pangs of love, loss, and longing in their life. The lyrics convey a message of fleeting love and the intense desire to hold onto it, even if it's just for one moment. The singer asks an unnamed person to go to sleep and dream of a person they desire deeply, while the sky slowly transitions from black to red. The imagery of the sky implies that time is passing, and that the dreamer's time with the person they're dreaming of is limited.
The lyrics also imply a sense of futility, as the dreamer is aware that when they wake up, the person they long for will be gone. The line "And leave you dreaming him close" conveys a sense of resignation, as if the dreamer knows that their desire is unrealistic, but they still want to hold onto it. The song captures the complex emotions that come with loving someone who's just out of reach, and evokes a sense of wistfulness and nostalgia for a love that could have been.
Line by Line Meaning
Go to sleep now and dream of him close
Lull yourself to slumber and envision him next to you
While the sky turns from blacker to red
As the night sky transforms into daybreak
When you wake in the morning he will be gone
Once you rise, he will no longer be present
And leave you dreaming him close
Leaving you to yearn for his closeness in your dreams
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Tom Delonge, Scott Raynor, Mark Hoppus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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