Grinspoon changed their sound to more mainstream rock by their 2002 album, New Detention, gaining fans and peaking at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Charts; similarly 2007's Alibis & Other Lies also reached No. 2. Their 2004 album, Thrills, Kills & Sunday Pills, which peaked at No. 4, won the 2005 'Best Rock Album Award' at the ARIA Music Awards.
The band was signed to Universal Records in United States by late 1998, they were promoted by the songs "Champion", which featured in Gran Turismo 3; "Post Enebriated Anxiety", which was on the international version of Guide to Better Living; "Chemical Heart", via the internet; and a cover of the Prong song "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck", from Grinspoon's Pushing Buttons EP, which was included on ECW: Extreme Music.
On 4 December 2013, they announced that they were going on an indefinite hiatus to pursue individual projects.
Branded
Grinspoon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Old broken Lamp
That velvet dress
Your last high-school dance
In from the cold
Out from the night
She told the world
There is nothing
To call your own
(HEY)
So let them listen
(HEY)
So let them gather round
We have all been bitten
Branded pound for pound
Your useless case
My broken bell
Your painting up that old wishing well
There was no truth
To set you free
nothing amazing, a false prophecy
There is nothing
To call your own
(HEY)
So let them listen
(HEY)
So let them gather round
We have all been bitten
Branded pound for pound
It's an empty highway
And we've traveled very long
There is nowhere to go
Now we're on our own
Branded
Branded
Branded
Branded
It's an empty highway
and we've traveled very long
There is nowhere to go
Now we're on our own
(HEY)
So let them listen
(HEY)
So let them gather round
We have all been bitten
Branded pound for pound
It's an empty highway
and we've traveled very long
There is nowhere to go
Now we're on our own
Branded
Branded
Branded
Branded
The lyrics of Grinspoon's song "Branded" appears to talk about a person who is feeling hopeless and lost. The first few lines mention burnt cigarettes, a broken lamp, velvet dress and a high school dance which suggests that the person is nostalgic about the past but is unable to relive or reclaim it. The next few lines convey a sense of loneliness and despair. The person wishes to die and feels that there is nothing left to call their own. This could mean that they do not have any possessions or that they do not feel a sense of belonging to any place or person.
The lines "We have all been bitten, branded pound for pound" suggest that this feeling of being lost and alone is not unique to the person but is a shared experience. The word "branded" could mean that the person feels marked or labeled by society, constrained by expectations or stereotypes, and is unable to break free from it. The repeated lines "It's an empty highway and we've traveled very long, there is nowhere to go, now we're on our own" adds to the sense of isolation and hopelessness.
In conclusion, the lyrics of Grinspoon's song Branded seem to be about a person who is feeling lost and alone, without any sense of belonging or purpose. They long for a past that they cannot reclaim and feel trapped by societal expectations. However, they also seem to suggest that this is a shared experience, with others also feeling the same sense of isolation and hopelessness.
Line by Line Meaning
Burnt Cigarettes
Remnants of addiction and loss, symbol of self-destruction
Old broken Lamp
Something that once brought light and hope, now shattered and useless
That velvet dress
A reminder of better times, a time of naivety and youth
Your last high-school dance
A memory of a fleeting moment of happiness, now long gone
In from the cold
Seeking refuge from the harsh realities of life, desperate for warmth and comfort
Out from the night
Emerging from darkness and despair, entering into a harsh and unforgiving world
She told the world
Voicing her pain and suffering to all who would listen, a cry for help
how she wants to die
Revealing her deepest and darkest desires, a plea for release
There is nothing
No possessions or material goods of any value, a life of poverty and struggle
To call your own
Nothing to cling to or find solace in, a life of isolation and emptiness
(HEY)
A call to attention, demanding recognition and acknowledgment
So let them listen
Let the world hear the pain and suffering, a plea for empathy and understanding
So let them gather round
Allowing others to witness the agony and despair, a call for solidarity and support
We have all been bitten
A shared experience of trauma and pain, a reminder of the universality of suffering
Branded pound for pound
The scars and wounds inflicted upon us, a weight that we must carry
Your useless case
A worthless and hopeless struggle, a futile attempt at redemption or salvation
My broken bell
A once vital and vibrant part of life, now destroyed and silenced
Your painting up that old wishing well
A desperate and futile attempt to make the impossible come true, a misguided hope
There was no truth
A life of constant deceit and lies, a lack of honesty or authenticity
To set you free
No escape from the pain and suffering, a life of bondage and captivity
nothing amazing, a false prophecy
A bleak and hopeless future, built on empty promises and false hopes
It's an empty highway
A lonely and desolate path, no signs of life or vibrancy
And we've traveled very long
A journey of hardship and endurance, a life of struggle and suffering
There is nowhere to go
No clear destination or purpose, a life without direction
Now we're on our own
No one to turn to or rely on, a life of loneliness and isolation
Branded
The lasting impact of trauma and pain, a burden that cannot be removed or forgotten
Writer(s): Patrick Davern, Philip Jamieson
Contributed by Alexis J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
CactificationTV
I love playing along to this on guitar. Great tune fellas.
Alex Cristian
I can say that, this song is little sweet, I LIKE IT VERY MUCH !! Nice VIDEO, beautiful VOICE and BIG LIKE from me :) From ROUMANIA with LOVE ! <3 <3 <3
♫♥ꝀԠլꜾ♫♥
This is one of my fav grinspoon songs... more than you are is still my number 1
Metricasc02
Not a bad song, from the band's recent album, I'd say its one of the better songs on it
MrFunkE101
Great song!
velvetbunnyboots
good aussie band :)
always has been
CactificationTV
Cool! I like it.
r0bz0rly
I like it more than their old stuff, never got into old Grinspoon.
tim king
Why?
Matthew Waugh
Its a hit now