In 2003 "Austria's best Ska band"(Slamzine 03) tours through Austria and Germany together with 3 Feet Smaller, And the winner is (D) and Cheek Dakota. After being discovered by Austrian alternative radio stations, their single "Mondays", a Bob Geldof cover, is on heavy rotation and Guadalajara becomes an insiders' tip. Finally, the song can be found in several radio charts and in the year's charts of Radio Soundportal 97, 9 FM.
In 2004 Guadalajara plays, besides a multitude of club gigs, at 2 two of the biggest Austrian rock festivals, the "2 Days A Week" festival in Wiesen and the "Frequency Festival" at the Salzburgring with bands like Velvet Revolver, The Offspring, Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, Die Ärzte, Seeed, Shortly afterwards, Thomas Rathkolb, the long standing bassist, leaves the band to spend more time on his job. Together with temporary bassist Gerald Zollner the band records its 2nd album at the studio of Naked Lunch bassist Herwig "Fuzzman" Zamernik in December 2004.
Early in March 2005 the current album named "Trampled Pathways" (Acute Music/ Edel) is released and followed by a headliner tour through Austria with an average number of 300 visitors. "Trampled Pathways" is voted "record of the week" by Radio Soundportal 97, 9 FM and the first single "Short Time Romance" goes straight up to the 2nd place of the Soundportal charts. The song is on first place of the independent-club user charts for 2 weeks and stays at the Top Ten of the Campus Radio charts for some weeks. Additionally, the song is on rotation on Fm4 radio. From February to September 2005, Guadalajara plays about 50 gigs, for example at the "Aerodrome" festival with bands like Rammstein, Slipknot, The Hives, Asian Dub Foundation, as well as on the radio Fm4 stage at the Donauinselfest in Vienna. The Guadalajara-live-train is rolling and it seems to be unstoppable!!!
Back Home From Home
Guadalajara Lyrics
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Like a smash hit once now played on retro shows
As days turned into years all seems so far ago
A twenty minute walk on long forsaken streets
Notorious for wild kisses then on car backseats
Sleeping bags as cosy as hotel suites
Maybe just gone for days
Has left the town
Survives in polaroid portrays
Has left the town
From wonder to nomansland
Circus has left the town
Maybe just gone for days
Has left the town
Survives in polaroid portrays
The good times rolled but now they seem to end
These unknown faces
At these well known places
Like a stranger in nursery
Surrounded by native ghosts
A short-lived impression
Now nostalgic confession
To the place that you have ever loved the most
The song "Back Home From Home" by Guadalajara speaks of the bittersweet feeling of returning to a place where one once felt at home, but now feels like a stranger. The lyrics describe how the once familiar and pleasurable aspects of the place has now faded away like an afterglow of a firework, leaving behind only memories of good times that are now played on retro shows. The passage of time is emphasized in the melancholic lines "As days turned into years all seems so far ago."
The song talks about the contrast between the past and present, exemplified by the description of the once notorious streets that were known for wild kisses on car backseats and how they are now long forsaken streets. The image of people sleeping in their cars with sleeping bags as cosy as hotel suites highlights the change that has occurred. The circus, which used to be the main attraction, has left the town and is now only preserved in polaroid portrays. The song reflects how life has moved on and how it can feel like a wonder has turned into a no man's land.
The lyrics also speak of the feeling of being a stranger in one's own home. The unknown faces that now occupy the familiar places create a sense of displacement. The image of "surrounded by native ghosts" adds to the feeling of being out of place. The nostalgia for a place that one has loved the most is a deeply human sentiment, and the song captures it perfectly. It speaks to anyone who has returned to a place that they once considered home but found it to be different from how they remembered it.
Line by Line Meaning
Pleasureground of may now just an afterglow
The once-enjoyable place has faded away with time
Like a smash hit once now played on retro shows
Something that was very popular in the past is now outdated
As days turned into years all seems so far ago
Time has made the past seem distant
A twenty minute walk on long forsaken streets
Walking down lonely streets that were once bustling
Notorious for wild kisses then on car backseats
The place was known for risqué behavior in the past
Sleeping bags as cosy as hotel suites
People once made do with very little, but it felt like luxury
Circus has left the town
The excitement and fun atmosphere is gone
Maybe just gone for days
There is a chance that the fun could return soon
Has left the town
The good times are over
Survives in polaroid portrays
The memories of the good times exist through old photos
From wonder to nomansland
The exciting place has become abandoned and lifeless
The good times rolled but now they seem to end
The fun times are over and the future looks bleak
These unknown faces
There are new people around and the familiar faces are gone
At these well known places
The places remain the same, but the people have changed
Like a stranger in nursery
Feeling out of place in a familiar setting
Surrounded by native ghosts
The memories of the past haunt the present
A short-lived impression
The good times were brief and fleeting
Now nostalgic confession
Looking back on the past with fondness
To the place that you have ever loved the most
Reflecting on the love for a place that has changed
Contributed by Ethan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.