Hardcore Superstar formed in autumn 1997 in Gothenburg and signed to Gain soon afterwards. Their debut album was recorded and released in Sweden. The album attracted the attention of English label Music for Nations and a new worldwide contract was drawn up. The new album, which became the band's "official debut album" contains a few new songs, a new cover and has a new name, "Bad Sneakers and a Pina Colada".
The album contains the hits "Someone Special", "Liberation" and "Have You Been Around" which all achieve top positions on the singles charts in Sweden. The band has made its breakthrough. The video for "Liberation" was nominated for a Swedish Grammy and the band set off on their first tour of Europe and Japan.
2001 saw the release of the follow-up,"Thank You (For Letting Us Be Ourselves)" with singles "Shame" and "Mother's Love/Significant Other. Once again the band toured in Europe and Japan and this time they also went to Canada.
They hooked up with fellow Gothenburg band LOK on a single called "Staden Göteborg" (The City of Gothenburg) and performed a now classic show during the PopStad Göteborg festival. In the summer they opened for AC/DC at a packed Ullevi Stadium. The band also opened for AC/DC and Motörhead on the Italian leg of their tour due to their popularity in the area.
In the summer of 2003 the first single "Honey Tongue" was released from their third album "No Regrets" which was released in August 2003. The song entered the Swedish charts at number three. The second single from the album, "Still I'm Glad" also makes the higher reaches of the charts.
In autumn 2003 and winter 2004 the band toured in Sweden, Europe and the USA. A fight broke out at the Swedish Consulate in New York between Thomas Silver and Aftonbladet journalist Fredrik Virtanen. This is a major news story back in Sweden.
Upon their return from the USA the band decided to take a break indefinitely after playing non-stop for over six years. This is interpreted by some in the media that the band had split up, which was never on the cards. Now back on Gain, the band has regained its unique energy which resulted in the new self titled album "Hardcore Superstar".
The album has been given top reviews all over the world. Hardcore Superstar has been Grammy nominated and number one on the Swedish hard rock charts.
The album contains the three hit singles "We don't Celebrate Sundays", "Wild Boys" and "My Good Reputation". They have been on all major national TV and radio shows in Sweden and the tour continued for over a year, entering Europe in September - October 2006.
The band's fifth album "Dreamin´ in a Casket" was released in November 2007. Originally, it was meant to include the single "Bastards," but due to the success it achieved in the singles charts it was shelved. The album was praised in the Swedish newspapers and was titled by many as "Album of the Year." Dreamin' in a Casket contains a more heavy guitar riff-based sound and includes more noticeable drumming. The band toured around Europe and Japan, and they ended their "Mentally Damaged Tour" in their home country of Sweden.
In late January, it was announced on the band's official website that guitarist, Thomas Silver, would be leaving the band as he had become "tired of music and touring". Vic Zino, from Crazy Lixx, replaced him temporarily during the world tour, but it was later confirmed that Vic is a permanent member of the band.
In June 2009 the band released their seventh album "Beg For It".
On 9 August 2010, Split Your Lip was announced as the title of the album, as well as a tentative release date, set for January 2011. When the band performed a free show in their hometown Gothenburg on 11 August 2010, they premiered the songs "Here Comes That Sick Bitch", "Last Call for Alcohol" and "Sadistic Girls". The first single, a double A-side featuring both "Moonshine" and "Guestlist" was released with the November issue of Sweden Rock Magazine and was followed by the album release on 26 November, two months earlier than planned. The album had been thoroughly rehearsed and then recorded live in only five days at Studio Bohus south of Gothenburg. The album was followed by intense touring.
On 30 August 2011 the band announced that they would be releasing a Best Of album, with a release date of 26 October. The album was to include songs from all releases, with a brand new song entitled "We Don't Need a Cure". The song premiered on Swedish radio station Bandit Rock on 31 August 2011.
On 30 October 2012, it was announced by Gain and Vic Zino that the next album would be called C'mon Take on Me. The debut single from the album, "One More Minute", was released on 17 January 2013. The album was released on 27 February 2013.[11] It was recorded at Brew House Studio in central Gothenburg. Four music videos were made to the album, for the songs "One More Minute", "Above the Law", "Because of You" and "C'Mon Take On Me".
October 2014 saw the release of a new single, Glue, and the band toured Germany as the opening act for Gotthard. On 24 January 2015 the band performed a full headline set to a sold-out crowd at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, California, after more than ten years since their latest American show. The night before they also played a six-song opening set for Steel Panther at the 2015 NAMM Jam in Anaheim, California. At the beginning of March 2015 a second single was released from the upcoming album, Touch the Sky, and during the spring tour they premiered several new songs live. The album, titled HCSS was released on 22 April. A large inspiration for the album came when a fan in England managed to dig out old demos from 1994 with the band's predecessor Link, and some of the songs were 20 years old. In 2016, the band embarked on a co-headlining UK and US tour with Michael Monroe.
On 12 October 2017, the band released the single "Have Mercy On Me" for their next album, and it was followed by four more singles ("Bring the House Down", "Electric Rider", "Baboon" and "AD/HD") before the album, You Can't Kill My Rock 'N' Roll, was released on 21 September 2018. All four singles were granted a music video, as well as the title track. The album was nominated for yet another Swedish Grammy award.
2021-2022
During a live stream of the Alive and Streaming Podcast, with Ted Aguilar from Death Angel, Jocke announced that the album, which the band had been working on during the pandemic, would be released in 2022, and would be titled Abrakadabra.
The first single from the album, "Catch Me If You Can", was released on August 20th, 2021, followed by the next single, "Dreams in Red, which was released on October 1st, 2021. The third single, "Weep When You Die", was released on November 5th, 2021.
It was later announced that the album would be released on March 25, 2022.
Albums
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll - (1998)
Bad Sneakers and a Piña Colada - (2000)
Thank You (For Letting Us Be Ourselves) - (2001)
No Regrets - (2003)
Hardcore Superstar - (2005)
Dreamin' in a Casket - (2007)
Beg for It - (2009)
Split Your Lip (2010)
C'mon Take on Me (2013)
HCSS (2015)
You Can't Kill My Rock 'N' Roll (2018)
Abrakadabra (2022)v
source: http://www.hardcoresuperstar.com/index2.htm
They Are Not Even a New Bang Tango
Hardcore Superstar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's either do or die
You want to know where to go?
It's really up to you!
You kike to see it from your point of view
'Cause the others might think you're a bore
It spins around and hits you hard
Everything rules, everything's cool
Tell me what you see when your dreaming of your fantasies
Why even struggle?
Something's wrong, not me Its up to you
You stick around, I don't know why
Can' they see your anger
They must be blind, when is your time
Read between the lines
There's two sides to every story, you're truly missing both this time
It spins around and hits you hard
on its way back to the ground
The lyrics of Hardcore Superstar's song "They Are Not Even a New Bang Tango" explore the human tendency to compartmentalize and see things only from one's own perspective. The singer encourages the listener to make a choice, to take action - either do something, or risk dying. The choice of which path to take is emphasized: it's up to the person to decide where to go, but they cannot sit idly by and wait for something to happen.
The second verse addresses the issue of perception. The singer notes that people tend to look at things from their own point of view, and yet also want to be perceived as interesting and exciting. This can cause a person to feel like they are being judged if others find them "boring." But the world spins around, and eventually, what seems cool will hit the person hard as it comes back down to the ground.
The chorus states that everything rules, and everything is cool. This could be seen as the singer mocking anyone who thinks this way, since it's an obviously absurd sentiment. However, the song then takes a darker turn when the singer notes that something is wrong. They imply that it's not their problem, it's up to someone else to fix it. In the final verse, the singer points out that there are two sides to every story, and that the listener is missing out by only considering one.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's choose, make your choice
Decide what you want to do and act on it
It's either do or die
The outcome of this situation is critical
You want to know where to go?
Do you need direction or guidance?
It's really up to you!
You have the power to decide what happens next
You like to see it from your point of view
You tend to be biased towards your own perspective
'Cause the others might think you're a bore
You’re afraid of being judged by others
It spins around and hits you hard on its way back to the ground
You can't avoid the consequences of your actions
Everything rules, everything's cool
You like to think everything is fine, but something is amiss
Tell me what you see when you're dreaming of your fantasies
What are your unrealistic desires and aspirations?
Why even struggle? Something's wrong, not me. It's up to you
You're in denial about your problems and refuse to take responsibility for them
You stick around, I don't know why
You continue to stay in a situation even though it's not in your best interest
Can they see your anger? They must be blind
Others are unaware of the intensity of your emotions
When is your time? Read between the lines
You need to be more perceptive about your opportunities
There's two sides to every story, you're truly missing both this time
You're neglecting an important part of the situation, creating a distorted view of it
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOAKIM BERGGREN, MAGNUS ANDREASSON, MARTIN SANDVIK, THOMAS SILVER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind