History
The band Hellogoodbye was initiated in 2001 as a recording project by Huntington Beach High School student Forrest Kline. With the aid of fellow student Jesse Kurvink, Kline started recording synthesized power pop songs on his computer, which originally only served the purpose of entertaining their friends. However, as more and more of their songs appeared on MP3.com, Hellogoodbye's fanbase grew. According to Kline, the band name was inspired by,a line from the TV series Saved by the Bell and the general transience of opportunities.
In 2002, without even having a release out, Hellogoodbye began playing local concerts in front of crowds of hundreds. For live shows, vocalist/guitarist Kline and keyboardist Kurvink were accompanied on drums by either Parker Case, who would later form the now defunct JamisonParker, or Aaron Flora. Flora and bassist Marcus Cole soon joined them permanently, completing the band's line-up. [1]
Though California indie label Drive-Thru Records signed Hellogoodbye in January 2004, everything the band does is still entirely done by themselves, ranging from recordings and album artwork to posters and merchandise designs. Shortly after their signing, Kline and Kurvink recorded the band's debut EP, Hellogoodbye, which spawned a music video to the song "Call n' Return." The video featured Kline and Flora playing a comedic game of tennis against Cole and Kurvink, with Forrest and Aaron coming out on top. In March 2004, drummer Flora left the band and was replaced by then 16-year-old high school dropout Chris Profeta.
The EP was finally released on August 17, 2004, which was supported by various US tours. During one of them, the "Sounds of Change Tour" with An Angle, Socratic and Steel Train, hellogoodbye flipped and totaled their van and trailer after Cole dozed off behind the wheel while driving through Pennsylvania on October 22, 2004. All of the band members made it out without a scratch. [2]
While participating in 2005's South by Southwest, a music festival for mainly unsigned artists in Austin, Texas, the band appeared on several episodes of MTV's The Real World: Austin. The cast of the TV series produced a video documentary about two bands on the festival's line-up (the other one being Halifax), including interviews and live footage. The appearance certainly gave a boost to the band's popularity.
On November 22, 2005, Hellogoodbye released a home DVD titled OMG HGB DVD ROTFL. The DVD title was originally a place holder until they thought of a real title, but the band just stuck with the title itself. It featured two hours of concert and touring footage, as well as music videos to the five songs off their debut EP. In December 2005, the band won MTV2's Dew Circuit Breakout, competing as Los Angeles' representative against New York City and Chicago finalists Pete Miser and Tub Ring. The prize included $10,000 cash, a brand new set of Gibson equipment and an opening slot on an upcoming major US tour.
Hellogoodbye's full-length debut entitled Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! was released on August 8th, 2006 and was the highest debut of a Drive Thru Records CD ever in the Billboard 100.
Marcus Cole, (bass) left the band and now Forrest's friend, Travis Head plays bass
They released their second full-length album in 2010 titled Would It Kill You?
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Hello Goodbye is a Scandinavian union of Swedes, Lisa Lundkvist (vocals) and Johannes Kanschat (drums), and Norwegians Frode Fivel (guitar and vocals) and Alex Kloster-Jensen (producer and guitar).
Following the release of 7" "African Nights" (1999) on the label Smalltown Supersound, they soon became favorites in the Norwegian underground music scene. Another highlight of 1999 was playing with Hello Goodbye-fans Yo La Tengo at So What in Oslo.
Due to Lisa's art studies they moved to Gothenburg, Sweden in 2000. Hello Goodbye were soon adopted to the Swedish music scene, and the same year they played the Emmaboda festival, receiving great attention in Swedish media.
Hello Goodbye was then becoming a quartet with extra guitarist Alex, from the Norwegian garage band Ricochets. Alex also produced "Heart Attack" (2002), recorded in Gothenburg in 2001, their debut album. The quartet had also become a killer live band, and after doing a fantastic gig in Oslo in December 2001, they were signed to Racing Junior.
Hello Goodbye's distinguishing features are many:
The combined song writing talents in Frode's beautiful pop tunes and Lisa's more hysteric punk songs are undoubtedly important. Seeing them live also reveals another specialty. They're all standing very close to each other. Johannes dancing behind his two drums, while Alex does his peculiar supersonic guitar poses. In front Frode sings and plays passionately, while Lisa's vocals inhabit extreme dynamics (from whispers to screaming), which also ensures a great experience when they're singing together.
"Heart Attack" has received panegyric reviews in Norway. The critics have compared them to artists like The Velvet Underground, The Cramps, and The White Stripes. One review described the band by imagining The Velvet Underground playing songs by Dead Moon, or even The Sonics.
After being occupied with respective art and music projects for a while, they finally got together to make and record their second album "Haunted Holiday" (2004). The album draws upon their debut album, but with possibly even stronger songs, and a more complex and more thought through approach to it. Haunted Holiday is clearly a step forward!
Discography:
African Nights 7", Smalltown Supersound 1999
Cheesecake, Last Take 7", Booff Records 2002
Heart Attack CD/LP, Racing Junior 2002
Haunted Holiday CD, Racing Junior 2004
Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn
Hellogoodbye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Were not as nice as your bouquet
All the lyrics that I wrote
Not as smart as the words you spoke
The starlight above my hometown
Ain't as bright as the star I've found
Every drawing that I do
Is never ever as cute as you
I'm as serious as a heart attack
I'm looking in my almanac
I've gotta find out all the things,
Find out where she got her wings
Shimmy shimmy quarter turn
I feel like I will never learn
How can I check lost and found
When I'm too busy getting down
Gotta get it back to
A back up plan to find you
Start acceleration
Take it back to square one [Repeat x2]
I swear that I'm not kidding
We're just trying to fit in
With all the other answers
To questions never confirmed
States that keep us far apart
Track the beating of my heart
Mark the places in my book
With photographs we never took
I swear that I'm not kidding
The night time is so pretty
With all the stars above your eyes
I'm sneaking out and making ties
States that keep us far apart
Track the beating with a chart
Mark the rhythms that I shook
Every time I caught you look
Gotta get it back to
A back up plan to find you
Start acceleration
Take it back to square one [Repeat x4]
The lyrics of the song 'Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn' by Hellogoodbye are centered around the idea of comparison. The first verse is about the singer trying to express their love through various things but realizing that it can never match up to what their partner has to offer. The first two lines of the verse talk about how the flowers the singer gave weren't as nice as the bouquet their partner gave them. Similarly, in the next line, the singer compares the lyrics they write to the words their partner speaks and admits that their partner is smarter. The following lines explain how the star in the singer's hometown is not as bright as the star they found and how the drawings they do are not as cute as their partner.
The second verse is about the singer's attempts to find their lover. The singer repeats "Shimmy shimmy quarter turn" which seems to be their special way of describing something. The singer claims that they are as serious as a heart attack and looking in their almanac to find out things about their partner. They express their confusion when they say, "How can I check lost and found when I'm too busy getting down." This line might indicate that the singer is too busy focusing on the present moment and enjoying themselves rather than actively searching for their partner.
The chorus repeatedly says, "Gotta get it back to a back-up plan to find you" and "Take it back to square one." This might suggest that the singer is aware that they may have lost track of finding their lover, and they need to take a step back to retrace their steps to find them again. The final verse talks about how the singer is willing to do anything to find their lover. They claim that they are not kidding and that they're just trying to fit in with all the other answers. They express that the states are keeping them far apart, but they want to track the beating of their heart and mark the places in their book where they missed an opportunity. They conclude by saying that they will take it back to square one and keep looking for their partner.
Line by Line Meaning
The wilted flowers that I gave
The gift I gave you wasn't as good as the one you gave me
Were not as nice as your bouquet
Your gift was better than mine
All the lyrics that I wrote
The songs I've written aren't as good as what you say
Not as smart as the words you spoke
Your words are smarter than what I could ever write
The starlight above my hometown
The stars in my town aren't as bright as the ones I see with you
Ain't as bright as the star I've found
The stars I see with you are brighter than any others
Every drawing that I do
Even my best art isn't as cute as you
Is never ever as cute as you
You are cuter than anything I could ever draw
I'm as serious as a heart attack
I'm really serious and focused
I'm looking in my almanac
I'm trying to find answers
I've gotta find out all the things,
I need to figure everything out
Find out where she got her wings
I need to figure out what makes you so special
Shimmy shimmy quarter turn
I'm dancing and trying to forget my problems
I feel like I will never learn
I feel like I'll never figure things out
How can I check lost and found
I don't know how to find what I've lost
When I'm too busy getting down
When I'm too busy dancing and avoiding my problems
Gotta get it back to
I need to go back to
A back up plan to find you
A backup plan to locate you
Start acceleration
I need to start making progress
Take it back to square one [Repeat x2]
I need to start over from the beginning
I swear that I'm not kidding
I'm being honest
We're just trying to fit in
We're trying to be like everyone else
With all the other answers
With all the similar solutions
To questions never confirmed
To questions we don't know the answers to
States that keep us far apart
Distance between us
Track the beating of my heart
Feel my heart beating
Mark the places in my book
Remember our special moments and memories
With photographs we never took
Remember the moments we didn't capture in photos
The night time is so pretty
The night is beautiful
With all the stars above your eyes
I see the beauty in you
I'm sneaking out and making ties
I'm creating a connection with you
Track the beating with a chart
Monitor my heart rate and emotions
Mark the rhythms that I shook
Remember the moments I felt strongly about
Every time I caught you look
Every time I caught you looking at me
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: FORREST KLINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sol
Becky keeping this shit alive when hellogoodbye’s own official channel won’t! Way to go Becky, maybe that hair will be good soon enough XD
R
👏👏
Stepf D
Still love this song lol
Holy Cig
Same
Workout Buddy
Same
Susanna Lovisolo
same here
Icarus Binns
Still love this song
Corey Breiland
I remember sitting in my Chevy corsica in 2005 listening to this song in HS before baseball....memories!!!!
anais carrera
AOL instant messenger notification sound just took me back to Jr High.. thanks for the upload and nostalgia..
Queen Alien
Every time I listened to this I thought it was someone IMing me...it rarely was. 😅