Hey Mercedes' first release was a Self Titled EP on Polyvinyl Records. Soon after its release, they signed to Vagrant Records and started touring for support of their upcoming Vagrant full length. In 2001 alone, they performed 114 shows. After the release of the band's first full length at the end of 2001, Dawursk left the band and was replaced with Mike Shumaker. With 2 full lengths, 3 EP's and 358 shows under their belt, Hey Mercedes called it quits. Their final show (#359) was at the Metro in Chicago on April 23rd of 2005.
In a 2007 e-mail campaign, Threadless Tees reported that Hey Mercedes would play at the Metro, to celebrate the grand opening of the company's Chicago store.
Spread Eagle, Wisconsin is a place best known for water, wilderness and paintings of the local ducks. Now it can take credit for LOSES CONTROL, the long-awaited second album from Hey Mercedes. As powerful as it is melodic, the follow-up to 2001's "Everynight Fire Works" finds the midwestern foursome's sharp, wounded songs crackling in a guitar-driven bonfire set by producers Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Dinosaur Jr., Mighty Mighty Bosstones).
From the instantly catchy anthem "Quality Revenge At Last" to the more insinuating closer "Go Drone," LOSES CONTROL is remarkably tight and accomplished for a sophomore effort -- though not without good reason. Prior to forming Hey Mercedes guitarist/vocalist Robert Nanna, bassist Todd Bell and drummer Damon Atkinson played together in Braid, a band often referred to as "emo pioneers," though you probably won't find the trio pleading guilty to either description. Nanna and Bell have been musical compadres since 1993, coming together at the University of Illinois as fans of Chicago punk bands like Naked Raygun and Screeching Weasel, while Atkinson joined them in 1997. Braid broke up two years later with five studio albums and several hundred shows behind them, "but it was just so obvious that we needed to keep playing," Nanna says.
The trick was to go down a different path, not just in terms of music, but logistics -- having done everything themselves for years and years, they wanted to stay connected to that grass roots ethic while cutting down on both genuine despair and "Spinal Tap"-like moments. "It's hard to focus on writing honest music when you're 3000 dollars in debt or have three more shows to book, or the show just got cancelled 'cause the cops came," Nanna says.
This time, there'd be a record label and a more patient approach. Joined by guitarist Mark Dawursk, Hey Mercedes played their first show in August of 2000, put out an EP on Polyvinyl and spent the next year touring and developing their sound. Vagrant released "Everynight Fire Works," produced and engineered by old friend J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines), in April 2001. It earned rave reviews, including Audio Galaxy's Album of the Year and a Top 5 position on the CMJ chart. Along the way, the band racked up their usual 200-plus shows per annum, including the sold-out Vagrant America tour and bills with Jimmy Eat World, New End Original and Saves the Day. They also found the time to share themselves with fans on a regular basis via "Are You Wearing A Wire?" a collectively written "blog" that can be found on the band's web site.
2002 saw the release of "The Weekend EP," as well as a personnel change - Clevelander Michael Shumaker stepped in for Dawursk, adding an enthusiasm for AC/DC and an eagerness to merely play guitar after fronting his own band Sheilbound.
LOSES CONTROL was recorded at Slade and Kolderie's studio in Cambridge, MA. The band went into the session’s half-afraid the unfamiliar knob-twirlers would impose a different style, but the veteran duo made sure Hey Mercedes' particular quirks and uniqueness were always at the fore. They broke down every part of every song in pre-production, built an amazing set of drums for Damon and gave Robert and Michael access to some three dozen guitars. "Because they knew our songs so well they knew which guitars would sound good on different parts of every song," Nanna says. "The guitars are awesome, really layered -- they just sound big and fat.
"I think overall LOSES CONTROL is just more of a rockin' record than Fire Works," he adds. "It's really loud and in your face. Though lyrically, it's pretty bleak and desolate."
Nanna's vocals bridge the gap between those poles, whether he's locked into "Boy Destroyers"' riff-o-rama or bringing a melancholy overtone to the textured spaciness of "Absolute Zero Drive" (a song the band had earmarked as B-side until Slade and Kolderie convinced them otherwise). Another highlight is "Lashing Out," angry/catchy pop-punk that unexpectedly mutates into a sweet lyrical homage to Sam Cooke's "You Send Me" - a couplet Bob sang while the song was being written, then couldn't bring himself to drop.
And what of Spread Eagle? The band - three-quarters of whom currently reside in Atkinson's hometown of Milwaukee, with Nanna two hours away in suburban Chicago -- wrote much of LOSES CONTROL at a friend's home there, just a few miles from Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
"It was probably a drunk moment," Nanna says. "We were like, 'y'know, what we should do is find someone with a cabin or a trailer someplace far away in the woods, where we can be as loud as we want for as long as we want, in total seclusion." So they dragged all their gear and a little bit of soundproofing up to Spread Eagle for two weeks of playing, writing, cooking and canoeing. "And we didn't go crazy," he marvels. "It wasn't like 'The Shining.'"
Except maybe for this: Whether you're talking King or Kubrick, "The Shining" stands the test of time. LOSES CONTROL is a dynamite rock'n'roll record that's bound to do the same.
Haven't Been This Happy
Hey Mercedes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a messed up room
I'm watching you
Curl into corner
Close to dream
That I doubt's about me
Quarter to three
Still not asleep
Got my mind all tied up
Alive in a line up again tonight
True trauma for me is drama for you
I'd read you both rolls if you'd just roll over
You tell me you're blue
You're just confused
It's that you haven't been this happy in minutes
Happens every time
Haven't eased your mind yet
Time to try
Why lonely light
A lifetime of bad nights
What are you talking about
Everybody wants to see that face out
True drama for me is trauma for you
And I'm some fool
For acting so bruised
When I tell you I'm blue
I'm just confused
It's that I haven't been this happy in minutes
And I fight to get beat
Or in a better mind
Retreat
Why lonely light
A liftetime from the sidelines
What are you talking about
Everybody wants to see you shine
Sad eyes what are you talking about
Everybody wants to see that face out
True drama for one is trauma for two
And I'd like to thank all of you
I'm still trying to get it all right and
I haven't been this happy in minutes
The song "Haven't Been This Happy" by Hey Mercedes is a melancholic masterpiece that portrays the struggle of mental illness and how it affects relationships. The opening lines of the song "A cool quarter to two in a messed-up room, I'm watching you curl into a corner, close to dream that I doubt's about me" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is experiencing insomnia, watching their significant other sleep yet feeling distant from them, and doubtful about their partner's happiness being attached to them.
The line "True trauma for me is drama for you, I'd read you both rolls if you'd just roll over" suggests that the singer is struggling with mental illness and their partner may not fully understand or empathize with what they're going through. The singer then reassures their partner that their current state is temporary, and they haven't felt this happy in minutes. However, their struggle is ongoing, and they continue to battle with their mind, as seen in the line, "And I fight to get beat or in a better mind, retreat."
The song's instrumentation features exquisite guitar melodies that add to the overall melancholic feel of the song. The way the drums build up towards the climax of the song is also noteworthy. "Haven't Been This Happy" is an exceptional song that captures the struggle of mental illness and its effect on relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
A cool quarter to two
It's 1:45 am and the temperature is low.
In a messed up room
The environment is disorganized and cluttered.
I'm watching you
The singer is observing someone else's behavior.
Curl into corner
The person being observed is forming a fetal position in the corner.
Close to dream
The person is close to falling asleep.
That I doubt's about me
The singer is uncertain whether the person's dream has anything to do with them.
Quarter to three
It's now 2:45 am.
Still not asleep
The person is not yet in a state of unconsciousness.
But I haven't been this tired in weeks
The artist hasn't felt this exhausted in a long time.
Got my mind all tied up
The artist's thoughts are jumbled and complicated.
Alive in a line up again tonight
The singer is mentally active despite being awake late at night.
True trauma for me is drama for you
What may seem like a traumatic event to the artist may not seem as serious to others.
I'd read you both rolls if you'd just roll over
The singer is willing to share their perspective if the other person is willing to listen.
You tell me you're blue
The other person expresses feeling sad.
You're just confused
The singer believes the other person's emotions are not accurately conveyed.
It's that you haven't been this happy in minutes
The other person's fleeting moments of joy are making them feel confused and conflicted.
Happens every time
The artist has witnessed this pattern before.
Haven't eased your mind yet
The other person's worries have not subsided despite the singer's attempts to comfort them.
Time to try
The singer suggests trying a different approach to alleviate the other person's distress.
Why lonely light
The artist questions the presence of the isolated light source in the room.
A lifetime of bad nights
The artist has struggled with sleep problems for a long time.
What are you talking about
The artist is confused by the other person's seemingly unrelated comment.
Everybody wants to see that face out
The singer encourages the other person to show their true emotions and thoughts to others.
True drama for me is trauma for you
The artist repeats this line to emphasize the difference in emotional responses to certain situations.
And I'm some fool
The singer feels foolish for their dramatic reaction to something.
For acting so bruised
The singer feels emotionally wounded.
When I tell you I'm blue
The singer also confesses to feeling sad.
I'm just confused
The artist feels conflicted and unsure of their emotions.
It's that I haven't been this happy in minutes
The artist's brief moments of happiness are causing a mix of emotions.
And I fight to get beat
The singer struggles to maintain a positive mindset and mood.
Or in a better mind
The singer hopes to feel more content and at ease in the future.
Retreat
The artist desires to withdraw and take a break from their current situation.
Why lonely light
The artist repeats this line to emphasize their confusion about the light source in the room.
A lifetime from the sidelines
The artist feels as if they are always observing from a distance rather than actively participating in life.
What are you talking about
The singer is once again confused by the other person's comment.
Everybody wants to see you shine
The artist encourages the other person to showcase their potential and talents to others.
Sad eyes what are you talking about
The singer repeats this line to emphasize their confusion about the other person's emotions.
Everybody wants to see that face out
The singer encourages the other person to express their true emotions and not hide them.
True drama for one is trauma for two
The singer repeats this line once again to reiterate that traumatic experiences can affect individuals differently.
And I'd like to thank all of you
The artist expresses gratitude towards those who have supported them through difficult times.
I'm still trying to get it all right and
The artist admits to still struggling to navigate their life and emotions.
I haven't been this happy in minutes
The singer re-states how their current emotional state is a mix of both happiness and confusion.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hal Rageous
Damn awesome band!