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.
It's Been A Blast
Hey Mercedes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm a-waiting on an operation
So help me operator, will you try it again?
I'm in desperation's arms
i know that's it's late and she's not awake
But I've never ever been more ready
Pick up the phone
I remember one night in your parents' ride
Under the light of the passing airplanes
In the freezing cold a forever was told
It came out in plain air
So bottle never fear cause
I've commandeered the number of your new beau's home
But are you ever there?
Miss runaway
Get back to me
I've never needed you more than right away
Babe it's been a blast
My new muse, she'll be so unamused
But I've been bruised in the map of the memory
Maybe her mail's a remarkable mess
She'd get back to me by now
So bottle never fear cause
I've commandeered the number of her new beau's home
But is she ever there?
No
Miss runaway
Get back to me
I've never needed you more than right away
Babe it's been a blast
Write back
All the arguments are not the same without you
And I don't care if you don't care but
A messed up man must do what he needs to
It's been a blast
Write back
All the arguments are not the same without you
And I don't care if you don't care cause
A messed up mind must do what it needs to.
The song "It's Been A Blast" by Hey Mercedes depicts the internal struggles of the singer who is confined to his bed waiting for an operation. The opening verse reveals the singer's feeling of desperation as he implores the operator to try again while he waits for a response. He reminisces about a night spent with his lover in her parents' car while under the light of passing airplanes and how a promise of forever was made between them. He admits to commandeering the number of his lover's new beau's home and is unsure if she'll ever call back.
The lyrics evoke feelings of longing and regret as the singer makes desperate attempts to reach out to his lover. He expresses that he has never needed her more than he does right now and that their arguments are not the same without her. The repetition of the phrase 'miss runaway' highlights the singer's desire for his lover to come back to him. The song's repeated refrain of "babe it's been a blast, write back" underscores the singer's feelings of sadness and desperation as he waits for his lover's response.
Overall, "It's Been A Blast" is a poignant and introspective song that explores the emotions of a person as they grapple with their physical and emotional limitations. It showcases Hey Mercedes' ability to create lyrics that delve deep into the human psyche while still remaining relatable.
Line by Line Meaning
Cluttered little head and I'm living in bed
I'm feeling overwhelmed and dealing with some sort of physical ailment that leaves me bedridden.
And I'm a-waiting on an operation
I'm awaiting a medical procedure or surgery.
So help me operator, will you try it again?
I'm trying to make a call but it's not connecting, so I'm asking the operator to help me.
I'm in desperation's arms
I feel very hopeless and desperate.
I know that it's late and she's not awake
I'm aware that it's late and the person I want to contact is most likely asleep.
But I've never ever been more ready
Despite the late hour, I feel very ready to make this call.
Pick up the phone
I'm urging the person on the other end to answer the phone.
I gotta tell you
I have something important that I need to say.
I remember one night in your parents' ride
I have a vivid memory of a particular night when we were in your parents' car.
Under the light of the passing airplanes
The setting was illuminated by the lights of airplanes passing overhead.
In the freezing cold a forever was told
Despite the discomfort of being in the cold, we declared our love in a way that felt everlasting.
It came out in plain air
Our declaration of love was public and out in the open, not a secret between just the two of us.
So bottle never fear cause
Don't worry about anything, because...
I've commandeered the number of your new beau's home
I have found out the phone number of the person you're dating now.
But are you ever there?
I'm not sure if you're ever actually at home to answer the phone.
Miss runaway
I'm addressing the person whom I miss and who has left me without explanation.
Get back to me
I want this person to respond to me and come back to me.
I've never needed you more than right away
I'm feeling my need for this person intensely and urgently.
Babe it's been a blast
I've enjoyed our time together so much.
My new muse, she'll be so unamused
I'm anticipating that the person I've moved on to will not be impressed with my lingering feelings for this other person.
But I've been bruised in the map of the memory
My memories of this person are painful and they have left lasting damage on me.
Maybe her mail's a remarkable mess
I'm not sure if the person I'm trying to contact even receives or sends mail consistently.
She'd get back to me by now
If this person were interested in communicating with me, they would have done so already.
No
Negative response to the previous statement.
Write back
I am requesting that this person respond to me in writing.
All the arguments are not the same without you
I miss arguing with this person and the unique dynamic that exists between us when we fight.
And I don't care if you don't care but
I'm aware that the other person may not share my feelings and concerns, but that doesn't stop me from expressing them.
A messed up man must do what he needs to
I recognize that I may not be entirely sane or rational in my actions, but I feel compelled to act in the way that I need to in order to deal with my emotions.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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