The band has 11 releases through Fat Wreck Chords: eight studio albums, one EP, one live album and a collection of B-sides, compilation tracks and demos. Lagwagon has never had, nor have they seemed to pursue, strong mainstream success, but they do have a devoted underground following in North America, Europe and Asia. Their moderate success reflected a growing interest in punk rock during the 1990s, along with fellow California bands Rancid, Green Day and The Offspring. Their song 'May 16' was also featured in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.
The story about the name Lagwagon is that Joey’s mom was often late picking him and his brother up from school. She drove a station wagon, which his brother dubbed the "lagwagon". After signing to Fat Mike's label Fat Wreck Chords, Lagwagon released their debut album for the label, Duh, in 1992. Frontman Joey Cape commented on how the album was made, "Back then, we were inexperienced in the studio. It was less about the recording process and more about rehearsing. We recorded and mixed Duh in 4 days. There's something to be said for a budget. You have to have your shit together before you go into the studio and the end result is a record that better reflects the band's sound at the time." Two years later, Lagwagon released Trashed, their second record on Fat, which turned out to be highly successful, leading to the eventual production of a video for "Island of Shame." During this time, a number of punk bands, such as Green Day, The Offspring and Rancid, had hit the mainstream and Lagwagon turned down offers to join several major labels. Hoss, the third Lagwagon album, was released on November 21, 1995. After the release of that album and an extensive tour in Europe, Australia, and Japan, both guitarist Shawn Dewey and drummer Derrick Plourde would leave the band and be replaced temporarily by Ken Stringfellow (The Posies) on guitar, and permanently by Dave Raun (RKL) on drums. Shawn Dewey, already in the side project band Buck Wild on Lobster Records would go on to release two full-length LPs Beat Me Silly and Full Metal Overdrive and do two European tours with Good Riddance and Ten Foot Pole.
After two more albums, Double Plaidinum and Let's Talk About Feelings, the band went on indefinite hiatus in 2000, due to all members working on side projects. Lagwagon resurfaced in 2002, and released their sixth album Blaze the following year. In 2004, frontman Joey Cape released a split album with No Use for a Name vocalist Tony Sly featuring acoustic versions of songs by both bands. On November 1, 2005, Lagwagon released Resolve, which is a homage to the life of Derrick Plourde, original drummer for Lagwagon and Bad Astronaut.
In 2008, Lagwagon released an EP titled I Think My Older Brother Used to Listen to Lagwagon. Despite earlier reports that the band would begin recording their next full-length studio album by 2009, Lagwagon had gone on hiatus from touring and writing again, due to Cape launching a solo career, releasing Bridge in 2008 and Doesn't Play Well with Others in 2010.
In January 2010, Joey Cape announced during an interview with Canada's Exclaim! magazine[4] that Jesse Buglione had left Lagwagon, having been with the band since its foundation in 1990. However, Cape dismissed rumors of Lagwagon breaking up. While he was not sure if Lagwagon would record a new album or embark on another full-scale tour, he said that he was open to playing shows and possibly recording and releasing new Lagwagon songs sporadically. Jesse Buglione confirmed his departure on Lagwagon's official message board himself, as reported by sputnikmusic.com and punknews.org. Lagwagon toured with No Use for a Name that summer. In an interview with fasterlouder.com.au Joey Cape, revealed former RKL bassist Joe Raposo is Lagwagon's new bassist. In a June 2011 interview with ExploreMusic however, Joey Cape said that things didn't work out with Raposo, and the band is testing a new bassist. After first announcing Patrick Solem as the new bass player in August 2011, the band decided that Raposo would remain in the band permanently.
On September 22, 2011, Fat Wreck announced they would be re-issuing expanded editions of the first 5 albums on CD, vinyl, and digital download. The albums were available both separately and in a box set titled Putting Music In Its Place. The reissues were released November 22, 2011, with a short line-up of concerts in the USA played in December and January, and a European tour following in April 2012. As of October 2012, Lagwagon is headlining a full U.S. tour titled The Fat Tour 2012, with Dead To Me, The Flatliners, and Useless ID as support.
In October 2012, Joey Cape stated that there will be a new Lagwagon album, which will be their first since 2005's Resolve. While details and release dates are not yet known, the band announced on its Twitter feed that songs are being written for a new album. The September 22 Tweet reads, "Writing, writing, writing. New album... It's gonna happen!"
The band recorded their eighth album, Hang, with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room, Ft Collins, CO. The album was released on October 28, 2014, and debuted at #95 on the Billboard 200.
On October 4, 2019, the band released their ninth studio album Railer.
Fallen
Lagwagon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In many ways we could see the fall coming
But lull prolonged, some will never belong
So children age into prisons
They establish shame with their poor inheritance
They build covert roads
Some become addictions
Suspicion, in position
I guess I thought you were going to be around
Going to be rewound
But you were honest
I know you did the best one can
Fallen
people speak of demons
To simplify the life then honor you my friend
They rationalize trouble-free hypothesis
He's broken, too damaged, but bravely profound
I guess I thought you were going to astound
Going to stand your ground
But you were full pride
I know it killed you to fail them
Fallen
hey, dog boy
The whistmas souls would deploy
You needed them, believed in them
It's better to pretend
I guess I thought it was your rising
You're long drawn out win
'cause you were on it
I know you did the best one can
I thought you'd be around
I thought you'd be rewound
But everyone succumbs to some
We are all fallen
The song "Fallen" by Lagwagon is a melancholic and introspective piece that deals with themes of loss, disappointment, and the inevitability of failure. The opening line "Yesterdays are numbered" sets the tone of the song, suggesting that the past is gone and there's no way to change it. The following lines paint a picture of a world in decline - a world where some people are doomed to fail and where the young are trapped by circumstance and inherited shame.
The second verse expands on these themes, focusing on the ways in which people rationalize their own failures and shortcomings. The line "people speak of demons, to simplify the life then honor you my friend" is a poignant observation on how society tends to put labels on those who struggle, rather than trying to understand them. The verse ends on a mournful note, with the realization that even those we expect to succeed can fall and disappoint us.
The final verse is the most personal and emotional, addressed directly to someone the singer cared about deeply. The lines "hey, dog boy, the whistmas souls would deploy, you needed them, believed in them" are a reference to an inside joke or personal nickname. The verse deals with the singer's sense of loss and regret, wishing that the person he's addressing had done better but ultimately accepting that failure is inevitable for everyone.
Overall, "Fallen" is a beautifully written song that captures the pain of disappointment and the fragility of hope. It acknowledges that the world is often unforgiving and that most of us will fall short of our dreams, but it also offers a sense of solace in the knowledge that we are all in this together.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterdays are numbered
The past is unchangeable and has a limited influence on the present
In many ways we could see the fall coming
We could predict that things would eventually go wrong
But lull prolonged, some will never belong
However, some people are unable to adapt and will always feel out of place
So children age into prisons
Some people feel trapped in their own lives and can never escape
They establish shame with their poor inheritance
Growing up in a difficult environment can cause people to feel ashamed of their past
They build covert roads
People develop secret habits and behaviors to deal with their problems
Some become addictions
These habits can become addictions that are difficult to break
Suspicion, in position
People become distrustful and guarded as a result of their past experiences
Yeah it's bound to have been
These problems were inevitable given the circumstances
I guess I thought you were going to be around
I expected you to be there for me in difficult times
Going to be rewound
I hoped that we could go back to an easier time
But you were honest
You were truthful with me even when it was difficult
I know you did the best one can
I recognize that you did everything you could
Fallen
But despite your efforts, we have still fallen
People speak of demons
People use the idea of demons to explain their problems
To simplify the life then honor you my friend
To make sense of things, people sometimes blame external forces
They rationalize trouble-free hypothesis
People create simplistic explanations to avoid dealing with difficult problems
He's broken, too damaged, but bravely profound
People who have suffered through difficult times can still be strong and profound
I guess I thought you were going to astound
I hoped that you would exceed my expectations
Going to stand your ground
I thought you would be unwavering in your convictions
But you were full pride
But your pride got in the way of your success
I know it killed you to fail them
I know that you struggled with letting others down
Hey, dog boy
An insult directed at someone who is not living up to expectations
The whistmas souls would deploy
People will turn on each other when things get difficult
You needed them, believed in them
You relied on other people and their support to get through difficult times
It's better to pretend
Sometimes it's easier to just ignore problems than to face them head-on
I guess I thought it was your rising
I believed that you were going to succeed and overcome your problems
You're long drawn out win
I expected your success to take a long time, but eventually happen
'cause you were on it
Because you were working hard towards your goals
I know you did the best one can
I recognize that you did everything you could
I thought you'd be around
I expected you to be there for me when I needed you
But everyone succumbs to some
Everyone has problems that they struggle with
We are all fallen
Despite our best efforts, we are all imperfect and flawed
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BENJAMIN ARTHUR MCKEE, DANIEL COULTER REYNOLDS, DANIEL WAYNE SERMON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MIC-HEXED
"Fallen"
yesterdays are numbered
in many ways we could see the fall coming
but lull prolonged, some will never belong
so children age into prisons
they establish aim with their poor inheritance
they build covert roads
some become addictions
suspicion in position
yeah it's bound to happen
i guess i thought you were going to be around
going to be rewound
but you were honest
i know you did the best one can
fallen
people speak of demons
they simplify the life that haunted you my friend
they rationalize trouble-free hypothesis
he's broken too damaged but bravely profound
i guess i thought you were going to astound
going to stand your ground
but you were forthright
i know it killed you to fail them
fallen
hey dogboy
the whish missiles we deploy
we needed them, believed in them
it's better to pretend
i guess i thought it was your rising
you're long drawn out win
'cause you were on it
i know you did the best one can
i thought you'd be around
i thought you'd be rewound
but everyone succumbs to sound
we are all fallen
vastowildbrothers
lagwagon still are the perfect rapresentation of melodic hardcore
David Miyamoto
Lag wagon is like a long love story so good
Mike O'Malley
great band, been listening since trashed
nyjeterss
@vastowildbrothers representation* :P but yes you are correct