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.
Lullaby
Lagwagon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turn it down
Pull the plug
Imminent surrender
Ringing in the new
Dark Age
Shut down the noise-aholics
In a daydream of peace
In a calmness too brief
My lullaby is killing
My lullaby be stilling
It could be such sweet silence
From static from violence from
Volume is the modern currency
Everyone competing for air space
Everybody's dumb
Shouting muddled words as though they're deaf
Big brother isn't watching anymore
He knows we are distracted and absorbed Broadcasting our grief
Our imagination's atrophied
We can't think
If I could sing them all to sleep
If I could sing myself deaf
Wouldn't it be lovely?
Doesn't it sound perfect?
Every generation hates the next
I will save the millions from
A slow insufferable death
I'll put them to sleep
Save them from progressive misery
I'm counting
If I could sing myself to sleep
If I could sing myself deaf
Wouldn't it be lovely?
Doesn't it sound perfect?
My lullaby is killing
My lullaby be stilling
Memorized
Involuntary I think
I can change the world
The lyrics to Lagwagon's "Lullaby" are a commentary on the modern obsession with noise and the constant competition for attention in the media landscape. The song is essentially a plea for peace and tranquility in a world dominated by sound and chaos. The opening lines speak to the absurdity of the "arms race of sound" and suggest that it's time to turn down the volume and surrender to a new, darker age. The next lines urge us to "shut down the noise-aholics" and "put down the quiet-ophobics" – those who are either addicted to sound or afraid of silence.
The chorus of the song is a lullaby, sung by the singer to himself or perhaps to the world at large. The song is "killing" in that it lulls the listener into a sense of calm and quiet, which is in itself a form of death. The singer dreams of a peaceful world, free from the noise and chaos that dominate our lives. He imagines a world where everyone is "put to sleep" by his lullaby, saved from the "progressive misery" that comes with modern life.
The final lines of the song suggest that the singer believes in the power of music to change the world. He seems to be saying that if he can sing enough people to sleep, he can create a new world order, one that is characterized by peace and quiet rather than noise and chaos. Overall, "Lullaby" is a powerful and thought-provoking song that challenges us to think about the role of sound in modern society and the importance of peace and tranquility in our daily lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Waging war on the arms race of sound
Fighting against the obsession with loud noise and music
Turn it down
Reduce the volume of the music
Pull the plug
Stop the music completely
Imminent surrender
Giving up and accepting the dominance of noise
Ringing in the new
The beginning of a new era
Dark Age
A negative period of history
Shut down the noise-aholics
Stop the people who obsessively listen to loud music
Put down the quiet-ophobics
Discourage the fear of silence, the opposite of noise-aholism
In a daydream of peace
Imagining a peaceful world
In a calmness too brief
In a temporary state of tranquility
My lullaby is killing
My peaceful music is fighting against the obsession with loud noise
My lullaby be stilling
My peaceful music is putting people to sleep
It could be such sweet silence
The lack of noise could be very pleasant
From static from violence from
From the chaos and aggression of loud noise
Volume is the modern currency
The obsession with loud music is a sign of contemporary culture
Everyone competing for air space
People are trying to occupy the acoustic environment with their loud music
Everybody's dumb
People are foolish and not realizing the negative effects of loud noise
Shouting muddled words as though they're deaf
People are speaking incomprehensibly because of the deafening noise
Big brother isn't watching anymore
The government is not paying attention to the problem of loud noise
He knows we are distracted and absorbed
The government is aware that people are not protesting against the noise
Broadcasting our grief
People are communicating their sorrow and frustration through loud music
Our imagination's atrophied
Our creativity has been hindered by the obsession with loud noise
We can't think
Our thinking has been impaired by the noise
If I could sing them all to sleep
If I could put everyone to sleep with my peaceful music
If I could sing myself deaf
If I could stop hearing the noise by listening to my own music
Wouldn't it be lovely?
Wouldn't it be nice to have some peace?
Doesn't it sound perfect?
Isn't that the ideal situation?
Every generation hates the next
The young generation is seen as rebellious and distasteful by the older generation
I will save the millions from
I will rescue many people from the negative effects of loud noise
A slow insufferable death
A gradual and unbearable mental and physical deterioration caused by loud noise
Save them from progressive misery
Save them from the gradual worsening of their suffering caused by the noise
I'm counting
I'm determined to make a difference
Memorized
Remembered by heart
Involuntary I think
I can't help but imagine
I can change the world
I believe that my music can make a significant impact on the world
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
owl316
Blaze was such a good album. It's very consistent, catchy, uplifting, and has some of Lagwagon's best solos and lyricism
Vladimir Markiev
Hang is very close to it. Though it's pretty dark. But the melodies, the lyrics..
Mark Touchette
Am I the only one that has put this on repeat at least 5x in a row?
Corrupted
This song put me so nostalgic and mellancholyc :,) ¡Long live to Lagwagon!
Graphite0
Chuck is my favorite author and Lullaby is one of my favorite books by him. This song is amazing. Chuck's other fans are just upset that they didn't think of it first. ;D
Vladi Mix
My ringtone ... even when i use it as wake up alarm i love it
Avenged WaGoN
If I could sing them all to sleep...if I could sing myself deaf... I love this part...also Every generation hates the next I will save the millions from a slow insufferable death I'll put them to sleep Save them from progressive misery Music to my ears...wait! it is music..lol
TheQcGamer
Yeah it gives me the vibes of the decline from NOFX 🤘😎
kongshoej
love lagwagaon! since 2002
gcant001
The perfect song