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.
Tomorrow Is Heartbreak
Lagwagon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Holding that grudge
It's a feeling so familiar
Not unlike love
Unrequited she's scarred in hatred
Yesterday's moving [repeat]
It's easier to locate
Tell them you never lived in such a mess
Emily at her best in black
Reminds them all to stand back
At a distance they won't notice the act
All that she lacks
You can see up close she's bitter
Remembering wasted dinners
Can't expect the creep to stay long
But he's not the one who pissed her off
Today is denial [repeat]
It's easier if she won't
See him again
He's just another trip best forgotten
Emily may be odd
But she always gets even
It's not unlike love
Emily will find him again short-term boyfriend Emily, you'll always be alone
Tomorrow is heartbreak
Tomorrow is heartbreak
So bitter X I'm sorry
Sorry I bit that hook
I'm just a bad clich in your black book
The first verse of “Tomorrow Is Heartbreak” by Lagwagon speaks of bitterness and holding grudges. The line “Bitter X it must feel better, holding that grudge” seems to suggest that someone is holding onto past hurts or grudges, perhaps even finding a strange pleasure in the bitterness they feel towards someone else. The line “It’s a feeling so familiar, not unlike love” might suggest a twisted, unhealthy relationship with the grudge someone is holding onto. The second half of the verse switches focus to unrequited love and a scarred heart full of hatred, alluding to the pain of loving someone who doesn’t feel the same way in return.
The second verse of the song brings in Emily, who seems hollowed out and bitter, surrounded by reminders of the love she’s lost. The lines “Tell them you never lived in such a mess / Emily at her best in black / Reminds them all to stand back / At a distance they won't notice the act” allude to the idea of hiding behind a facade of strength, dressed in black, while everyone around her tries to keep their distance from her pain. The following line, “All that she lacks, you can see up close she's bitter,” seems to indicate that while Emily may seem put-together on the outside, anyone who gets too close will start to see just how much pain and bitterness she’s carrying with her.
The chorus of the song is a repetitive litany of “Tomorrow is heartbreak” - this seems to suggest that no matter what’s happened in the past, no matter how much pain Emily is carrying with her, there is no hope for the future, only more heartbreak to come. In the final verse, the lines “Emily may be odd, but she always gets even / It's not unlike love” suggest that Emily may be something of an outsider, odd and different from the usual expectations of society, but she still manages to get what she wants, even if it’s just a fleeting revenge on someone who’s hurt her in the past.
Line by Line Meaning
Bitter X it must feel better
Holding on to a grudge may seem satisfying, but it's only temporary relief.
It's a feeling so familiar
The feeling of bitterness and resentment is not too dissimilar to the feeling of love.
Unrequited she's scarred in hatred
The fact that someone didn't reciprocate their love has left them scarred and hateful.
Yesterday's moving [repeat]
Time passes by, but the pain and scars from the past still persist.
It's easier to locate
It's easier to find a better place or situation for oneself rather than stick to the current one which is causing pain.
A better nest
A better place to stay and call home, be it literal or figurative.
Tell them you never lived in such a mess
It's better to pretend that everything is fine rather than let everyone else know about the chaos that one is going through.
Emily at her best in black
Emily is comfortable in her own darkness and embraces it.
Reminds them all to stand back
Emily's aura of darkness and bitterness is a warning to stay away.
At a distance they won't notice the act
People won't see the facade of everything being fine that Emily puts up if they keep their distance.
All that she lacks
Emily is missing something important in her life which is causing her pain.
You can see up close she's bitter
The bitterness and resentment that Emily feels is apparent up close.
Remembering wasted dinners
Memories of times when things were going seemingly well but all turned out to be for nothing and wasted.
Can't expect the creep to stay long
The person who is currently with Emily won't stay with her for too long.
But he's not the one who pissed her off
The person who is currently with Emily is not the one who caused her emotional pain. She's projecting her pain onto him.
Today is denial [repeat]
Emily is in denial about her current situation and is trying to pretend that everything is fine.
It's easier if she won't
It's easier for Emily to move on if she doesn't have to face the person who caused her pain.
See him again
The person who caused Emily pain is better off not being in her life anymore.
He's just another trip best forgotten
The person who caused Emily pain is just another chapter in her life that she needs to move on from.
Emily may be odd
Emily is a unique individual who doesn't quite fit in with society's norms.
But she always gets even
Emily has a tendency to seek revenge and make things right in her own way.
It's not unlike love
Emily's need for revenge is not too different from the intensity of feelings that come with love.
Emily will find him again
Emily will seek out the person who caused her pain once again.
short-term boyfriend
The person who is currently with Emily is not going to be around for too long.
Emily, you'll always be alone
Emily will always be looking for something or someone to make her feel complete.
Tomorrow is heartbreak
Emily knows that tomorrow is going to be another day of pain and heartbreak for her.
So bitter X I'm sorry
The singer apologizes for the pain that Emily has gone through but also acknowledges the bitterness that she is feeling.
Sorry I bit that hook
The artist apologizes for causing Emily pain and making her fall into a trap.
I'm just a bad clich in your black book
The artist acknowledges that they are just another figure in Emily's past, causing her pain and leaving a bitter taste in her life.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ovidio
on Never Stops
twin towers coming down