Their official biography reads as follows: Our story begins – as many of these stories do – with a TDK 60 minute cassette. It's back in 1992 and Kurt Cobain with Smells Like Teen Spirit is playing himself into the nirvana of rock'n'roll and hitting us in the gut. Wow! At roughly the same time, Adrian packs in his drummer job with The Bash — freeing his hands to do the old Fender Strat thing and, in fact, record on to that TDK 60. He calls his one-man band "Lovebugs", enters the cassette for a Band Contest in Basle ... and ends up being invited to take part in the final round.
So he finds Sebastian on bass and Julie on drums – more for their charming personalities than for instrumental virtuosity. And then it all happens pretty dammed quick. First gig, the final, victory, thank you!
Adrian and Sebastian then record their first album Fluff in all of five days in league with 17-year-old temp drummer Simon who has been a permanent fixture since then, irreplaceable actually, because not only is he an amazing drummer but also an amazing cook. We play a few gigs and Adrian wants to pack it in again. Making music is OK, he says, but being the frontman is a pain. Well, we persuade him to stay on and, before long, we have played countless gigs in small clubs. And, between all that, recorded our second album: Tart.
The third album appears in 1996: Lovebugs. Recorded in London, produced by George Shilling and Tony Harris. We storm the Top 40 and our single Fantastic is what you might call our minor breakthrough on the Swiss music wallpaper scene. We sign major recording contacts in Germany, feel pretty fantastic, immortal at least. Just the right mood for getting on to the TourBus for a few months.
Thomas also gets on: live, we need extra guitar; he needs a good band. And the tours go on — with Marc Owen, Republica, Vivid and Ocean Color Scene. We become addicted to life on tour. We hang on to Thomas because, apart from making the right noises with the guitar, he's cool with studio buttons and, in the morning, he looks so grotty.
In 1999, BMG/RCA prescribe us a recording producer who – from the very start – we don't hit it off with. The proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back. After a really vicious battle with the record company (all that small-print crap) we record an album under the name of The Symbol. No, not really, we sign a deal with Warner Music Switzerland and, at long last, in 2000, bring out Transatlantic Flight. All that turbulence seems to have paid off. The album sells in 13 countries and represents now our ultimate breakthrough. The concerts are sold out. We shoot a video in LA and give loads of interviews from Moscow through Niederbipp to Helsinki …
While Sebastian publishes his glam rock project Fucking Beautiful, we work on our fifth studio album Awaydays. Wanting to go new places, we record the album in the rehearsal room (with Thomas as producer) and bring in a string orchestra. Adrian starts to think of packing it in again but eventually gives up smoking instead. At about the same time, Awaydays gets to the number one spot in the Swiss charts and Sebastian announces his departure from the band. We play one last tour with him and wonder about how things should continue.
Come autumn 2002, we retreat to the heel of the Italian boot – Apulia – to work on 13 Songs With A View. There are now five of us and we're searching for a new Lovebugs sound. Bass player Florian is more than a mere substitute for emigrant Sebastian: he brings a new earthy edge to the band and raises the average IQ by 35%. The same tidal wave also dumps Stefan on board MS Lovebugs. In an official capacity, that is. For almost three years, he's been pounding away on the keyboards for us — both on stage and in the studio. 13 Songs With A View is, in a word, a bitch, and gives us a really hard time. Yup, the search for our joint roots is difficult, taking 13 long months in the studio. An eternal labyrinth. But also a welding torch for the new line-up. The result is rawer and harder than previous albums. A true milestone, we reckon. Whereas the Swiss radio stations reckon that our sound is too noisy. TV gets cold feet as well and even drops us from a programme at literally the last second. They are worried that our music might hit the viewers in the gut (hmm, sounds familiar). Whatever. A short time later, to kick off our tour, we play Letzigrund Stadium with the legendary Stones to a crowd of 40,000 before, at long last, setting off on an extended club and festival tour again.
December 2003. We've done some 1,000 gigs (I think) and recorded seven albums. Tired? No way! But where can we now sail to without going round in circles? One thing is clear: we need a producer who will accompany us, give us feedback and be in on the songs as they emerge so that we don't drift into studio quicksands again. Someone who can stand up to the Lovebugs steamroller. Adrian has the shocking idea of having a go with that swine Chris von Rohr. In fact, the chemistry works at the very first meeting and soon we have a veritable swimming pool full of creativity — not to mention a genuine friendship.
Together we work on the eighth CD. It's to be an unplugged album, recorded live and featuring the best from 11 years of Lovebugs. Old hits are re-arranged, stripped down to the bare essentials. We want it to be intimate and direct. After nine months of preparation, we perform Naked (!) on stage in Basle ... and, well, it's one of our best concerts ever. Included on the album version are five new songs, some really moving moments and acres of goose pimples.
For six months or so, the subsequent Naked Tour takes us though old theatre prosceniums and cinema halls. Backed by mood and guest musicians, we play unplugged into the summer. It's during the festival season of 2005 that – in parallel and in secret – we start plugging our cables in at the rehearsal room again. We hunger for electricity and sounds but first Adrian has to have on operation on his respiratory system while the rest of us send postcards from our holiday resorts. Each taking a creative breather, so to speak.
In autumn 2005 – by which time we're up to our knees in new material – a Taiwanese record company calls up suddenly and invites us to hold a series of interviews and concerts in Asia. We leave the freshly served Creative Soup on the counter and fly "naked" to the land of the permanent sushi enthusiasts where we (a) score something of a success and (b) get to know something about chopsticks, isolation and sleeping tablets. Then, in the middle of a snowstorm and an infinitely long winter, we eventually realise where we are going and who we wish to take along with us. Things are going to be epic and huge and also deep enough to drown in, a unified whole indeed. So, after a three-year absence from the studio, In Every Waking Moment will not be a stroll through the park, more like an intense midnight ramble J
To read the map and shine the torch, we hire Roman Camenzind. The man who never sleeps and who always has a good idea just when one is needed.
In February and March of 2006, we record In Every Waking Moment at locomotive speed and, only one week after Switzerland gets kicked out of the last 16 of the Football World Cup, a Lovebugs CD soars to Number One on the Swiss album charts … again.
Discography
IN EVERY WAKING MOMENT (2006)
NAKED (2005)
13 SONGS WITH A VIEW (2003)
AWAYDAYS (2001)
TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT (2000)
LIVE VIA SATELLITE (1999)
LOVEBUGS intl. version (1998)
LOVEBUGS (1996)
TART (1995)
FLUFF (1994)
Group Members
Adrian Sieber: vocals, guitar
Thomas Rechberger: guitar, vocals
Stefan Wagner: piano, synthesizers, vocals
Florian Senn: bass
Simon Ramseier: drums
Website
http://www.lovebugs.com
When I See You Smile
Lovebugs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I'd ever make it through
Through this world
Without having in you
I just wouldn't have a clue
'cause sometimes it seems
Like this world's closing in on me
And then I see you reach for me
Sometimes I wanna give up
Wanna give in
I wanna quit the fight
And then I see you, baby
And everything's alright
Everything's alright
When I see you smile
I can face the world
Oh, you know I can do anything
When I see you smile
I see a ray of light
Oh, I see it shining
Right through the rain
When I see you smile
Baby, when I see you smile at me
Oh yeah
Baby, there's nothing in this world that could ever do
What the touch of your hand can do
It's like nothing that I ever knew
And when the rain is falling
I don't feel it
Cause you're here with me now
I wanna ask you, baby
It's all I ever need
All I'll ever need
When I see you smile
I can face the world
Oh, you know I can do anything
When I see you smile
I see a ray of light
Oh, I see it shining
Right through the rain
When I see you smile, baby
Baby, when I see you smile at me
Sometimes I wanna give up
I wanna give in
I wanna quit the fight
Then one look at you, baby
And everything's alright
Hey, everything's alright
(Chorus)
Lovebug's song "When I See You Smile" is a romantic ballad that captures the essence of being in love. The song is about the struggles of life and how the love of another can make everything seem okay. The opening lines of the song describe the singer's wonderment at whether or not they could make it through life without the love of their partner. The singer admits they wouldn't have a clue as to how to navigate the world without their partner's guidance.
The next set of lyrics paint a picture of despair and a feeling of being trapped. The world seems to be "closing in" on the singer, and they feel as though there is "no way of breaking free." But then they see their partner reaching out to them, and all of a sudden, they can face the world. The chorus of the song is the most memorable part, with the singer acknowledging that their partner's smile is enough to make them forget about their troubles. The smile is a source of strength and support, and it helps the singer feel as though they can face anything that comes their way.
The bridge of the song talks about the power of physical touch and how it can heal almost anything. When the rain is falling, the singer doesn't feel it because their partner is by their side. The final verse is a repetition of the previous set of lyrics, where the singer admits that they want to give up at times. They want to quit the fight, but one look at their partner, and everything is alright again.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I wonder
At times, I contemplate
If I'd ever make it through
If I could survive in this world
Through this world
In this journey of life
Without having in you
Without your presence beside me
I just wouldn't have a clue
I would be lost and directionless
'cause sometimes it seems
As there are occasions when it appears
Like this world's closing in on me
As if this life is suffocating me
And there's no way of breaking free
And no escape seems feasible
And then I see you reach for me
But then, you hold my hand and everything changes
Sometimes I wanna give up
There are mornings when I feel like surrendering
Wanna give in
And I want to let go
I wanna quit the fight
I desire to abandon the struggle
And then I see you, baby
But then you are there beside me
And everything's alright
And all the concerns disappear
When I see you smile
Just a glimpse of your smiling face
I can face the world
Gives me the courage to confront anything
Oh, you know I can do anything
As if I am capable of achieving everything
I see a ray of light
Your smile is like sunshine for me
Oh, I see it shining
I can perceive this radiance
Right through the rain
Even in the most demanding situations
Baby, there's nothing in this world that could ever do
My love, nothing in life could replace
What the touch of your hand can do
The tenderness of your touch
It's like nothing that I ever knew
Is unparalleled and new to me
And when the rain is falling
In the hardest times
I don't feel it
I don't fret
Cause you're here with me now
Because you are here by my side
I wanna ask you, baby
All I want to say is
It's all I ever need
That you are all I require
Hey, everything's alright
Everything is perfect when I am with you
Contributed by Benjamin R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.