Langer writes the majority of his repertoire alone, but also collaborates with among others Marcus Winther-John , Tim Christensen , Daniel Ahearn , Edie Kuhnle , and Justin Hawkins . Tim Christensen has contributed to several songs with backing vocals, guitar and bass on Langer's earlier albums, and Justin Hawkins sings backing vocals on Langer's upcoming album. He has announced that he will also be working with several artists and producers from the United States, including Ryan Tedder . About his approach to music, Langer says: "I'm very inspired of the way Keith Jarrett just lets his hands run out of control and create big poetic moments out of improvisation. The same can be said for other big artists like Ryan Adams and Jeff Buckley. I can relate to all three because they all seem to let their intuition and playful musicality take them to beautiful places. My own music originates in the same way.” Other musical influences he names are Chris Cornell , John Mayer , Prince , Coldplay , Rickie Lee Jones , Stevie Wonder , The Beatles , Nick Drake , The Band , Radiohead , Fionn Regan , Bob Dylan , Neil Young , and Ray Lamontagne . His voice is often compared to Thom Yorke's and Jeff Buckley's. His band, both in the studio and live, is composed of Søren Lund on guitar, Nis Tyrrestrup op bass, and Asger Møller on drums and percussion. On March 30, 2011, Langer introduced Simon Luth as his sixth band member and announced he will be the opening act for his shows in May 2011. Langer plays among others guitar, piano, Mellotron, and keyboard.
Langer grew up in the town of Skive, Denmark. His parents are both teachers and share a love for music. At age three, he started learning the piano and he listened to his father's record collection. When he was 15, he dreamt of moving to New York and becoming a rock star. In high school, he was in a Rage Against the Machine cover band. After finishing high school, a local audition in Skive got him in touch with a talent scout who suggested him to move to Copenhagen and present his homemade demos there. He studied jazz piano at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, but eventually he just started writing music It was during this time he started playing guitar. Ultimately this landed him a record deal with Copenhagen Records. Langer debuted on March 20, 2006
in Denemark with Attention Please, an album containing potent pop rock songs. It was scheduled to be released a year earlier, but in post-production he connected so well with Søren Balsner of Carpark North that Langer requested his label to scrap the recordings and start over with Balsner as producer. Despite an intense media hype and good reviews, the album had limited success in Denmark. According to Langer, his record label is to blame for raising unrealistic expectations: "As it often happens, when something is overhyped, then the media just gives you the finger afterwards when it comes out. Because of course this record isn't a masterpiece, but I think it's a very good debut for a very young guy, but that's never where we came to because they had been told that it was a masterpiece from the record label. So the minute it came out, it flopped." The song "Breaking News" became a hit. The American spotter Sat Bisla picked up on him which enabled Langer to perform in Great Britain and Germany, to move to New York City and from there often travel back and forth to Los Angeles, where he among others played before record company executives. This media circus life was taxing on him at such a young age, he had grown tired of other people's visions on his career, questioned his talent and got homesick, so in 2007 he quit his rock star life and returned to Skive. Equipped with only a map and his guitar, he roamed through Europe like a troubadour, playing about 100 acoustic shows (other sources say about 60[6]) for gas money to fuel his c. 1987 Volkswagen Polo which he bought after his return. He lived off the money he collected by selling his CDs after each show. The tour helped him to find himself again and garnered him a growing fanbase. Later in 2007, he composed and conducted the Danish performance of Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Nørrebros Theater in Copenhagen starring Anders W. Berthelsen.
For his second studio album, Langer had written over 90 songs, of which he wrote "Say No More" together with Tim Christensen. He explains the cause of this large quantity as follows: "A minute doesn’t go by, not even a second, without a stream of new musical ideas or familiar phrases running through my head. My songs spring from that source." The record was eponymous because he felt this album made it clear in which direction he is headed in style and genre, whereas he felt the songs on his first album did not reflect him, but were what he thought others wanted from him. The album was released in Denmark on February 9, 2009. The critical reception was bland; critics judged that the music was more of the same and lacked a soul because it was too polished. He did score hits with "Wake Me Up in Time" and Fact-Fiction, a song he wrote in the United States in less than ten minutes and describes his confusion during that time. He started his tour as opening act for Tim Christensen and The Script before continuing his tour as main act. The songs "The River has Run Wild" and "Beauty of the Dark" have been used in the American television series The Vampire Diaries, On En Hyldest til Sebastian ("A Tribute to Sebastian"), released in October 2009, Langer covers the song "Stille Før Storm" ("Silence before the storm"). Sebastian originally wrote this song for Lis Sørensen, which led to her breakthrough.
Langer grew up in the town of Skive, Denmark. His parents are both teachers and share a love for music. At age three, he started learning the piano and he listened to his father's record collection. When he was 15, he dreamt of moving to New York and becoming a rock star. In high school, he was in a Rage Against the Machine cover band. After finishing high school, a local audition in Skive got him in touch with a talent scout who suggested him to move to Copenhagen and present his homemade demos there. He studied jazz piano at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, but eventually he just started writing music It was during this time he started playing guitar. Ultimately this landed him a record deal with Copenhagen Records. Langer debuted on March 20, 2006 in Denemark with Attention Please, an album containing potent pop rock songs. It was scheduled to be released a year earlier, but in post-production he connected so well with Søren Balsner of Carpark North that Langer requested his label to scrap the recordings and start over with Balsner as producer. Despite an intense media hype and good reviews, the album had limited success in Denmark. According to Langer, his record label is to blame for raising unrealistic expectations: "As it often happens, when something is overhyped, then the media just gives you the finger afterwards when it comes out. Because of course this record isn't a masterpiece, but I think it's a very good debut for a very young guy, but that's never where we came to because they had been told that it was a masterpiece from the record label. So the minute it came out, it flopped." The song "Breaking News" became a hit. The American spotter Sat Bisla picked up on him, which enabled Langer to perform in Great Britain and Germany, to move to New York City and from there often travel back and forth to Los Angeles, where he among others played before record company executives. This media circus life was taxing on him at such a young age, he had grown tired of other people's visions on his career, questioned his talent and got homesick, so in 2007 he quit his rock star life and returned to Skive. Equipped with only a map and his guitar, he roamed through Europe like a troubadour, playing about 100 acoustic shows (other sources say about 60) for gas money to fuel his c. 1987 Volkswagen Polo which he bought after his return. He lived off the money he collected by selling his CDs after each show. The tour helped him to find himself again and garnered him a growing fanbase. Later in 2007, he composed and conducted the Danish performance of Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Nørrebros Theater in Copenhagen starring Anders W. Berthelsen.
For his second studio album, Langer had written over 90 songs, of which he wrote "Say No More" together with Tim Christensen. He explains the cause of this large quantity as follows: "A minute doesn’t go by, not even a second, without a stream of new musical ideas or familiar phrases running through my head. My songs spring from that source." The record was eponymous because he felt this album made it clear in which direction he is headed in style and genre, whereas he felt the songs on his first album did not reflect him, but were what he thought others wanted from him. The album was released in Denmark on February 9, 2009. The critical reception was bland; critics judged that the music was more of the same and lacked a soul because it was too polished. He did score hits with "Wake Me Up in Time" and Fact-Fiction, a song he wrote in the United States in less than ten minutes and describes his confusion during that time. He started his tour as opening act for Tim Christensen and The Script before continuing his tour as main act. The songs "The River has Run Wild" and "Beauty of the Dark" have been used in the American television series The Vampire Diaries, On En Hyldest til Sebastian ("A Tribute to Sebastian"), released in October 2009, Langer covers the song "Stille Før Storm" ("Silence before the storm"). Sebastian originally wrote this song for Lis Sørensen, which led to her breakthrough.
In December 2010, Langer offered a free download of "The River has Run Wild" off this album to anyone who joined his mailing list. In March 2011, the single "Microscope" was offered to new subscribers instead. "Microscope" entered the Italian charts at #25. It was written in around 30 minutes and came out of nothing. It was intended to be a happy song, but turned melancholic as the lyrics were written. Langer has already explained the theme of some of the other songs. "Last Flower" was written in memory of a Danish fan who committed suicide. In her suicide note she requested Langer to play at her funeral, where he performed this song. "Death has Fallen in Love" is about stopping to realize that someone you love could die too. The idea for the song came about while Langer' girlfriend was brushing her teeth.
A song that has not made its way onto the album is "Bowie and Champagne", which refers to a girl he fooled around with when he was growing up, but who tried everything and ended up a drug addict. The original lyrics were written after Langer woke up from a dream and jotted a few lines down about Aerosmith and wine. At that time he thought they might just be the best lyrics in the world, but when he checked them over the following morning, he felt they were too cheesy but could be improved with some changes.
From May 11 through to 14, Langer will go on a mini-tour through Denmark.
www.madslanger.com.
Contact:
Sue Whitehouse:
sue@whitehousemanagement.com
Booking ( Europe except Denmark)
Adam Saunders: adam@xraytouring.com
Booking (Denmark)
Malte Erbs: mbe@PDH.DK
www.madslanger.com
www.youtube.com/user/madslanger24
www.facebook.com/pages/Mads-Langer/99879780312
www.myspace.com/madslanger
Drunken Butterfly
Mads Langer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And answers to questions I don't wanna know
It is in my sunken eyes
That the mirror reveals my disguise
Oh yeah
There's an ocean of faces right in front of me
And a million miles to go before I sleep
All my nightmares refuse to die
Oh yeah
'Cause I have never ever been so alone
And nothing has ever felt so safe in me, no no
Oh yeah
I am wasting time on foolish cinematic dreams
I see my future running on a broken silver screen
I'm walking on a sunken road
Waiting for my head to explode
Oh yeah
And I have never ever been so alone
And nothing has ever felt so safe in me, no no
Oh yeah
Oh 'cause I have never ever been so alone
No nothing has ever felt so safe in me, no no
Oh yeah
Mads Langer's song "Drunken Butterfly" is a melancholic and haunting melody that explores the depths of loneliness, uncertainty, and dreams that have been shattered. Langer sings about the places he doesn't want to go and the answers he doesn't want to know, suggesting a fear of facing difficult truths. The song is introspective, as Langer looks at his reflection in the mirror and sees a disguise that he is hiding behind.
The second verse paints a vivid picture of an emotional desert, with an ocean of faces surrounding the singer and seemingly endless miles before he can find any sense of rest. The metaphor of a "drunken butterfly" reflects the feeling of being lost and without direction, like a butterfly fluttering aimlessly through the dark night. Langer's nightmares refuse to pass, persisting in the darkness, tormenting him further.
The third verse shows Langer grappling with existential questions about his life, realizing how much time he has wasted chasing foolish and unrealistic dreams. The image of his future continuing to run on a broken silver screen is a powerful metaphor for the way our lives can feel like they're playing out in front of us without any control. Langer walks on a sunken road, waiting for his head to explode, indicating that his inner turmoil and pain have reached a boiling point.
The song ends with a repetition of the chorus "I have never ever been so alone, no nothing has ever felt so safe in me," reflecting on the bittersweet realization that we must accept our lonely moments, as they can provide a sense of safety in our own solitude.
Line by Line Meaning
So there're places I don't wanna go
I'm afraid of confronting places, people or situations that could cause pain or suffering.
And answers to questions I don't wanna know
I have doubts and uncertainties that I am not ready to face or explore.
It is in my sunken eyes
My eyes represent my soul, and they reveal my sadness and despair.
That the mirror reveals my disguise
When I look at myself in the mirror, I can see that I am not being true to myself, and I am hiding behind a fake persona.
There's an ocean of faces right in front of me
I am surrounded by a large crowd of people, all different and unknown to me.
And a million miles to go before I sleep
I have a long journey ahead of me before I can rest and find peace.
I'm a drunken butterfly
I feel lost and disoriented, like a butterfly that has lost its way under the influence of alcohol.
All my nightmares refuse to die
My fears are persistent, and they haunt my consciousness like recurrent nightmares.
'Cause I have never ever been so alone
I am experiencing an intense feeling of isolation and detachment from others.
And nothing has ever felt so safe in me, no no
Despite my loneliness, I find comfort in my inner self, as it is the only place where I can be truly myself.
I am wasting time on foolish cinematic dreams
I am spending my time indulging in unrealistic fantasies that have no practical purpose or value.
I see my future running on a broken silver screen
My vision of the future is distorted and flawed, like a movie that is being projected on a damaged screen.
I'm walking on a sunken road
I am moving forward on a path that leads to oblivion and despair.
Waiting for my head to explode
I am overwhelmed by negative thoughts and emotions, and I fear that I may reach a breaking point.
Contributed by Lucas B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rolando H.
simplemente no puedo dejar de escuchar esta canción la amo :'v
René André Lassen
Aldrig har jeg hørt en stemme som kan røre mig så meget som hans, han er fantastisk og ord kan ikke beskrive hvor dygtig han er .
Jeroen Schornagel
Everytime he touches you in the heart.............he is much better live than on the albums.
isabella bonde
Love you Mads !
Berit Drost White
ved ikke om Mads er økologisk.. men han er helt sikkert fantastisk og jeg er som dansker meget stolt!
Renske Westra
THIS IS SOO GOODDD
mettebylow
Det er så imponerende. Mads Langer er en af de dygtigste danske kunstnere nogen sinde efter min mening.
bobby Moctezuma
in mexicali mexico, play your songs. wow
Ekspertelsen
fint fint
Berit Drost White
??