The roots of Mando Diao date back to 1995 when Björn Dixgård was a member of a band called Butler. Band members came and went; four years later, the remaining line-up chose to proceed more seriously in their musical efforts. Björn Dixgård and Gustaf Norén locked themselves up in a summer house and spent six months writing songs. The now-renamed band, along with Samuel Giers and Carl-Johan Fogelklou, made their first public performances in the clubs of their hometown Borlänge in 1999. A local writer described them in an article as the best unsigned band he had ever seen. This was soon followed by a record deal with EMI Sweden. In 2002 their first album Bring 'em In was released in Sweden. It contains early demo versions of their songs, partly recorded in the basement of keyboarder Daniel Haglund who left the band later in 2003. In 2003 the album was released internationally, along with their debut single Sheepdog. In 2004, Mats Bjorke officially joined the band to replace Haglund's departure. In the same year, the band is hailed enthusiastically by the music press as one of the most sanguine newcomer bands of the year. The album Hurricane Bar was released in 2005. Their third album, released in Europe and Japan in September, 2006 is called Ode To Ochrasy, which the band say has a "darker" feel, and features the single Long Before Rock 'n' Roll. To promote the release of the album, the band toured Germany, supported by Razorlight and Johnossi. They also supported Dirty pretty things on their tour in England. The album was a big success and they won many prizes in their home country Sweden. Ode To Ochrasy was released in spring 2007 in US and Mando Diao toured the US to promote it.
The band released a new album titled "Never Seen The Light Of Day" on October 24th 2007.
The band supported The Bravery on their 2005 tour, along with Los Angeles band The Colour.
Their songs Down in the Past and The Wildfire (If It Was True) feature on the EA Sports games NHL 2006 and NHL 08 respectively, whilst God Knows features on FIFA 06.
www.mandodiao.com
Song for Aberdeen
Mando Diao Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With too much makeup round her eyes
And I never knew her real name
She was sunbeam wrapped in lies
But I love her and I'm sorry
And that's all there is to say
It's like a fairy from the ancient time
And I hope it, I hope it stays that way
And when I woke up on your kitchen floor
With a headache made in hell
And the flowers that I gave you
Smiled at me from the window pane
Then I thought I must be crazy
Cause I'm feeling kinda good
And then when Satan helped me up again
It was then I, it was then I understood
Well I was never meant to be a good boy
I was never meant to go to school
Well it's guys like me who get somewhere
Cause everybody pitty a fool
Now it's payback for the rainy days
Now it's no more me and you
Well I got mine, you got yours babe
Now it's payback
Now it's me against the world
It was the last time I forgave you
The lyrics to Mando Diao's "Song for Aberdeen" tell the story of a complicated relationship. The singer describes his lover as an alcoholic artist with a chaotic lifestyle. Despite her flaws, he loves her and apologizes for any mistakes he might have made. He likens her to a fairy from an ancient time and hopes that the enchantment of their relationship remains.
The lyrics then shift to a scene of the singer waking up on the kitchen floor after a wild night. He sees flowers he gave to his lover smiling at him from the window, and he feels surprisingly good despite the headache. He realizes that he was never meant to be a good boy or go to school, but that's why he's the one who gets ahead in life.
The final lines of the song reveal that this forgiveness he speaks of is the last time he will give it, implying that this unstable relationship has come to an end.
The lyrics of "Song for Aberdeen" tell a story of love and chaos, with a touch of nostalgia for a relationship that may never work out.
Line by Line Meaning
She was an alcoholic artist
The woman was an artist who had an addiction to alcohol
With too much makeup round her eyes
She used a lot of makeup around her eyes
And I never knew her real name
The singer did not know the woman's real name
She was sunbeam wrapped in lies
The woman was like a ray of sunshine covered in deceit
But I love her and I'm sorry
The artist loves the woman and is apologizing for something
And that's all there is to say
There is nothing more to say about the situation
It's like a fairy from the ancient time
The woman is like a fairy from ancient times
And I hope it, I hope it stays that way
The artist hopes that the woman will remain that way
And when I woke up on your kitchen floor
The artist woke up on the woman's kitchen floor
With a headache made in hell
The artist had a terrible headache
And the flowers that I gave you
The woman had received flowers from the singer
Smiled at me from the window pane
The flowers were displayed in the window and seemed to be smiling at the artist
Then I thought I must be crazy
The singer began to question his own sanity
Cause I'm feeling kinda good
Despite the headache, the singer was feeling good
And then when Satan helped me up again
The singer describes someone as Satan helping him up from the floor
It was then I, it was then I understood
At that moment, the artist understood something important
Well I was never meant to be a good boy
The artist did not intend to be a good person
I was never meant to go to school
The singer never thought he would go to school
Well it's guys like me who get somewhere
The singer believes that people like him achieve success
Cause everybody pitty a fool
The artist suggests that people feel sorry for fools
Now it's payback for the rainy days
The artist is getting revenge for the difficult times he has faced
Now it's no more me and you
The relationship between the artist and the woman is over
Well I got mine, you got yours babe
The singer and the woman have each gotten what they deserved
Now it's payback
The artist is seeking revenge
Now it's me against the world
The singer feels like he is on his own and must fight against everything
It was the last time I forgave you
The singer will no longer forgive the woman
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BJORN DIXGARD, GUSTAF NOREN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind