The first record, ''Walking Home From Nicole's'', was released one year later with significant help from singer/songwriter Karen Jo Fields.
In November 2001 the band saw the addition of guitarist Jon Arild Stieng and the duo went on tour for the first time in the spring of 2002. Berczelly left the band and concentrated full-time on producing, which he has done for the band ever since.
The band's next album ''If I Told You'', ''You Were Beautiful'' was recorded in Stieng's house in Oslo that same summer, and was released in October. For the upcoming tour of spring 2003 keyboardist Harald Sommerstad joined, and the band was now a trio.
Prior to the Norwegian Quart-festivalen the same year, the band was extended further by drummer Halvor Høgh Winsnes (Fast Winston Doom of Thulsa Doom) and bassist Henrik Widerøe. The band was complete and in the late summer "Up For You & I" was recorded at Sommerstad's cabin near Halden in the south of Norway. The album was released in January 2004, and was an immediate success, boasting 24 weeks on the official Norwegian albums chart, a gold record and numerous price award nominations for best Norwegian pop album of the year.
After the following tour of more than 100 gigs both nationally and abroad (France, Switzerland and Germany), the band spent the greater part of 2005 in Berczelly's studio, and released their fourth album 'Reasons To Hang Around' in January 2006. For it, they were awarded the Norwegian Grammy equivalent Spellemannsprisen.
2007 saw the release of 'Candy Store', a compilation featuring 2 discs, the first one containing a selection of the band's favourites and the second one containing previously unreleased material. After the release of the album, the band embarked on a Norwegian tour in September, followed by tours of Germany, France and Switzerland during the first four months of 2008.
In 2009 the band released 'Either Way I Think You Know'. The music featured on this album has been compared to the works of Tindersticks and Midlake. After touring to promote the album, Minor Majority went on hiatus.
Leader Pål Angelskår decided to focus on his solo career and released 2 albums in 2012 and 2015.
Minor Majority returned with their first album in 10 years in 2019 entitled 'Napkin Poetry'.
It was followed by 'The Universe Would Have to Adjust' in 2021, the band's seventh studio album.
Pål Angelskår : vocals, guitar
Jon Arild Stieng : guitars, vocal
Harald Sommerstad : keys
Henrik Harr Widerøe : bass, banjo, vocals
Halvor Høgh Winsnes : drums
Walking Home From Nicole's - 2001
If I Told You, You Were Beautiful - 2002
Up For You & I - 2004
Reasons to Hang Around - 2006
Candy Store - 2007
Either Way I Think You Know 2009
Napkin Poetry 2019
The Universe Would Have to Adjust 2021
You Were Saying
Minor Majority Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That everytime you fail to make a difference
You make this promise to yourself
To stop your craving
For being what they want, and stop behaving
Like you're something you are not
Coz' I can't carry your weight
You were saying,
That you are running out of good excuses
So you found a place to hide beneath your blanket
You stayed there for a while, you tossed your phone right out the window
Like a quiet little lie
And I can't carry your weight
I can't carry your weight
It's what you do, not what you're going through - that counts.
I was thinking
That when you could find the time,
We should go out drinking
We could dance all through the night,
or we could play old albums
just to see if they still match our expectations
or the ones we used to hear
But I can't carry your weight
I can't carry your weight.
It's what you do, not what they put you through - that counts.
-instrumental pause-
I can't carry your weight
I can't carry your weight
I can't carry your weight
I can't carry your weight
It's what you do, not what you're going through - that counts.
The lyrics to Minor Majority's song "You Were Saying" explore the theme of individuality and resisting the pressure to conform to societal expectations. The singer is having a conversation with someone who is struggling to make a difference and is constantly making promises to themselves to stop trying to fit in and be something that they are not. The singer acknowledges that they cannot carry the weight of the other person's struggles and choices. There is a sense of frustration and helplessness in the lyrics, as the singer is unable to provide solutions to the other person's problems.
The chorus of the song contains the repeated phrase "It's what you do, not what you're going through - that counts." This suggests that the singer believes that one's actions and choices are more important than the difficulties they may be facing. The instrumental pause in the middle of the song allows for reflection and emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and evaluation. The final repetition of "I can't carry your weight" is a poignant reminder that everyone must take ownership of their own choices and journey.
Overall, "You Were Saying" is a powerful and introspective song that encourages listeners to embrace their unique identity and not give in to societal pressures to conform. The lyrics emphasize the importance of individual agency and responsibility in shaping one's own destiny.
Line by Line Meaning
You were saying
You were expressing something to me
That everytime you fail to make a difference
You feel like you are not making a difference and it happens often
You make this promise to yourself
You promise yourself something after feeling this way
To stop your craving
To stop wanting something that others want from you
For being what they want, and stop behaving
To stop trying to be what others want from you and how they want you to act
Like you're something you are not
Like you are pretending or not being yourself
Coz' I can't carry your weight
Because I cannot handle the burden of what you are carrying
You were saying,
You were telling me something else
That you are running out of good excuses
You are struggling to justify your actions
So you found a place to hide beneath your blanket
You found a place to hide and avoid things
You stayed there for a while, you tossed your phone right out the window
You secluded yourself and disconnected from the outside world
Like a quiet little lie
Like a small, silent untruth
And I can't carry your weight
And I am unable to handle what you are going through
It's what you do, not what you're going through - that counts.
What is important is not what you are going through, but how you respond and act
I was thinking
I had a thought
That when you could find the time, We should go out drinking
That we should make plans to socialize and enjoy ourselves
We could dance all through the night, or we could play old albums just to see if they still match our expectations, or the ones we used to hear
We can spend time enjoying music and dancing
But I can't carry your weight
But I cannot take on what you are dealing with
It's what you do, not what they put you through - that counts.
What is significant is not what you are going through as a result of others, but how you act and what you do
-instrumental pause-
Moment of silence with only instrumental music playing
I can't carry your weight
I am unable to bear the weight of your struggles
I can't carry your weight
I am incapable of dealing with what you are facing
I can't carry your weight
I am not strong enough to shoulder your burden
I can't carry your weight
I am unable to support you in the way you need
It's what you do, not what you're going through - that counts.
What truly matters is how you act in response to your situation, not what you are going through
Writer(s): Pal Angelskar Copyright: Edition Ingram, Hanseatic Musikverlag Gmbh & Co. Kg, Ingram Edition
Contributed by Oliver A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.