After gaining a following as a popular live act on college campuses, the band has gained popular success since signing to Lava Records in 2005, with their singles "Love and Memories" and "Shattered (Turn the Car Around)" gaining mainstream radio airplay. Speaking with Songfacts in an interview, Roberge explained "Love and Memories" was inspired by the Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet movie, The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
The members of O.A.R. first came together in Rockville, Maryland in the basement of drummer Chris Culos' childhood home in 1996. As a young group of musicians, they were the prototype of the modern, self-starting band--taking charge of their fate by working the internet and building an identifiable sound. The band’s music, a rock/reggae fusion, consisted of songs that were fully accessible, yet teasingly elusive. Attracting fans all across the country, the band members toured relentlessly, pushing their album sales through boundless dedication and word-of-mouth appeal, never waiting for the industry to catch up. O.A.R. owes much of their success to piracy and Napster, the mp3 sharing engine. Around 2000, O.A.R.'s popularity greatly increased among college students because their song "Crazy Game of Poker" was a huge hit on Napster.
By the time the band had reached their 10 year anniversary together, they had sold over 1.2 million albums and performed in front of over 1 million people. Their studio record, Stories of a Stranger, produced radio favorites “Love and Memories” and “Heard the World” as well as mtvU’s Most Downloaded Video of 2006, “Lay Down.” The band followed up the successful release with a live double disc CD and DVD set, Live From Madison Square Garden, recorded during the band’s second sold-out performance at the prestigious arena.
Early in 2008, the band members holed themselves up in a studio in Los Angeles to work on their next project, All Sides. The album was released on July 15th.
The Heaven Songfacts reports that the first single from O.A.R.'s seventh studio album, King was released on June 7, 2011 on Wind-Up Records.
. For more information about O.A.R., go to www.ofarevolution.com.
Ladanday
O.A.R. Lyrics
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Northern wind blowin through his hair
Now Peter never took the time to stop
He just stood out there and stared
I said but Peter didn't care bout the air down there
He was lookin right at the sun
The sun said son don't ya come around here
Hey
Now Peter he never cried too much
He just looked out toward the west
He was dreamin of a land that was way over there
And dreamin of what comes next
But Peter didn't care bout the air down there
He was lookin right out at the sun
And the sun said son come around here
So Peter started to run
He said ladandandandandandandanday (2x)
Now Peter started walkin down the mountain
Just runnin out toward the West
It was slippery like the water from a fountain
And Peter though that was best
Cause he slid down there to the town over there
And people just started to cry
But Peter didn't care about the air
And Peter was never shy
Ladanday (4x)
BRIDGE
Now he sang out loud to a unified crowd
Singing something bout he thought he was
But the crowd didn't care bout the air up there
And Peter wasn't nothin but nothin
But Peter didn't care he just looked over there
And the crowd was smilin back
He was singin to his heart and praying to his soul
That they would ask hime back
Ladandandandandandandanday (2x)
Now Peter
Was lookin round to the back
Mountainside slipped from under his feet
He didn't really care bout the air down there
He just looked out at the sun
The sun said son don't ya come around here
So Peter then began to run
He said ladandandandandanday (4x)
The O.A.R. song "Ladanday" tells the story of a man named Peter who sits atop a mountain, looking out at the world and dreaming of a land that is "way over there." Despite the cold Northern wind blowing through his hair and the warning from the sun not to come near, Peter runs down the mountain to a nearby town. Even though the people there start to cry and the mountainside slips from under his feet, Peter continues to sing and pray to his soul for a chance to be asked back.
At its core, "Ladanday" is a song about pursuing your dreams and not being afraid to take risks. Peter chooses to ignore the warnings of the sun and runs towards his dream despite the risks involved. The song encourages listeners to be like Peter and pursue their dreams, even if the journey is challenging and the end result is uncertain.
The lyrics use repetition in several ways, repeating the phrase "Peter didn't care about the air down there" and the nonsense word "ladanday" throughout the song. The use of these repetitive phrases and sounds adds to the dreamlike quality of the lyrics, creating a sense of otherworldliness and unreality.
Line by Line Meaning
Now Peter sat on the mountaintop
Peter was sitting atop a mountain.
Northern wind blowin through his hair
The wind from the north was blowing through Peter’s hair.
Now Peter never took the time to stop
Peter did not pause from his activities.
He just stood out there and stared
Peter just stood outside and looked around.
I said but Peter didn't care bout the air down there
Peter did not care about the air quality in the valley.
He was lookin right at the sun
Peter was staring at the sun intensely.
The sun said son don't ya come around here
The sun warned Peter not to come near.
And Peter then began to run
Peter started running afterward.
Hey
A word yelled out as an interjection.
Now Peter he never cried too much
Peter didn’t cry very often.
He just looked out toward the west
Peter was looking toward the western portion.
He was dreamin of a land that was way over there
Peter was envisioning a place far away.
And dreamin of what comes next
Peter was daydreaming about what was going to happen next.
He said ladandandandandandandanday (2x)
Peter mentioned the phrase 'ladandandandandandandanday' twice.
Now Peter started walkin down the mountain
Peter began to descend the mountain.
Just runnin out toward the West
Peter was running hurriedly towards the West.
It was slippery like the water from a fountain
The surface was slick like water from a fountain.
And Peter though that was best
Peter believed this was his best option.
Cause he slid down there to the town over there
Peter succeeded in sliding to the town nearby.
And people just started to cry
The people in the town began to cry.
But Peter didn't care about the air
Peter didn’t care about the air quality.
And Peter was never shy
Peter was never timid.
Ladanday (4x)
Peter repeatedly exclaimed the phrase 'ladanday' four times.
Now he sang out loud to a unified crowd
Peter sang loudly to a cohesive group of individuals.
Singing something bout he thought he was
Peter sang something about who he thought he was.
But the crowd didn't care bout the air up there
The audience wasn’t concerned about the quality of the air above them.
And Peter wasn't nothin but nothin
Peter was nothing more than nothing.
But Peter didn't care he just looked over there
Peter did not care; he just looked over there.
And the crowd was smilin back
The crowd smiled back at Peter.
He was singin to his heart and praying to his soul
Peter sang to his heart and prayed to his soul.
That they would ask hime back
He hoped that they would ask him back to perform again.
Now Peter was lookin round to the back
Peter looked around to the back.
Mountainside slipped from under his feet
The mountainside shifted from beneath Peter’s feet.
He didn't really care bout the air down there
Peter did not care about the air quality in the valley.
He just looked out at the sun
Peter gazed longingly at the sun.
The sun said son don't ya come around here
The sun warned Peter to stay away.
So Peter then began to run
Peter started to sprint immediately afterward again.
He said ladandandandandanday (4x)
Peter exclaimed the phrase 'ladandandandandanday' four times.
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