PRIDEBOWL’s vocalist Aaron left for home on December 29:th. Just before PRIDEBOWL split up many labels received a demo-tape. Lost & Found Records from Germany was soon to take interest and promised a seven-inch of the PRIDEBOWL demo and scattered exposure. This never happened though and Lost and Found had once again proved that they can never be trusted.
Through Satanic Surfers (who Pridebowl had played with just before Christmas) a demo found its way to the Bad Taste headquarters where everyone was very impressed with this young quintet. In March Aaron was flown back to Sweden to start rehearsing and later on recording the first Pridebowl EP “Long-Distance” (btr 4).
The sound of PRIDEBOWL can be said to be speedy, melodic punk-rock with serious, explosive lyrics and catchy rhythms. PRIDEBOWL simply means to roll with your pride, no matter what tries to bring you down. Basically, ”keep your chin up, the bad never lasts as long as the good” and ”value yourself or no one else will.”
A number of compilations and surf/bodyboarding videos followed and in January –96 the band was back in the studio again. This time they recorded at Studio Underground (where Satanic Surfers and No Fun At All had previously recorded) and the 12 tracks were released as “Dripping of the Past” late February the same year. This was followed by a CD-single in March and a video of the title track, “The Soft Song” in May. The video was shot by Apollon Bild & Film who had previously made videos by Millencolin, Roxette and E-Type to name but a few.
In June/July PRIDEBOWL played nine shows in California with bands like Strung Out, Good Riddance, Diesel Boy, Home Grown and Falling Sickness. In September/October they’re toured Sweden with Adhesive followed by Europe in February together with labelmates Intensity and Astream. Before leaving on this tour though they once again went to Västerås to record their second full length, “Where You Put Your Trust”, an album that still stands out as one of the best Swedish punk releases ever! The sales of the album quickly exceeded “Drippings…” and it was also licensed to Shock Records in Australia.
In the last week of March the band embarked on the first (and only) Canadian tour. It was the third annual Sno Jam tour and Pridebowl played approx. a dozen amazing shows together with Snfu, Good Riddance, Satanic Surfers & Diesel Boy. People went crazy when Pridebowl played and Canada has ever since been one of Pridebowl’s strongest territories.
During the remainder of the spring Pridebowl played a few shows in Sweden on their own or supporting bigger bands such as the Misfits for example. Late June they went out on a one week tour, playing three shows in France, a skate festival in Italy and a couple of shows in Belgium. Summer ended with them performing at a festival in Emmaboda.
Henrik and Stefan quit the band shortly hereafter and Patrik and Mattias took their places. The first recording they did together was in September when six tracks where recorded at the studio in Varberg, Recordia. Three of these tracks ended up the Adhesive split “No Better, No Worse” released in November –97 and the other three are available on the final album “Yesterday’s End”.
In October they went on a full European tour together with Turtlehead and this was immediately followed by a tour of Asia and Australia in Nov/Dec! The first show was in Hong Kong and the band went from here up to Beijing where another couple of shows were played. After touring China (as the first foreign punk band ever) and basically risking their lives considering the contents of their lyrics, they played four shows in Japan and then flew over to Australia for the last two weeks on this tour. In Australia they played with Frenzal Rhomb which is one of the biggest punk bands around attracting up to 5 thousand (people) at their shows!! Needless to say, Pridebowl played some incredible shows!
They returned from Australia at the end of 1997 and when Aaron went to the US for a month in January, the other members more or less decided to put an end to the band. Things had gotten worse and worse between them during the different tours and they all felt (Aaron included) that they couldn’t go on anymore. Three final songs were recorded before Aaron went back to the U.S. for good and “Yesterday’s End” (containing mostly unreleased, but also some out of print material) was released late September this year and can be seen as the band’s farewell album to all their fans.
You
Pridebowl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
it's the most beautiful place in the whole fuckin' world
it's made of candy canes and planes
and bright, red choo choo trains
and the meanest little boys
most innocent little girls
and you know, I wish that I could go there
it's a road that I have not found
drop a card or letter to my side of town
'cause there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend
but baby I'm amazed at the hate that you can send
and you
painted my entire world
but I
don't have the turpentine to clean what you have soiled
and I won't forget it
there's a place where everyone can be right
even though you remain determined to be opposed
admittance requires no qualifications
it's where everyone has been and where everybody goes
so please try not to be impatient
for we all hate standing in line
and when the farm is good and bought
you'll be there without a thought
and eternity my friend, is a long fuckin' time
'cause there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend
but baby I'm amazed at the hate that you can send
and you
painted my entire world
but I
don't have the turpentine to clean what you have soiled
and I won't forget it
The song "You" by Pridebowl is a thought-provoking composition that talks about two places. The first place is a utopia where everyone can be happy, and it's full of colorful and enjoyable things such as candy canes, planes, bright red choo choo trains, and innocent boys and girls. The singer talks about how he wishes he could find this place but hasn't yet. He encourages the listener to visit him at his side of town, but he is still searching for this place of happiness.
The second place is about people being right and accepted without having any qualifications, and it's a place where everyone has gone and will go eventually. The singer urges patience with waiting in the line for admission, and when the farm is good, you'll be there without a thought. Eternity, he says, is a long time, so there's no need to fuss and fight over things that don't matter.
The chorus emphasizes the futility of hate and its effects on relationships. The singer acknowledges the hate sent his way but is amazed at the intensity of it. He compares his world to a painting that has been marred by the other person's actions and says he doesn't have the means to clean it. He won't forget the hurt caused, but he doesn't want to fight about it because there's no time for that.
Line by Line Meaning
here's a place where everyone can be happy
There exists a hypothetical place where all people can find happiness.
it's the most beautiful place in the whole fuckin' world
In this imaginary world, every aspect is perfect and pleasing to behold.
it's made of candy canes and planes
The components of this delightful place are childlike and fantastical.
and bright, red choo choo trains
The objects in this place are colorful and whimsical.
and the meanest little boys most innocent little girls
Even those who are typically mischievous are innocent in this idealized place.
and you know, I wish that I could go there
The singer desires to escape to this utopia.
it's a road that I have not found
The path to this paradise is unknown or inaccessible to the singer.
and I wish you the best of luck dear, drop a card or letter to my side of town
The artist hopes a friend will find this place and communicate about it, even though it may be difficult to do so.
'cause there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend
Life is too short to argue with others.
but baby I'm amazed at the hate that you can send
Despite the shortness of life, the artist is surprised by how much hatred the other person can express.
and you painted my entire world
The other person's actions have greatly impacted the singer's life.
but I don't have the turpentine to clean what you have soiled
The damage caused by the other person is irreparable and cannot be undone.
and I won't forget it
The singer will always remember what the other person has done.
there's a place where everyone can be right
In this imagined world, everyone's opinions and beliefs are recognized as valid.
even though you remain determined to be opposed
Despite this inclusivity, some individuals may still choose to be contradictory or difficult.
admittance requires no qualifications
In this imagined world, anyone can enter and belong.
it's where everyone has been and where everybody goes
This utopia is a destination for all and a shared experience.
so please try not to be impatient for we all hate standing in line
While the singer acknowledges that this ideal world may be difficult to reach, impatience will not help the situation.
and when the farm is good and bought you'll be there without a thought
Once someone has secured their livelihood, they will be free to enter this ideal world without hesitation.
and eternity my friend, is a long fuckin' time
This utopia, once reached, will be a permanent and never-ending experience.
Writer(s): Troy Verges, Stephen Edward Huff, Linda Mccrary, Alfred Mccrary, Myron Lavell Avant, Sam Mccrary, Eric D. Dawkins, Brett Gurewitz Copyright: Songs Of Polygram Int. Inc., Grindtime Publishing, Songs Of Universal Inc., E.D. Duz-it Music, Tuff Huff Music, Irving Music Inc., Universal Music - Z Songs, Underdog East Songs, Westbeach Music
Contributed by Carson V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.