In the summer of 1991, Niklas had his first interaction with Red Sleeping Beauty, then a duo with a 6-track cassette demo as its only proof of existence, when he showed signs of similar taste in t-shirts (Sarah Records) as Kristina at a Swedish pop festival. Hence, after his moving to Stockholm, RSB transformed into a trio, and began to write more up-tempo and up-feeling songs.
In order to secure proper bass playing and a full live line-up, Carl-Johan joined after the recording of Pop Sounds (interested people can try and hear the extremely low-mixed bass played by Kristina on Christmas). Soon after, the band headed for minor stardom with a series of releases on a variety of labels covering the majority of countries in the world. But with the break-up of the secret indie couple, i.e. Mikael and Kristina, along with the fact that the band had been around for almost a decade, Red Sleeping Beauty decided to do a Björn Borg - ending their career when at the top in 1997.
They decided to reform in 2013, recording a new full length album released in 2016. The first fruits of this reformation was a new single, released on US indie Shelflife in September 2015, called Always. Their full length comeback album Kristina was released on Swedish indie, Labrador in June 2016.
Selfish
Red Sleeping Beauty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you can understand
I'm not sure that you would hear
Anything i say anyhow
I wonder why you don't know
When it's time to stop
Thinking of yourself
The only words you want to hear
Are your own
Are your own
And the only truth that suits you
Is the one that you care for
Have you ever tried to listen
To somebody else than yourself?
I don't think so
I don't think so
Since you've been so busy with yourself
The only words you want to hear
Are your own
Are your own
And the only truth that suits you
Is the one that you care for
The lyrics of Red Sleeping Beauty's song Selfish speaks of frustration towards a person who only thinks of themselves and isn't capable of listening to others. The singer struggles to find the right way to communicate with the listener because every word they say falls on deaf ears. The person being addressed only wants to hear their own voice and is only interested in truths that align with their own beliefs. It's frustrating for the singer that the person they are addressing is closed off to other ideas and other perspectives.
The singer asks a poignant question, have you ever tried to listen to somebody else than yourself? They doubt that this person has ever even considered that there might be value in other people's perspectives. Self-absorption and tunnel vision have left no room in the person's life for other people's opinions, and it's frustrating for the singer because the relationship feels like a one-way street. The person being addressed is only concerned with their own wants and needs that they don't even notice how it's affecting those around them.
In summary, Red Sleeping Beauty's Selfish is a song about communication breakdown and the frustration with self-centeredness. The singer is at a loss on how to make the listener see beyond themselves, and it creates a sense of disillusionment.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know how to put this into words
I am struggling to articulate my thoughts and feelings
That you can understand
In a way that would resonate with you
I'm not sure that you would hear
I doubt you would truly listen
Anything I say anyhow
Regardless, anything I say would be dismissed
I wonder why you don't know
I am curious as to why you lack self-awareness
When it's time to stop
The appropriate time to cease your actions
Thinking of yourself
Being consumed with your own needs and desires
Since you've been so busy with yourself
Due to your self-centeredness and preoccupation with your own life
The only words you want to hear
The only words that satisfy you are ones spoken by yourself
Are your own
That come from your own mouth
And the only truth that suits you
The only truth that you accept and believe
Is the one that you care for
Coincides with your own desires and needs
Have you ever tried to listen
Have you made an effort to truly hear someone else
To somebody else than yourself?
To someone other than your own voice
I don't think so
I doubt that you have
And the only truth that suits you
The only truth that you accept and believe
Is the one that you care for
Coincides with your own desires and needs
Contributed by Parker S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.