The band was formed in 1991, when Chris Murphy and Andrew Scott met at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) in Halifax. Patrick Pentland and Jay Ferguson joined soon after. In 1992, the band created their own record label, called Murderecords, for themselves and other Halifax area bands, and the outfit released the 'Peppermint EP' (the release also known as just 'Peppermint').
According to Sloan's official website, the band's name refers to a friend's nickname. Their friend, Jason Larsen, was called 'Slow One' by his French-speaking boss, which with the French accent sounded more like 'Sloan'. The original agreement was that they could name the band after their friend's nickname as long as he was on the cover of their first album. As a result, it is Larsen who appears on the cover of the 'Peppermint EP'.
Later in 1992, Sloan released their full-length debut, titled 'Smeared', on Geffen Records. Like many indie rock groups before them, the band found that major label dealings were basically as much trouble as they were worth. In 1994, Geffen did not promote their second album, called 'Twice Removed', due to artistic disputes, although it sold well in Canada. Spin named the album one of the "Best Albums You Didn't Hear" in 1994. A 1996 reader poll by Canadian music magazine Chart! ranked it as the best Canadian album of all time only two years after its release. The same poll in 2000 ranked the album third, behind Joni Mitchell's 'Blue' and Neil Young's 'Harvest', while the 2005 poll once again ranked the album first.
After the release of Twice Removed, the band went on hiatus and were rumoured to have broken up, as they had rejected Geffen's offer for their next album. In 1996, however, they released the widely praised One Chord to Another on their own Murderecords label. Following 1998's Navy Blues album, Sloan released their first live album 4 Nights at the Palais Royale in 1999. Those albums were followed by Between the Bridges in 1999, and Pretty Together in 2001.
Sloan made a concerted effort to break into the US market on their 2003 release Action Pact. Songs were recorded in L.A. with Tom Rothrock producing. The glossier, radio-ready sound failed to raise Sloan's profile in the US, though they continued to be highly popular in Canada.
Sloan's first compilation album A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005, included two new songs, "All Used Up" and "Try to Make It". The Japanese release included two additional new tracks.
Now signed to Yep Roc Records for their US releases, they put out their eighth disc, Never Hear the End of It in 2006. The album contained 30 tracks with all the members of the band contributing new songs. It was met with widespread critical acclaim and became the highest charting Sloan album in the US up to that point.
In 2008, Sloan followed up their longest album with their shortest release Parallel Play.
In November 2009 Sloan added a digital music store to their website. The band released an online-only EP called Hit & Run to promote the store. The EP featured two songs by Chris Murphy, and one by each of the other band members. Murphy's Take It Upon Yourself was released as a free single. In February 2010, the band released another online exclusive, the compilation album B-Sides Win: Extras, Bonus Tracks and B-Sides 1992 - 2008.
In 2013, the band revealed plans for a double album, with each of the four sides featuring a solo suite by a different band member. In May 2014, it was announced that the new album would be titled "Commonwealth" and would be released in September 2014. On July 14, 2014, the band announced the official release date for the album (September 9, which turned out to be accurate) and the release of the album's first single, "Keep Swinging (Downtown)". The album cover portrays the band members as four-of-a-kind kings. The suits of these playing cards correspond to the titles of their solo sides: Jay Ferguson's side is called Diamond, Chris Murphy's is Heart, Patrick Pentland's is Shamrock, and Andrew Scott's is Spade.
Had Enough
Sloan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ever since you started to doubt me
When I said that I love you
So when push came to shove you went away
I don't think that you were mistaken
Any more than I think I was God forsaken
I was under the weather
But I knew you would
You always did
But if you ever auction off your love
I'd make the highest bid
But you were not for sale
You've often said
You'd rather be alone than settle for me
'Cause you've
Had enough
Enough of this
You'd rather steel yourself with solitude
Than have me steal a kiss
You don't even look back with fondness any more
I think you even took back your letters
First you stop reminiscing
Now my memories are missing
But I need them back
If I can't have you
I need at least a photo album's
Worth of pictures all of you
Oooo and each is worth
A thousand words
That showed the life that I preferred
Before you finally
Had enough
Enough of me
You'd rather be alone apparently
Because you
Had enough
Of this song and dance
You'd rather give me two weeks notice
Than to give me one more chance
I don't know if you think about me
But I sure think about you
'Cause I'm lonesome without you
But I know you know
The song "Had Enough" by Sloan is a reflection of a failed relationship. The singer expresses his thoughts and feelings about how his partner has left him because she has had enough of him. He does not blame her for it, but he talks about how he misses her and would like to have a photo album of memories to hold on to. The lyrics are poignant and honest, as they convey the raw emotions of heartbreak and desperation.
The opening lines, "I don't know if you'll think about me much today, Ever since you started to doubt me," indicate that the singer understands that he is not on his partner's mind anymore. He recognizes that the relationship has broken down because he said that he loved her, and she did not believe him. The lines, "When I said that I love you, So when push came to shove you went away," show that his partner left him when he needed her the most.
The chorus, "You'd rather steel yourself with solitude than have me steal a kiss," talks about how the partner is wary of him and does not want to be with him. She has taken back her letters, and memories of him no longer bring her fondness. Thus, the singer is left with a feeling of loneliness and a desperate need for his partner's presence. The song ends with the singer acknowledging that he misses her and wants her back in his life.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know if you'll think about me much today
I am unsure if you will remember me today
Ever since you started to doubt me
You began losing faith in me
When I said that I love you
I expressed my love for you
So when push came to shove you went away
You left me when things got hard
I don't think that you were mistaken
I don't believe that you were wrong
Any more than I think I was God forsaken
I don't think I was abandoned by God either
I was under the weather
I wasn't feeling well
When you got it together
While you pulled yourself together
But I knew you would
But I was aware you would
You always did
You always came through
But if you ever auction off your love
If you ever sell your love
I'd make the highest bid
I would pay the most
But you were not for sale
But you refused to sell yourself
You'd rather be alone than settle for me
You'd rather be single than be with me
'Cause you've had enough
Because you reached your limit
Enough of this
You have had enough of this relationship
You'd rather steel yourself with solitude
You'd rather be alone
Than have me steal a kiss
Than have me force a kiss on you
You don't even look back with fondness any more
You no longer reminisce happily about us
I think you even took back your letters
I believe you even took back your love letters to me
First you stopped reminiscing
At first, you stopped thinking about our past
Now my memories are missing
Now I am losing my memories of you
But I need them back
But I want those memories back
If I can't have you
If I can't be with you
I need at least a photo album's worth of pictures all of you
I want a collection of your pictures
Oooo and each is worth
Each picture is valuable
A thousand words
Tells a story of a thousand words
That showed the life that I preferred
That depicts the life I wished we had
Before you finally had enough
Before you've eventually had more than you could take
Enough of me
Had enough of me and our relationship
You'd rather be alone apparently
You prefer being alone, it seems
Because you had enough
Because you've reached your limit
Of this song and dance
Of this repeated, familiar pattern
You'd rather give me two weeks notice
You'd rather break up with me by giving me notice
Than to give me one more chance
Than giving me another opportunity to fix things
I don't know if you think about me
I'm unaware of your thoughts of me
But I sure think about you
But I do think of you
'Cause I'm lonesome without you
Because I feel lonely without you
But I know you know
But I'm sure you're aware
Contributed by Noah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Thelma
on Everything You've Done Wrong
Thelma I like the title