Landing their first record deal with Twin/Tone in 1984, Soul Asylum recorded a total of four albums for the local label: Say What You Will... Everything Can Happen in 1984 (later reissued as Say What You Will, Clarence... Karl Sold the Truck), Made To Be Broken in 1986, While You Were Out in 1986, and the EP Clam Dip and Other Delights in 1988. The band then switched to A&M, releasing Hang Time in 1988 and And the Horse They Rode In On in 1990 under that label. Although they enjoyed some success as a live band, Soul Asylum suffered from low album sales and considered disbanding.
In 1992, they signed with Columbia Records to produce Grave Dancers Union, a record that would come to transform them from underground college rockers to international superstars. The first two singles off the album, Somebody To Shove and Black Gold, both came in at high positions at the Modern Rock and Album Rock charts, but it was the album's third track and it's video of missing teens that led them to their major breakthrough. Runaway Train peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, raised album sales to double-platinum level, and won Soul Asylum the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1994.
In 1995, Soul Asylum followed up the success of Grave Dancers Union with Let Your Dim Light Shine, which climbed to #6 on the Billboard 200 and featured the #1 Modern Rock track Misery. After releasing Candy From A Stranger in 1998, the band members took a break from recording and didn't release a new studio album for the better part of seven years. During the interim singer Dave Pirner released a solo album and Dan Murphy toured and recorded with Golden Smog.
They reunited in 2004 to record their ninth full-length album, The Silver Lining, brought together by the news of Mueller being diagnosed with throat cancer. Up until this point, Soul Asylum had always included Murphy, Mueller, and Pirner, despite several line-up changes. This changed on June 17th, 2005, when Mueller passed away after finishing his work on several tracks on the new album. The Silver Lining was released in 2006 and dedicated to Karl Mueller's life and memory, with Murphy expressing that, "For me, this record is Karl."
In late 2005, ex-Replacements bassist (and current Guns N' Roses bassist) Tommy Stinson and former Prince drummer Michael Bland joined Soul Asylum in tribute to the late Karl Mueller. They completed their American tour in support of The Silver Lining in late 2006. In November and December 2006 they opened for Cheap Trick on their American tour. On March 10th, 2007, Soul Asylum joined Cyndi Lauper, Mint Condition, and Lifehouse to hold a concert to benefit Wain McFarlane, the leader of the legendary reggae band Ipso Facto, to help pay for the expenses of a kidney transplant.
http://www.soulasylum.com
Cruel Intentions
Soul Asylum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too few to mention, but not too hard to see
Crude inventions and mysterious schemes
I need prevention now
Do you see that it's true
All you care about is you
And maybe that's cruel
So, save your cruel intentions for somebody other than me
Sweet pretentions, so cute and in style
Sales potential, yes I'd walk a mile
Unholy places and so much to see
I need a replacement now
Do you see that it's true
Your whole world spins around you
And maybe that's cruel
So, save your cruel intentions for somebody other than me
Cruel intentions, harbored for thee
Too few to mention, but do you see that it's true
Your whole world spins around you
Maybe that's cruel
So, save your cruel intentions for somebody other than me
So, save your cruel intentions for somebody other than me
The lyrics in Soul Asylum's song Cruel Intentions speak to the singer's realization that their partner's intentions are not pure and that he needs to distance himself from the relationship. The lyrics suggest that the partner's intentions are cruel and that the singer has just become aware of their true nature. The lines "all you care about is you" and "your whole world spins around you" emphasize the selfishness of the partner's behavior.
The song also highlights the stark contrast between the sweet pretensions and the dark intentions of the partner. The partner may appear charming and gracious on the surface, but their underlying motive may be harmful and destructive. The line "sales potential, yes I'd walk a mile" suggests that the singer has been lured into the relationship by the partner's charm and potential rewards, but now recognizes that it is not worth the cost of staying in the relationship.
Overall, the lyrics in Cruel Intentions express the singer's recognition of the partner's deceitful intentions and the need to "save your cruel intentions for somebody other than me." It is a plea to end the relationship and avoid further pain and heartache.
Line by Line Meaning
Cruel intentions, harbored for thee
The singer believes someone has sinister intentions towards them
Too few to mention, but not too hard to see
The signs of these intentions are subtle, but still noticeable
Crude inventions and mysterious schemes
The person's intentions involve unsophisticated and obscure plans
I need prevention now
The artist wants to protect themselves from the other person's harmful intentions
Do you see that it's true
The artist is questioning if the other person realizes their behavior is hurtful
All you care about is you
The singer believes the other person is selfish and lacks empathy
And maybe that's cruel
The singer acknowledges that calling the other person cruel may be unfair but feels it's necessary
So, save your cruel intentions for somebody other than me
The artist is telling the other person to direct their negative intentions towards somebody else
Sweet pretentions, so cute and in style
The other person may put on a facade of being kind and fashionable
Sales potential, yes I'd walk a mile
The artist acknowledges that the other person may have qualities that make them desirable, but they still don't want to be a target of their malice
Unholy places and so much to see
The other person may engage in immoral activities and have a lot to experience because of it
I need a replacement now
The artist wants to find someone else to fill the void left by the other person's negative influence
Do you see that it's true
The singer is repeating their earlier question to the other person
Your whole world spins around you
The singer believes the other person is self-centered and only cares about themselves
And maybe that's cruel
The singer is acknowledging the possibility that their own view of the other person may be biased
So, save your cruel intentions for somebody other than me
The artist is repeating their earlier plea to the other person
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID PIRNER, DAVID ANTHONY PIRNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind