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.
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FREAKS
Soul Asylum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Guts start spillin'
It's piece of a puzzle
Piece of a trouble
Is it somethin' else?
You're sellin' yourself
I'm so wanting
Without a clue
Something better to do
Something so exciting
I'm into something new
You piece together the whole thing
Gives you something to use
Maybe I should practice it one more time
Maybe I'm afraid what it might do
Maybe it might upset someone
Maybe that's what its supposed to do
Pull it from the bottom
It begins to change
Find another existence
That's what you're trying to say?
I'm not pushin' you out
I'm not pushin' you off
I'm not pushin' you out
I'm not pushin' you
All of the lands are terribly restless
With tellin' you what to do
But you go back to the land
Where you're defenseless
They act just like me and you
Look what you've don't to me
Look what I've done to you
Look what they've done to us
Now were like no one else
They're laughin' at you
Talkin' about you
All these new things
All these new things
I found in use
And I'm workin' so hard
When I think it is real
Everybody does once
Just to see how it feels
It's not a sensation
And it's not for sale
So what can you call it now?
Keep 'em gotten
They'll spoil you rotten
Keep 'em gotten
Keep 'em gotten
Just another freak
Be another freak
Be a freak
The lyrics of "Freaks" by Soul Asylum are complex, capturing the restlessness and search for purpose in life. The lyrics start by describing the feeling of wanting to do something more exciting with life, acknowledging that it's just a piece of a puzzle, but it's also a piece of trouble. The idea of selling yourself becomes evident, and something more exciting is sought after. The next few lines are open-ended, perhaps hinting at the reluctance to make changes or the way society sometimes stigmatizes and criticizes those who dare to be different.
The second verse has an anxious undertone, with the lyrics suggesting that practicing is a way to avoid messing up or hurting someone else. Then, the idea that something new is being searched for is brought up again, which disrupts the status quo. The verse ends with a question that remains unanswered about the need to change one's existence. The third verse has an underlying sense of desperation or fear, with the idea that the lands are restless and people are telling others what to do. There is a suggestion that this is leading to defenselessness and the lyrics imply that Soul Asylum is talking to someone else, but also talking about themselves. The final lines talk about being a freak and suggest that being different is a way to find new things.
Line by Line Meaning
Make you're chillin'
This experience will chill you.
Guts start spillin'
It is a terrifying experience.
It's piece of a puzzle
This is part of a larger puzzle.
Piece of a trouble
This experience is problematic.
Is it somethin' else?
This experience is beyond what you've experienced before.
You're sellin' yourself
You're risking yourself in this experience.
I'm so wanting
I'm craving for something yet unknown.
Without a clue
I don't know what I want.
Gotta find something better
I need to find something more worthwhile.
Something better to do
I need to find something more worthwhile to occupy me.
Something so exciting
I need something that excites me.
I'm into something new
I've found something that's different and new.
You piece together the whole thing
Once you figure it all out, the puzzle makes sense.
Gives you something to use
It's useful to have this knowledge.
Maybe I should practice it one more time
Maybe I should experience this one more time.
Maybe I'm afraid what it might do
Maybe I'm scared that it'll have an intense effect on me.
Maybe it might upset someone
It may have the potential to offend someone.
Maybe that's what its supposed to do
Maybe it's meant to provoke a reaction.
Pull it from the bottom
Dig deep to find a solution.
It begins to change
Things start to shift.
Find another existence
Find another way of living.
That's what you're trying to say?
Is that what you meant?
I'm not pushin' you out
I'm not trying to exclude you.
I'm not pushin' you off
I'm not trying to drive you away.
All of the lands are terribly restless
Everyone is restless and agitated.
With tellin' you what to do
They're all advising you on what to do.
But you go back to the land
Despite that, you go back to the familiar land.
Where you're defenseless
You're vulnerable there.
They act just like me and you
They're no different from us.
Look what you've done to me
Look how you've affected me.
Look what I've done to you
See how I've impacted you.
Look what they've done to us
See what everyone has done to us.
Now were like no one else
We don't belong with anyone else.
They're laughin' at you
They can't believe what you're doing.
Talkin' about you
They're gossiping about you.
All these new things
All these new experiences.
All these new things
All these new experiences.
I found in use
I found a practical application for these new experiences.
And I'm workin' so hard
I'm putting in a lot of effort.
When I think it is real
When I believe it to be genuine.
Everybody does once
Everyone tries it once.
Just to see how it feels
Just to experience how it feels.
It's not a sensation
It's not just about feeling something intense.
And it's not for sale
It's not something that can be bought.
So what can you call it now?
What do you call it then?
Keep 'em gotten
Hold on to them.
They'll spoil you rotten
They'll be the downfall of you.
Just another freak
You're just another outsider.
Be another freak
Be unique, just like the others.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Joe Pena
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind