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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School's Out
Soul Asylum Lyrics
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Making all that noise, 'coz they found new toys
Well we can't salute ya, can't find a flag
If that don't suit ya, that's a drag
School's out for summer
School's out forever
School's been blown to pieces
No more pencils, no more books
Well, we got no class, and we got no principles
And we got no innocence
We can't even think of a world that rhymes
School's out for summer
School's out forever
School's been blown to pieces
No more pencils, no more books
No more teacher's dirty looks
Out for summer, out till fall
We might not go back at all
School's out forever
School's out for summer
School's out with fever
School's out completely
The lyrics of Soul Asylum's song "School's Out" express the joy and relief of students upon the end of a school term. The opening lines convey the noisy and carefree nature of young students who are busy playing with their new toys. The lyrics suggest that there is no point in trying to enforce discipline among these joyous kids, and hence, one cannot find a flag to salute them. The song proclaims the end of the school term with its chorus lines "School's out for summer, School's out forever, School's been blown to pieces." The song envisions the nullification of discipline, rules and the pains of daily routine for students with lines like "No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks."
The second verse of the song puts emphasis on the carefree nature of students post the end of schooling. It explains that they have no class, no principles and no innocence. The lyrics mention the difficulty in finding things that rhyme in describing that the world is now limitless, and anything is possible. The song concludes on a high note with its chorus lines "School's out for summer, School's out forever, School's out with fever, School's out completely." The song conveys an overall sense of triumph for those who have just left school, with the end of school proposing a whole new world of possibilities where they can forget everything about past restrictions and look forward to a future that is filled with freedom and opportunity.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, we got no choice, all the girls and boys
We are compelled to act the way we do because we have no other option, and this includes all the kids in school.
Making all that noise, 'coz they found new toys
The kids are making noise because they have discovered new things that excite them.
Well we can't salute ya, can't find a flag
We cannot acknowledge or recognize you because we don't have anything to associate with you.
If that don't suit ya, that's a drag
If our inability to salute you does not please you, we can't help it; it's a shame.
School's out for summer
School has ended for the summer vacation.
School's out forever
School has ended forever; the academic phase is over.
School's been blown to pieces
The school system has been completely demolished and is no more.
No more pencils, no more books
We don't need pencils and books anymore because we are done with school.
No more teacher's dirty looks
We are happy that we don't have to endure the angry looks of our teachers anymore.
Well, we got no class, and we got no principles
We have no structure or guidance to follow because we are out of school.
And we got no innocence
We have lost our innocence because of the exposure we have received in school and outside.
We can't even think of a world that rhymes
We cannot perceive a world where everything is in order, and everything makes sense.
Out for summer, out till fall
We are out for the entire summer vacation and might not return until fall.
We might not go back at all
We are not sure if we want to go back to school, and we might not go back at all.
School's out with fever
We are excited and ecstatic that our schooling phase is over.
School's out completely
School is over entirely, and we are free from its clutches and obligations.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALICE COOPER, MICHAEL BRUCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind