Swervedriver are a 1990s British guitar band initially associated with "sh… Read Full Bio ↴Swervedriver are a 1990s British guitar band initially associated with "shoegazing", however their heavier rock & roll style also related them to the grunge genre coming from the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Some music writers considered them to be Britain's answer to this sound. Regardless of labels, the band's mix of storming and swirling guitar experimentation often crossed into psychedelia, coupled with mystical lyrics that often praised the nihilism of sports cars, racing and the open road.

History

Early years

Their origins sprung from Oxford, United Kingdom in 1984 with the formation of a group called Shake Appeal, named after a song from one of their main influences, The Stooges. Consisting of vocalist/guitarists Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge, lead vocalist Graham Franklin (Adam's brother), bassist Adi Vines, and drummer Paddy Pulzer; Shake Appeal went ahead reproducing the sounds of American garage rock of the late 60's and early 70's. The group wrote what would become Swervedriver's first classic "Son of Mustang Ford," however after a few years the band began to fall apart when both Graham and Paddy left.

The remaining three members drafted drummer Graham Bonnar, but by this time the group's sound mutated significantly under the influence of re-invented guitar music by American bands like Dinosaur Jr., and Sonic Youth. So with a new lineup and new sound came a new name, Swervedriver. Their hometown colleagues from fellow shoegazing group Ride passed their re-recorded demo of "Son of Mustang Ford" to Alan McGee of Creation Records; who, as legend has it, played the tape for the first time while cruising the inner streets of Los Angeles in a limo. The experience caused him sign the band immediately.

First album and possible breakup

Merging the whirling qualities of the shoegazer genre with heavy distorted guitars, and lyrics often featuring cars and escapism, the group debuted with a series of EPs; "Son of Mustang Ford," "Rave Down" and "Sandblasted," before issuing their full-length album debut "Raise" in 1991. Then after a U.S. tour in support of Soundgarden, Bonner left the band; the departure of Vines followed shortly afterwards. Bonner and Vines would eventually go on to form a new group called Skyscraper. Swervedriver's final release with the original lineup, 1992's "Never Lose That Feeling" EP, appeared to be the group's last.

Release of Mezcal Head

But in 1993, Swervedriver re-emerged with the core of Franklin and Hartridge along with newly recruited drummer Jez, and released their landmark album "Mezcal Head." If "Raise" was a product featuring a love of Americana, escapism and the open highway, then "Mezcal Head" was all that, but broadcast in IMAX with Dolby surround sound. Production and sound were greatly improved, and the album gave them their most successful single "Duel," hailed as one of the premier songs of the shoegazer genre. The album clearly forged a permanent link with their American fans, and made them more popular there than in their own native Britain. During this era, the fabled b-side "The Hitcher" found a release on the "Last Train to Satansville" EP. "The Hitcher" is widely considered to be a fan favorite.

Ejector Seat Reservation & Britpop

1994 found the band adding new bassist Steve George, along with extensive touring of the U.S. (supporting The Smashing Pumpkins), Japan and Europe. However by then the shoegazing genre in Britain was dead, replaced by the more mainstream Britpop movement hi-lighted by bands such as Oasis and Blur. The massive rise of Britpop caused Creation Records to drop the band just one week after the U.K. release of 1995 album "Ejector Seat Reservation." It was never released in the U.S. where they could have capitalized on the momentum of "Mezcal Head." ESR was another leap forward for the band, incorporating a wider number of influences from Elvis Costello to Bob Dylan. It saw the group grow into rebel visionaries and received the highest critical acclaim; however without any record company support it was doomed to be their poorest selling venture. This began a period of protracted record label problems for the band which fans dubbed the Swervedriver label curse.

Final years

In 1996, Swervedriver signed on with Geffen Records with a multi-record deal, and promptly began recording their fourth album. However their contract was terminated when their A&R (Artists & Repertoire) representative was fired in a corporate downsizing. Once the legal dust settled the band was awarded their own recording studio along with the finished album, however it was still a major setback. Their fourth and final album "99th Dream" was finally released in 1998 after signing on with Zero Hour Records of the U.S., and it continued the evolution that began with "Ejector Seat Reservation." Drawing less from their earlier ‘grunge' sound, the band never the less maintained their swerving, pyschedelic guitar rifts coupled with Franklin's magical lyrics and droning vocals, and was another brilliant body of work. The group continued to draw on a broader range of musical influences; for example the title track "99th Dream" was written as a prequel to Bob Dylan's song "115th Dream." Despite this album easily containing a half dozen possible hit singles, and a successful tour of the U.S., Britain and Australia; they did not break out beyond their traditional cult following. The "Wrong Treats" EP released in 1999 would become the bands last body of work as an extant group; they announced a hiatus later that year that persists to this day. Adam Franklin continues to release albums under his new band Toshack Highway.

In 2005, Castle Music released a Swervedriver anthology album titled "Juggernaut Rides" which brought together 33 songs; including many only available on rare EPs, and four that were previously unreleased..

In Late 2007 the Creation Records web site confirmed Swervedriver was reuniting for a 2008 tour.

Origins of name

How Swervedriver settled on their name has been the subject of debate among their fans for many years. During interviews whenever questioned on this topic, the band would simply respond that it was just a name; as The Beatles were just a name (in reference to that band's simple response in many early interviews). However Adam Franklin had once mentioned the band liked the connotation of a speeding driver, swerving and ultimately losing control of their car.

Discography

Full length albums

* Raise (1991)
* Mezcal Head (1993)
* Ejector Seat Reservation (1995)
* 99th Dream (1998)
* Juggernaut Rides 1989-1998 (2005) - 2 CD set
*I Wasn't Born to Lose You(2015)
*Future Ruins(2019)

Singles/EPs

* Son of Mustang Ford (1991)
* Rave Down (1991)
* Sandblasted (1991)
* Reel To Real (1991)
* Never Lose That Feeling (1993)
* Duel (1993)
* Last Train To Satansville (1993)
* My Zephyr (1994)
* Magic Bus (1994) - from Day Tripper movie soundtrack
* Last Day on Earth (1995)
* Swervedriver / Sophia Split (1996)
* 93 Million Miles From the Sun ... and Counting (1997)
* Space Travel Rock 'n' Roll (1998)
* Wrong Treats (1999)

Flawed
Swervedriver Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You free the weight from my mind
Something annoys that's well fine
You don't believe what you saw
Your perfect ideal is flawed
So fly away

My heads a blur and can't you tell?
I don't want heaven from this hell

All edges blur where I come in
Might crawl right under your skin
So crawl away

You free the weight from my mind
You free the weight from my mind
You free the weight from my mind
You say I'm wastin' my time
You say I'm wastin' my time
You say I'm wastin' my spine

You say I'm wasted
So waste away

Overall Meaning

Swervedriver's song Flawed has lyrics which explore the theme of imperfection and the pressure that people continually put on themselves to attain perfection in their lives. In the first verse of the song, the lyrics explore the idea of someone else freeing the weight from the singer's mind, implying that someone else can help them to stop carrying the burden of perfection. They then explore the idea that our ideal, perfect self is flawed and that rejecting that idea of perfectionism can be liberating. This is represented by the repeated refrain of "so fly away," implying that one can be free of the weight of perfectionism and its demands.

In the chorus, the singer's struggle to find their place in the world is explored. They express the feeling of being lost in a blur and a sense of hellishness in their existence. They also suggest that they may be a source of discomfort or unease for others, as they might "crawl right under your skin." In the final verse of the song, the singer seems to reject the idea of being told what to do or what is wasteful, stating that they will "waste away" if that's what they choose to do.

Overall, Swervedriver's Flawed is a song about rejecting the pressure of perfectionism and embracing the imperfections that make us who we are. It encourages us to be comfortable with our flaws and to find ways to free ourselves from the burden of perfectionism and societal expectations.

Line by Line Meaning

You free the weight from my mind
The singer is grateful to the subject for relieving them of a burden.

Something annoys that's well fine
The singer acknowledges that they are bothered by something but accepts it as it is.

You don't believe what you saw
The subject is skeptical of what they have witnessed.

Your perfect ideal is flawed
The artist is pointing out that the subject's idea of perfection has some imperfections.

So fly away
The artist is telling the subject to leave, possibly due to their flawed ideals.

My heads a blur and can't you tell?
The singer is implying that they are in a confused state.

I don't want heaven from this hell
The singer is expressing that they do not want a good outcome from a bad situation.

All edges blur where I come in
The artist is suggesting that their presence or influence causes things to become unclear or indistinct.

Might crawl right under your skin
The artist implies that their actions or behaviors may irritate or bother the subject.

So crawl away
The artist is again telling the subject to leave, perhaps because of their irritating qualities.

You say I'm wastin' my time
The subject is criticizing the singer for wasting their time.

You say I'm wastin' my spine
The subject may be suggesting that the artist is an idle or lazy person.

You say I'm wasted
The subject believes that the singer is a lost cause, implying that they are not worth investing in.

So waste away
The singer responds to the subject's criticism by embracing it and accepting that they are indeed wasting away.

Lyrics © A SIDE MUSIC LLC D/B/A MODERN WORKS MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: ADAM FRANKLIN, ADRIAN VINES, GRAHAM BONNAR, JIMMY HARTRIDGE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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