The five-piece met as teenagers in Jönköping, Sweden, a town whose only distinguishing feature is its 52 churches. In October 1992, bonded by their mutual love of hard rock and folk music (they listed Nick Drake and Iron Maiden as their two biggest influences by 1994), guitarist Peter Svensson and bassist Magnus Sveningsson conceived The Cardigans. As their hometown was hardly a Mecca of musical enterprise, the group packed up and moved to the somewhat more central fishing port of Malmö, Sweden's third largest city, to seek their fortune. With Peter writing most of the music and the band as a whole composing the lyrics, the quintet set out to find a deal.
After an early recording of "Rise & Shine" appeared on a local independent label in 1994, The Cardigans were swiftly signed to Stockholm Records. The same year the band made their debut for the label with Emmerdale and later won the accolade of "Best Album of 1994" from Slitz, at the time Sweden's leading music magazine. The rise of The Cardigans has since been gradual, allowing them the time to develop naturally as their sales and positive exposure grew with each release. Their second long-player, Life, which followed in 1995, featured the hit singles "Carnival" and the re-recorded "Rise & Shine", and witnessed the band's first international chart success. Prior to the First Band on the Moon album in September 1996, The Cardigans released "Lovefool". Although the first response to the single was very positive and landed them in the Top 40, it achieved nowhere near the impact that awaited it the following Spring.
It was in 1997 that The Cardigans were first catapulted towards international superstardom. "Lovefool"'s inclusion on the blockbuster Romeo and Juliet film soundtrack that Spring pushed them past the boiling point. The single not only reached No. 1 on both the United Kingdom and United States airplay charts but also debuted at No. 2 on the United Kingdom national chart, where it remained top five for five weeks. All in all, the album reached more than 2.5 million sales worldwide, achieving Platinum status in the United States and Japan, but only achieving Gold in the United Kingdom. The promotional activities supporting the worldwide success of "Lovefool" and First Band On The Moon were never ending. The band not only performed a year long world tour complete with endless radio sessions and press and television interviews, but even ended up making guest appearances on Beverly Hills 90210 and the David Letterman Show.
It was because of the sheer exhaustion resulting from such a schedule, that The Cardigans since took some well deserved time off at home in Malmö to recuperate their artistic juices and write new material. During their time off, however, the band was by no means dormant. In the beginning of 1999 they contributed a new track, "War", to the A Life Less Ordinary soundtrack, a live recording of "Been It" to the Lilith Fair compilation and "Deuce", featured on The X-Files: The Album, an X-Files soundtrack album. Their break also included experimentation with various solo projects.
In June 1998, the group, who are very loyal to their roots, once again joined long-time producer Tore Johansson at his studio, Country Hell, located beside the picturesque Svaneholm Castle in Malmö and recorded the album, Gran Turismo.
The first single "My Favourite Game", was a major hit in many territories. The video for "My Favourite Game" was directed by Jonas Åkerlund. The song was also included in the soundtrack of the hit Playstation racing game, Gran Turismo 2, were it was the intro theme. The second single "Erase/Rewind" was released in January 1999, and this single also turned out to be a major hit around the world.
Gran Turismo reached more than 2.5 million sales worldwide.
The album Long Gone Before Daylight was released in February 2003 and from the album the singles "For What It's Worth" and "You're The Storm" were taken. The album received great reviews and the band spent most of 2003 touring Europe and North America.
In Fall 2005, the band released, Super Extra Gravity.
Official site: http://www.cardigans.com
Less Like Me
The Cardigans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now pick up your phone
It was bad but just a dream
And you are remembered
Put on something pretty
Go back to the city
In town the sky's just space
No starlight in your face
She says everything's scary
She got locked inside her skin
Get near her, she'll drag you in
I'd call on you if I could
If you were less like me I would
Listen to Eve
She's got stuff up her sleeve
To her there's no excuse
You've gotta use before you get used
Or talk to Louise
She knows all about freezing
She got lost in early May
And now it's December
I'd call on you if I could
If you were less like me I would
Save you from this if I could
If you were less like me I really would
(Save you from this)
Spare us all this shit
But you're all just like me so I quit!
My name is yours
Can I sleep on your floor
See, my heroes changed their minds
But I do remember
If I were less like you,
And you were less like me
If I were less like you,
And you were less like me
In The Cardigans’ song “Less Like Me,” the singer is addressing a woman named Joan who just had a bad dream. The song suggests that Joan needs to get over her fear or anxiety, dress up, and go back to the city, where she won’t see stars or Milky Way. The singer tells Joan to forget about Mary, who is overwhelmed by fear and anxiety and will only drag her down. The song advises Joan to listen to Eve, who encourages making the most of everything at one’s disposal or talking to Louise, who learned about perseverance the hard way after losing her way in early May and barely making it to December.
The singer wishes they could count on Joan as an ally or a friend, but because they are both too much alike, it’s impossible. They suggest that if Joan were less like them, they’d call on her. The song suggests that their self-doubt or anxiety comes from seeing themselves reflected in others, which is why they cannot rely on Joan. The singer asks to sleep on Joan’s floor as a plea for understanding and friendship.
Line by Line Meaning
Good morning Joan
A greeting to the person being addressed.
Now pick up your phone
An instruction to answer the phone.
It was bad but just a dream
Something unpleasant happened, but it was only a dream.
And you are remembered
The person being addressed is being thought of fondly by someone.
Put on something pretty
An instruction to dress up nicely.
Go back to the city
An instruction to return to the city.
In town the sky's just space
The sky in the city is just empty, with no stars visible.
No starlight in your face
The person being addressed won't see the stars on their face in the city.
Now forget about Mary
An instruction to stop thinking about Mary.
She says everything's scary
Mary thinks everything is frightening.
She got locked inside her skin
Mary feels trapped within her own body or personality.
Get near her, she'll drag you in
Mary's negativity can be contagious and bring others down.
I'd call on you if I could
The singer wishes they could seek help from the person being addressed if they were able to.
If you were less like me I would
The singer believes that if the person being addressed were different from them, they could seek help from them.
Listen to Eve
The singer is recommending that the person being addressed listen to someone named Eve.
She's got stuff up her sleeve
Eve has some tricks or resources up her sleeve.
To her there's no excuse
Eve believes that there are no valid excuses for not taking action.
You've gotta use before you get used
Eve believes that one must take advantage of opportunities before they disappear.
Or talk to Louise
The singer is recommending that the person being addressed talk to someone named Louise.
She knows all about freezing
Louise has experience with feeling cold or emotionally numb.
She got lost in early May
At some point in time, Louise felt lost or directionless.
And now it's December
Now it's been several months since Louise's lost period, but she's still feeling the effects.
Save you from this if I could
The singer wishes they could save the person being addressed from a negative situation.
If you were less like me I really would
The artist is suggesting that if the person being addressed were different from them, they would be better able to help them.
(Save you from this)
Reiterating the singer's desire to save the person being addressed.
Spare us all this shit
An exclamation expressing a desire to avoid a negative situation.
But you're all just like me so I quit!
The singer is giving up because they believe everyone is too similar to them and therefore won't be able to help.
My name is yours
The artist is offering a level of intimacy and closeness by sharing their name.
Can I sleep on your floor
The artist is asking permission to sleep at the person being addressed's home.
See, my heroes changed their minds
The people the singer looked up to or admired had a change of heart or perspective.
But I do remember
Despite the changes, the singer still remembers the past fondly.
If I were less like you,
The artist is considering how things could be different if they were less like the person being addressed.
And you were less like me
The artist is also considering how things could be different if the person being addressed were less like them.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JACKSON, MALOY, Randy Jackson, Ricky Jackson, Zac Maloy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on Erase Rewind
.