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
And Then You Kissed Me
The Cardigans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But they wouldn't quit blow me like you
You gave me your name and sight
With a halo around my eye
And it hits me like never before
That love is a powerful force
Yes it struck me that love is as bored
So I pushed you a little bit more
Love, you're news to me
You're a little bit more then I thought you'd be
A mow in my well fed lawn
You're a nightmare beating the dawn
Oh it hits me like never before
That love is a powerful force
Yes it struck me that love is a sport
So I pushed you a little bit more
Blue, blue, black and blue
Red blood sticks like glue
True love is cruel love
Red blood say power fuel
Sweet love tasty blood
My heart overfloods
Oh you hit me
Yeah you hit me really hard
Man you hit me
Yeah you hit me right in the heart
Lord I've had my deal
But I never quite knew how it feels
When love makes you wake up soar
With fists that are ready for more
And it hits me that love is a game
Like in war no one can be blamed
Yes it struck me that love is a sport
So I pushed you a little bit more
Blue, blue, black and blue
Red blood sticks like glue
True love is cruel love
Red blood say power fuel
Sweet love tasty blood
My heart overfloods
Man you hit me
Yeah you hit me really hard
Baby you hit me
Yeah you punched me right in the heart
And then you kissed me
And then you hit me
Oh you hold me with your violent heartbeat at night
Oh you strike me with your silence baby tonight
Why you hold me with your violence baby come hit me
You hold me with your violent heartbeat
The lyrics to The Cardigans’ “And Then You Kissed Me” explore the idea of love as a powerful and sometimes painful force. The singer describes a relationship that is both intense and violent, with references to being hit and beaten. The lyrics imply that the singer has had experiences with love before, but this particular relationship is different – it hits them harder and makes them feel more alive. The references to blood and violence suggest a sense of danger and unpredictability in the relationship, with the singer seemingly enjoying the thrill of it all.
The opening lines of the song suggest that the singer has had other relationships in the past but nothing compares to this new love that has entered their life. The line “And it hits me like never before that love is a powerful force” indicates that the singer is feeling something they have never felt before, implying that this new love is more intense and all-consuming than anything they have experienced in the past. The repeated lines “Blue, blue, black and blue” and “Red blood sticks like glue” further emphasize the idea of the relationship being violent and intense.
The chorus of the song, with the line “And then you kissed me, and then you hit me” is repeated several times throughout the song, further emphasizing the idea of love as both violent and unpredictable. The repeated use of the phrase “violent heartbeat” suggests that the singer is both frightened and exhilarated by this new love they have found. The line “You hold me with your violent heartbeat at night” implies that the relationship is still ongoing and the singer is still captivated by this intense love that has entered their life.
Line by Line Meaning
Man I've had a few
I've had some relationships before
But they wouldn't quit blow me like you
But they didn't make me feel the way you do
You gave me your name and sight
You shared your identity and perspective with me
With a halo around my eye
I see you as someone special
And it hits me like never before
I'm realizing something important
That love is a powerful force
Love has a strong impact
Yes it struck me that love is as bored
Love can also be uninterested or unengaged
So I pushed you a little bit more
So I tested you a little further
Love, you're news to me
You're a new experience for me
You're a little bit more than I thought you'd be
You exceed my expectations
A mow in my well fed lawn
You disrupt my comfortable life
You're a nightmare beating the dawn
You're a disturbance in my peaceful morning
Blue, blue, black and blue
Bruised and beaten
Red blood sticks like glue
Blood that doesn't easily wash away
True love is cruel love
Real love can be harsh
Red blood say power fuel
Blood indicates strength and intensity
Sweet love tasty blood
Love is both pleasurable and painful
My heart overfloods
My emotions are overwhelming
Oh you hit me
You affect me strongly
Yeah you hit me right in the heart
You touch me deeply
Lord I've had my deal
I've had my share of experiences
But I never quite knew how it feels
But I haven't experienced this feeling before
When love makes you wake up soar
When love makes you feel invigorated
With fists that are ready for more
With a desire for more
And it hits me that love is a game
I realize love can be a competition
Like in war no one can be blamed
Nobody is at fault in love's battles
Baby you hit me
You affect me strongly
Yeah you punched me right in the heart
You touched me deeply
And then you kissed me
And then you showed me affection
Oh you hold me with your violent heartbeat at night
You embrace me with your passionate heart
Oh you strike me with your silence baby tonight
You create a strong impact by being quiet
Why you hold me with your violence baby come hit me
Why do you use your intense love to embrace me
You hold me with your violent heartbeat
You embrace me with your passion
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NINA PERSSON, PETER ANDERS SVENSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on Erase Rewind
.