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
Burning Down The House
The Cardigans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cool babies strange but not a stranger
I'm an ordinary guy
Burning down the house
Hold tight wait till the party's over
Hold tight We're in for nasty weather
There has got to be a way
Here's your ticket pack your bag: time for jumpin' overboard
The transportation is here
Close enough but not too far, Maybe you know where you are
Fightin' fire with fire
All wet hey you might need a raincoat
Shakedown dreams walking in broad daylight
Three hun-dred six-ty five de-grees
Burning down the house
It was once upon a place sometimes I listen to myself
Gonna come in first place
People on their way to work baby what did you except
Gonna burst into flame
My house S'out of the ordinary
That's might Don't want to hurt nobody
Some things sure can sweep me off my feet
Burning down the house
No visible means of support and you have not seen nothing yet
Everything's stuck together
I don't know what you expect staring into the TV set
Fighting fire with fire..
The lyrics to The Cardigans' song "Burning Down The House" present a series of disconnected images and phrases that don't necessarily cohere into a single coherent narrative. Instead, it seems like the song is meant to capture a feeling of building energy and explosive release, with vocalist Nina Persson delivering each line with a sense of mounting urgency and chaotic energy.
The first verse opens with the warning, "Watch out you might get what you're after," suggesting that there are dangerous consequences to be faced in pursuing one's desires. The line "cool babies strange but not a stranger" seems to play on the idea that people are complex and multifaceted, while the repetition of the line "burning down the house" suggests that something explosive and transformative is happening.
The second verse adds to this sense of danger and mounting tension, with lines like "hold tight We're in for nasty weather" and "fightin' fire with fire." The image of "shanakedown dreams walking in broad daylight" conjures up a sense of confusion and disorientation, while the repeated reference to "burning down the house" suggests that this potential chaos is both terrifying and alluring.
Overall, "Burning Down The House" seems to channel a sense of primal, wild energy, with its repeated references to fire and destruction suggesting a need to break free from the constraints of everyday life and experience something intense and transformative.
Line by Line Meaning
Watch out you might get what you're after
Be careful what you wish for, as it may come true and have unexpected consequences.
Cool babies strange but not a stranger
The people at this party are unique and interesting, but not completely unknown.
I'm an ordinary guy
Despite the cool atmosphere, the singer sees themselves as an average person.
Burning down the house
The atmosphere is so hot and exciting that it feels like the whole place is on fire.
Hold tight wait till the party's over
Don't leave the party too early or you'll miss out on the fun.
Hold tight We're in for nasty weather
Things are about to get wild and unpredictable, so hold on tight.
There has got to be a way
Even though things may seem out of control, there must be some way to handle the situation.
Burning down the house
The energy and excitement of the party are still burning bright.
Here's your ticket pack your bag: time for jumpin' overboard
It's time to leave this party and move on to the next adventure.
The transportation is here
The means of departure is ready and waiting.
Close enough but not too far, Maybe you know where you are
The singer is unsure of their exact location, but knows they're in the right general area.
Fightin' fire with fire
To solve a problem, sometimes you need to use the same tactics as your adversary.
All wet hey you might need a raincoat
Things are getting wet and wild, so be prepared with appropriate gear.
Shakedown dreams walking in broad daylight
The singer's dreams and desires are being examined and tested in the real world.
Three hun-dred six-ty five de-grees
The atmosphere is so intense and exciting, it feels like it's 365 degrees hot.
Burning down the house
The excitement and energy of the party refuse to die down.
It was once upon a place sometimes I listen to myself
In the past, this used to be a simpler and quieter place where the singer could think and reflect on their own thoughts.
Gonna come in first place
The singer is determined to succeed and win at everything they do.
People on their way to work baby what did you except
Don't be surprised when ordinary people go about their everyday business, even if there's excitement happening elsewhere.
Gonna burst into flame
The singer's energy and excitement is about to reach a boiling point.
My house S'out of the ordinary
The singer's home and their way of life are unique and unconventional.
That's might Don't want to hurt nobody
The singer acknowledges that their lifestyle may be unusual, but they have no intention of causing harm to anyone else.
Some things sure can sweep me off my feet
Certain experiences or events can be so powerful and exciting that they leave the singer speechless and overwhelmed.
Burning down the house
The intensity of the party and the excitement it brings has not diminished.
No visible means of support and you have not seen nothing yet
The singer appears to have no specific direction or plan, but there's still much more to come.
Everything's stuck together
Despite the chaos and confusion, everything seems to somehow fit together and make sense.
I don't know what you expect staring into the TV set
Don't sit passively and expect entertainment to come to you – sometimes, you have to be proactive and find excitement on your own terms.
Fighting fire with fire
Using the same aggressive tactics as your enemy may be necessary to achieve victory.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRIS FRANTZ, CHRISTOPHER FRANTZ, DAVID BYRNE, JERRY HARRISON, TINA WEYMOUTH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Parknest
Nina has a fantastic voice and Sir Tom is an absolute legend. I'm sure David Byrne is proud of this cover version.
@rngod2121
I am a Talking Heads purist, but oh mah GAWD! I can't believe I have lived this long, without seeing this video. Brilliant!
@Glenn_3
I'm curious to hear what you think of the Paramore version that just releases then
@rngod2121
@@Glenn_3 😍 Thank you for the recommendation! I listened to that, then the Wet Leg version of "C'est Comme Ça", which led me to Paramore's "This is Why", (which had me cranking up my McIntosh Amp...
And now I am perusing the Paramore greatest Hits. I have a feeling it is going to keep me busy for a bit! 🙂
@Glenn_3
@@rngod2121oh my god, really?! That makes me so happy to hear Paramore is my favourite band ever and it makes me happy to have introduced someone to Paramore for the first time and them seeing how good it is. There is a lot to go through so you have a lot to look forward to. Feel free to keep me updated, I'd love to hear your opinion ☺️
@philfromkali
Right, I didn't know this existed
@anthonylesley982
Yeah
@DarkHorse-bp3xf
This is great. I love it that Tom Jones stays relevant by teaming up with current artists. His voice is one of few of the old guard that has survived beautifully.
@scottbieser
Whoever thought to pair up Jones and the Cardigans to cover this song is a freakin' genius.
@markpetersen2469
They had hallucinations from the heart ❤