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
Great Divide
The Cardigans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Raised up on the wicked things we've said
A great divide between us now
Something we should know
There's something to remember
And something to forget
As long as we remember
Something we should know
There's a mountain higher than we knew
It's high but such a bitter view
A great divide between us now
Something we should know
A great divide between us now
On different sides of a great divide
The Cardigans's song "Great Divide" tells the story of two people who have become divided due to past hurts and bad communication. The opening lines describe a "monster" that has grown in their heads due to the cruel things that have been said. The divide between them now feels insurmountable, and there is a tangible sadness and regret that permeates the song.
The second verse provides a glimmer of hope, suggesting that there is something to remember and something to forget. Even though there is a great divide between them, they can cling to the memory of what brought them together and forget the hurt that caused the divide. However, this sentiment is bittersweet - as long as they remember, there will always be something to regret.
The chorus brings home the main message of the song - that there is a great divide that separates them. The final line, "On different sides of a great divide," is poignant in its simplicity. It illustrates how vast and unbridgeable the divide has become, and how far apart they have grown. Ultimately, "Great Divide" is a song about the power of words and the damage that they can do to a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a monster growing in our heads
We are plagued by negative thoughts and feelings that consume us.
Raised up on the wicked things we've said
Our actions and words have contributed to the growth of these negative emotions.
A great divide between us now
There is a significant and noticeable barrier between us that prevents communication and connection.
Something we should know
There is important information that we need to be aware of and acknowledge.
There's something to remember
We must keep certain memories and experiences in mind.
And something to forget
We need to let go of certain things that are causing us pain and distress.
As long as we remember
It is crucial to retain certain memories to avoid repeating past mistakes.
There's something to regret
We have made mistakes that we cannot take back and we must contend with the consequences.
There's a mountain higher than we knew
Our problems and troubles are much greater than we initially realized or anticipated.
It's high but such a bitter view
The problems we face are difficult to confront and they leave a bad taste in our mouths.
Something we should know
There is still important information that we need to be aware of and acknowledge.
A great divide between us now
The barrier between us has only grown and intensified, leaving us feeling more distant from each other than ever before.
On different sides of a great divide
We are now firmly entrenched on opposing sides of a significant divide, unable to reconcile our differences and come together.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: MAGNUS SVENINGSSON, PETER ANDERS SVENSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on Erase Rewind
.