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
Hanging Around
The Cardigans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seeing through your eyes
You've offered me to have a try
But I was always late
The filters that I use
Give me an excuse
I take away what's real
I hang around
For another round
I'm hanging around
For another round
I'm hanging on
To the same old song
I hang around
For another round
Until something stops me
I wonder what it's like
Walking by your side
To think before I talk
And to move at the same speed as you walk
I want to have a weight
To keep me in your state
I'm watching from above
I love it but it's not for me
The lyrics of The Cardigans' song "Hanging Around" are highly introspective, where the singer is trying to get over their perceived shortcomings while aspiring to connect with someone. Here, the singer is wondering about the kind of perception one has while seeing through another person's eyes. The offer of seeing life from a different perspective is present, but the chance has passed them by as the singer was always late. The line "I'm hanging around for another round" is almost like a mantra that is repeated throughout the song, indicating the singer's stagnation in waiting for another opportunity.
The following verse talks about the filters that the singer uses in life to justify their actions or to take away the real aspect of situations. This implies that the singer is not equipped to deal with reality and often drifts away in their thoughts. The filters they employ are just an excuse to take away what's real, and it ultimately exacerbates their frustration. "For another round" is again repeated, which represents the idea of waiting for another chance that may come around.
The chorus evokes the idea of being stuck in a rut, where the singer is hanging on to the same old song rather than looking for new experiences. The feeling of being trapped is reinforced with the repetition of "Hanging around for another round." The song's tempo and the music that follows also indicate the mood of the narrative - one of being stuck and not making any progress in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I wonder what it's like
I'm curious to know what it feels like
Seeing through your eyes
To experience things from your perspective
You've offered me to have a try
You've given me the chance to try it out
But I was always late
But I missed the opportunity every time
The filters that I use
The way I see things
Give me an excuse
Gives me a reason not to participate
I take away what's real
I ignore what's truly genuine
I feel it and it blows my fuse
I get frustrated and angry when I realize it
I hang around
I stick around and wait
For another round
For another opportunity to try
I'm hanging on
I am holding on
To the same old song
To old and familiar ways
Until something stops me
Until something interrupts me
Walking by your side
Being together
To think before I talk
To consider what I am about to say
And to move at the same speed as you walk
To keep pace and be in sync with you
I want to have a weight
I want to have significance and importance to you
To keep me in your state
To remain loyal and close to you
I'm watching from above
I'm observing from a distance
I love it but it's not for me
I appreciate it but it's not my lifestyle
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NINA PERSSON, PETER ANDERS SVENSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@roiybenkel682
I wonder what it's like
Seeing through your eyes
You've offered me to have a try
But I was always late
The filters that I use
Give me an an excuse
I take away what's real
I feel it and it blows my fuse
I hang around
For another round
I'm hanging around
For another round
I'm hanging on
To the same old song
I hang around
For another round
Until something stops me
I wonder what it's like
Walking by your side
To think before I talk
And to move at the same speed as you walk
I want to have a weight
To keep me in your state
I'm watching from above
I love it but it's not for me
I hang around
For another round
I'm hanging around
For another round
I'm hanging on
To the same old song
I hang around
For another round
Until something stops me
@marcosramirez573
Lyrics
I wonder what it's like
Seeing through your eyes
You've offered me to have a try
But I was always late
The filters that I use
Give me an excuse
I take away what's real
I feel it and it blows my fuse
I hang around
For another round
I'm hanging around
For another round
I'm hanging on
To the same old song
I hang around
For another round
Until something stops me
I wonder what it's like
Walking by your side
To think before I talk
And to move at the same speed as you walk
I want to have a weight
To keep me in your state
I'm watching from above
I love it but it's not for me
@danbrockettDOP
I feel like being a Cardigans fan is like a secret club these days. Few people remember them and their genius as musicians and songwriters. I've been playing "Long Gone Before Daylight" on loop lately, it's just SO GREAT. Such a deep and accomplished album. This one too. They really deserved greater acclaim and respect.
@gmcjetpilot
Nope you are not special or in an exclusive club. They have a big following. Keep in mind they are Swedish, came out in the 1990's, had 5 year hiatus in early 2010's. They are still together and active. BTW this video +1M views. Open secret 😉. Love fool 65M views, Erase 23M. People noticed.
@sharonsharkey714
@@gmcjetpilot yes we know, but it does feel like this in other countries, as reference is very light and always has been for such an amazing band
@gmcjetpilot
@@sharonsharkey714 I hear you... Dua Lipa fame and exposure is extensive (not saying undeserved) and Cardigans are not in the zeitgeist. However they are not strictly POP. Cardigans are more "Alt", one foot in underground art music and another foot in POP. Also they are not making new POP music in 2021/22 (except their 2 big POP hits many years ago). They don't try to make POP hits but make good music. Most people don't get it like you.
So I understand on your list they are way higher (in any metric like sales, tours, radio play, Spotify listens, performances aired on TV). Keep in mind they have a life outside music and enjoy their time out of limelight. Making music and touring is work. They may come out with a hit tomorrow and be red hot. Fame is fleeting.
@anotherrealm6176
im a fan of death metal and i love cardigans. theyre great
@niiccholashiyokostan7889
@@anotherrealm6176 suddenly i came here with lovefool and then "why not hear their other songs?" and it's so good omg
@hairy_cornflake
This whole album is one pure masterpiece, truly underrated and deserves to be recognized so badly.
@GlassBattles
100%
@mollyobrien5873
fr
@gogoyubari366
What makes you believe it's underrated?