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
Losers
The Cardigans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You find them everywhere
They're fucked up and annoying
But somehow you seem to care
It's easier to laugh
But something makes you stick around
You can't watch from above
You wish that you were special
I'm just like you
Close your eyes
That'll be the day you'll find those lies
Fold your ears
That'll be the day that you will hear
That'll be the day you
Get back home
It's lonely to be strange
And you would never tell
That you're one of these itches
You know it much too well
Losers are your weakness
They will always touch your heart
You're touching me as well
'Cause I have always been a part
You wish that you were special
I'm just like you
The lyrics to The Cardigans' song Losers explore the idea of feeling like an outsider and finding a sense of belonging amongst those deemed losers by society. The song highlights the fact that these outsiders often suffer from mental illness or have dysfunctional behaviors that make them unrelatable or even annoying to others. Despite this, the singer seems to care for them and gravitates towards them. It's easier to laugh at them, but there's something that makes the singer stick around.
The lyrics suggest that the singer themselves feels like a loser and therefore has a visceral connection to others who have been ostracized by society. They express a desire to be special and different, but in the end, they reveal that they are just like the people they surround themselves with. The last verse touches on the idea that it's lonely to be strange, but at the same time, it's comforting to find others who understand and accept you for who you are.
Overall, Losers is a thought-provoking and introspective song that explores themes of loneliness, belonging, and mental illness.
Line by Line Meaning
Look at all these losers
The singer observes and comments on the presence of losers around him/her.
You find them everywhere
Losers are present everywhere, and the singer cannot escape them.
They're fucked up and annoying
The singer perceives losers as troubled and bothersome individuals.
But somehow you seem to care
Despite their flaws, the artist feels a sense of compassion towards the losers.
It's easier to laugh
The artist acknowledges that it's simpler to dismiss and ignore the losers.
But something makes you stick around
However, there's something about the losers that keeps the singer from leaving them behind.
You can't watch from above
The singer cannot distance him/herself from the losers and judge them from a position of superiority.
And keep your ten toes in the sand
The artist cannot ignore or avoid the existence of losers around him/her.
You wish that you were special
The artist wants to be seen as exceptional, but feels like a loser too.
I'm just like you
The artist assures that he/she is no different from the losers.
Close your eyes
The singer suggests to the listener to shut out the outside world.
That'll be the day you'll find those lies
Then one will be able to discover the falsities that are present in the world.
Fold your ears
The singer advises the listener to block out any negative voices.
That'll be the day that you will hear
Only then will one be able to hear the truth.
That'll be the day you
It's only at that time that one can attain knowledge.
Get back home
One can only find respite at home, which represents a safe haven from the harsh world outside.
It's lonely to be strange
Being different can often lead to isolation and loneliness.
And you would never tell
The singer is reluctant to express his/her individuality and uniqueness to others.
That you're one of these itches
The singer is one of the aforementioned losers.
You know it much too well
The artist is acutely aware of his/her own perceived inadequacies.
Losers are your weakness
The artist has a tendency to empathize with and care for the losers.
They will always touch your heart
The losers have an emotional effect on the artist that he/she cannot ignore.
You're touching me as well
The singer empathizes with the listener and his/her own struggles.
'Cause I have always been a part
The artist sees him/herself as one with the losers and understands their experiences intimately.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NINA PERSSON, PETER ANDERS SVENSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on Erase Rewind
.