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
Marvel Hill
The Cardigans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've walked some years to find
I know there is a piece to fill
The gap I have in mind
No nothing's here I close my eyes
It's on the other side
I'd gladly give away
'Cause I don't need this
I don't need it
I need more
A postcard from where life is a thrill
On top of Marvel Hill
But I don't need this
I don't need it
I need more
No, I don' t need this
Too good to be true
Too good to ignore
I don't need this
I need so much more
It's too much to ask
The lyrics to The Cardigans' song Marvel Hill are a reflection on the idea of longing for something that you cannot have. The singer finds themselves on Marvel Hill, a place they have been seeking out for years. However, despite finally finding this place, the singer realizes that there is still a gap in their life that needs to be filled. The singer believes that this gap can be filled on the other side, possibly through new experiences or relationships.
The lyrics also suggest a sense of dissatisfaction with what the singer has worked hard to achieve so far. They express a willingness to let go of their accomplishments if it means they can find something more fulfilling. The singer desires a life where there is excitement and adventure, as indicated by the postcard metaphor for a thrilling life on top of Marvel Hill.
As the song progresses, the singer continues to question whether what they have found on Marvel Hill is really what they need. The repeated refrain, "I don't need this, I need more," highlights their desire for something that is beyond the reach of what they have already achieved.
In summary, the lyrics to Marvel Hill express a universal theme of searching for meaning and fulfillment in life, and a longing for something more despite achieving success.
Line by Line Meaning
Strange to be on Marvel Hill
I'm feeling strange standing on Marvel Hill.
I've walked some years to find
I've been searching for something for a long time.
I know there is a piece to fill
I feel like something is missing in my life.
The gap I have in mind
I have an idea of what that missing piece is.
No nothing's here I close my eyes
But I don't find it here even when I close my eyes.
It's on the other side
I feel like what I'm looking for is somewhere else.
And what I've worked so hard to gain
Even if I've worked hard to get what I have,
I'd gladly give away
I'm willing to let it go.
'Cause I don't need this
Because I don't really need it.
I don't need it
I don't need this thing I have.
I need more
I need something else.
A postcard from where life is a thrill
I need to be somewhere where life is exciting and fun.
On top of Marvel Hill
Maybe that place is on top of Marvel Hill.
But I don't need this
But I don't need what I have here.
I don't need it
I really don't need it.
I need more
I need something more fulfilling.
No, I don't need this
I'm sure that I don't need this.
Too good to be true
Maybe what I'm looking for is too good to be true.
Too good to ignore
But I can't ignore the possibility that it exists.
I don't need this
Once again, I realize I really don't need this.
I need so much more
I need so much more than what I have and what I'm seeing.
It's too much to ask
It's a lot to ask for what I'm looking for, but I can't help feeling like I need it.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MAGNUS SVENINGSSON, NINA PERSSON, PETER ANDERS SVENSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on Erase Rewind
.