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
Never Recover
The Cardigans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every single misery
And I seem to glorify
Everything inside of me
And the heroes never die
If the lover hides
Between the sheets
There's no escape
And then you'll see
You're just like me
That's what you called waste of time
I'll be waiting down the line
That's what you called waste of time
Waiting for your valentine
That's what you called waste of time
I know where your hero hides
That's why you don't sleep tonight
That's what I call life
With a hero in the past
You hang on to history
Such a loss will always last
And there's no recovery
The Cardigans' song "Never Recover" is a melancholic and introspective reflection on how the past can haunt and define us. The opening lines depict the singer as someone who actively remembers and romanticizes their past misfortunes, suggesting that this behavior is a form of self-indulgence or even a masochistic tendency. The lyrics also reference the trope of the eternal hero, who is immortalized through their deeds and accomplishments, contrasting it with the fleeting nature of love and intimacy, which often happens behind closed doors and can never be fully grasped or preserved. This section sets the tone for the rest of the song, which suggests that the singer is trapped in a cycle of self-destructive nostalgia and unable to break free.
The chorus of the song describes the singer's frustrated attempt to connect with someone who shares their mindset, someone who can appreciate the beauty and futility of their obsession. The lines "That's why you don't sleep tonight / That's what I call life" portray the singer's distorted perception of reality, in which insomnia and disillusionment are regarded as a badge of honor, a sign of emotional depth and insight. The final lines of the song, "And there's no recovery," bring home the message of the song: that dwelling on the past and refusing to let go of unattainable ideals can lead to a state of perpetual mourning and detachment from the present.
Overall, "Never Recover" is a poignant and relatable portrait of a person lost in their memories and unable to move on. It speaks to the universal human experience of grappling with loss and regret, and the difficulty of finding closure and peace of mind.
Line by Line Meaning
How I always memorize
I have a tendency to remember every bad thing that happens to me.
Every single misery
I remember every single bad experience.
And I seem to glorify
I make a big deal out of every bad thing that happens to me.
Everything inside of me
I hold onto every bad experience and let it affect me.
And the heroes never die
I hold onto the idea that the people I love and admire will always be there for me.
If the lover hides
If someone I love hides their true feelings from me.
Between the sheets
In private or behind closed doors.
There's no escape
There is no way to avoid or forget what is happening.
Cause you can't sleep
I can't stop thinking about the problem.
And then you'll see
Eventually you'll realize you're not alone in your struggles.
You're just like me
We share the same struggle of holding onto the past and struggling to move forward.
That's what you called waste of time
You see my struggle as pointless and a waste of time.
I'll be waiting down the line
I'll still be here for you despite your judgement.
Waiting for your valentine
I'll always love and care for you no matter what.
I know where your hero hides
I know where your loved one hides their true feelings and vulnerabilities.
That's why you don't sleep tonight
That's why you can't stop thinking about it.
That's what I call life
To me, holding onto the past and struggling to let go is part of life.
With a hero in the past
When you hold onto the memory of a loved one who was once there for you.
You hang on to history
You cling to the past and what could have been instead of moving on.
Such a loss will always last
The pain of losing someone you love will always stay with you.
And there's no recovery
There is no way to fully recover from the pain of losing someone you love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MAGNUS SVENINGSSON, PETER ANDERS SVENSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on Erase Rewind
.