The Crystal Method is an electronic music act comprising Ken Jordan (who r… Read Full Bio ↴The Crystal Method is an electronic music act comprising Ken Jordan (who retired in 2017) and Scott Kirkland. Formed in 1993, The Crystal Method is the most recent stop in a string of projects that led them from their native Las Vegas (and some forgettable four-track stabs at Vocal jazz music), to the early-'90s L.A. rave scene. Drawn in by its youthful idealism, Jordan and Kirkland became absorbed by L.A.'s underground club culture and began knocking out tracks inspired by their experiences. On the strength of one of their demos, The Crystal Method signed to Steve Melrose and Justin King's City of Angels imprint in 1994, and their debut single, Keep Hope Alive, appeared soon after. The title was in reference to L.A.'s waning rave scene (burdened by constant police pressure and a string of random violent incidents) and became something of an anthem due to the endless barrage of remixes and alternate versions that appeared. The pair's demand to be taken seriously as a band (as opposed to the enforced anonymity of most techno acts, and something of a new concept for American dance producers) extended to incessant live performances, and The Crystal Method's increasing popularity both in the clubs and among radio jocks led to a deal with Geffen affiliate Outpost Recordings in 1996. The group's debut LP, Vegas -- an unabashed party record bathed in acid, funk, rock, and big beat hip-hop -- appeared in mid-1997 and sold very well. The follow-up Tweekend was released four years later, and the duo inaugurated a series of mix albums (Community Service) in 2002. Third album Legion of Boom followed in 2004.

The strength of their debut single Keep Hope Alive - now one of the most-remixed dance tracks - saw them signed to Outpost Recordings. Their debut album Vegas was released in 1997 and achieved significant mainstream success with its blend of electronic, rock and hip-hop influences. A re-working of Trip Like I Do featuring rock band Filter appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Spawn and achieved significant radio airplay.

Their second album, Tweekend, was released in 2001, and featured guest appearances from guitarist Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave) and singer Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver). This was followed in 2002 by a mix CD entitled Community Service. Their third studio album, Legion of Boom, followed in 2004, and Community Service II was released in 2005.

The Crystal Method also wrote the score and produced the soundtrack for the film London (2006). And work has begun on a second movie score, After is its current title.

They had 4 songs on the FIFA '98: Road To World Cup Video Game: More, Now Is The Time, Keep Hope Alive and Busy Child. In 2002 The Crystal Method's single Name of the Game was the theme song and featured in the credits of the hit video game Splinter Cell. Also, the track Born Too Slow appeared in the demo and full version of the game Need for Speed: Underground. The PSX game Nitrous Oxide (N2O) features the Vegas album in its entirety as the soundtrack.

In 2008 they teamed up with Nike to release a compilation album, Drive, featuring a 45 minute seamless mix of some of their most famous songs and remixes. This set, with its constant BPM, was aimed at long distance runners. Drive also features some new tracks.

The Crystal Method also wrote the theme tune to the Fox tv series Bones staring David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel and it's become a big dance floor hit in the UK.

Their webpage at thecrystalmethod.com/ links to all their info, dates, and social media.

Here on last.fm, the artist TCM is an alias for The Crystal Method. However, there are also tracks as TCM which are not by The Crystal Method, but by the project TCM which stands for Thimbles, Cowboy & Mr. Ladies. This was a project that created intro's, outro's and interludes for the Dutch Turn Up The Bass House Party compilation CD series. See discogs

Kling to the Wreckage
The Crystal Method Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

"Cross our hearts and hope to die
It just might be the perfect sign"

This is a sad day
The saddest day we've ever known
No, I never thought we'd come so far
Over means that fall so fast

Another car crash by the side of the road
We'll take one more glance till the story is cold
Draw the lines of whats real
Re-imagine the truth
Every fiction turns fact when its running with you

Any hint of trouble there's a camera awaiting
Every way you turn there goes another flash
We cling to the wreckage it's our guilty pleasure
And once you get the hunger then you can't turn back

This is a sad day
The saddest day I've ever known
We swore to hold our heads up high
We swore we'd look away

Another breakdown more fuel on the fire
Its just another bad dance of the sick and the tired
We memorize these lines, pretend that we're friends
With no consequence so we know how it ends

Any hint of trouble there's a camera awaiting
Every way you turn there goes another flash
We cling to the wreckage it's our guilty pleasure
And once you get the hunger then you can't turn back

This is a sad day, this could be the day we say
I will not be a part of this at least just for today
Its hard to pick though, the reaction is mixed
I gotta get some bad news gotta get me a fix
Blur the lines of whats real, re-imagine the truth
Every fiction turns fact when its running with you

Any hint of trouble there's a camera awaiting
Every way you turn there goes another flash

We cling to the wreckage it's our guilty pleasure
And once you get the hunger then you can't turn back

Overall Meaning

The Crystal Method's song "Kling to the Wreckage" is a commentary on our complex relationship with media and the concept of tragedy as entertainment. The opening lines "Cross our hearts and hope to die, it just might be the perfect sign" allude to making promises with serious consequences, but at the same time, considering it the "perfect" way to garner attention. The song speaks about our obsession with tragedy and the way media feeds our hunger for more while blurring the lines between reality and fiction.

The lyrics also mention the "car crash by the side of the road" and how we take "one more glance till the story is cold," highlighting how we consume tragedy as a spectacle, often for our own guilty pleasure. The line "we memorize these lines, pretend that we're friends, with no consequence so we know how it ends" speaks about the way we internalize the news cycle and tragedies as if they were part of our own lives, but ultimately, we are detached from the reality and consequences of these events.

The chorus repeats the theme of clinging to the wreckage, acknowledging that once we get a taste of tragedy, we cannot turn back. The song concludes with a contemplative verse, suggesting that there might be a way out of this cycle. However, it is challenging to break free from the lure of tragedy portrayed in the media and the desire for immediate gratification of our curiosity.

Line by Line Meaning

Cross our hearts and hope to die It just might be the perfect sign
We believe in something so much that we're willing to die for it, and we have faith that this could be a sign of perfection.

This is a sad day The saddest day we've ever known No, I never thought we'd come so far Over means that fall so fast
We're experiencing an extremely sad day, perhaps the saddest we've ever had. It's surprising to think how fast things can change and how quickly we can fall.

Another car crash by the side of the road We'll take one more glance till the story is cold Draw the lines of what's real Reimagine the truth Every fiction turns fact when it's running with you
We're drawn to tragic events like car crashes, and we'll keep looking until we've satisfied our curiosity. We try to distinguish between what's real and what's not, but reality can be distorted by our imagination. Every fiction can become real when we become obsessed with it.

Any hint of trouble there's a camera awaiting Every way you turn there goes another flash We cling to the wreckage it's our guilty pleasure And once you get the hunger then you can't turn back
Whenever there's trouble, there's always someone ready to capture it on camera. We're addicted to the thrill of tragedy, even though it's wrong. Once we get a taste for it, it's hard to stop.

Another breakdown more fuel on the fire Its just another bad dance of the sick and the tired We memorize these lines, pretend that we're friends With no consequence so we know how it ends
Every time there's a breakdown, it just adds more drama to the situation. We're tired of the chaos but can't stop. We pretend to be friendly with those involved, even though we know that it's all just an act and there will be consequences.

This is a sad day The saddest day I've ever known We swore to hold our heads up high We swore we'd look away
It's another extremely sad day, maybe even worse than before. We've promised to be strong and not give in to our temptation to watch tragedy unfold.

This is a sad day, this could be the day we say I will not be a part of this at least just for today Its hard to pick though, the reaction is mixed I gotta get some bad news gotta get me a fix
We may decide that today is the day we won't participate in our addiction to tragedy, but it's difficult to resist. We crave the latest bad news like a drug and need our fix.

Blur the lines of whats real, re-imagine the truth Every fiction turns fact when its running with you
We distort our perception of reality and create our own version of the truth. What we imagine becomes real to us, and it's difficult to distinguish fantasy from reality.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JUSTIN WARFIELD, KENNETH JORDAN, SCOTT KIRKLAND

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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