(1) Australian indie rock band the Griswolds became an overnight sensation in their homeland with their catchy tunes, laid-back style, and party-hearty philosophy. Named after Chevy Chase's hapless family in the Vacation movies, the Griswolds were formed in 2012 by singer Christopher Whitehall, guitarist Daniel Duque-Perez, bassist Tim John, drummer Chris Riley, and keyboardist Lachlan West. The band came together after Whitehall and Duque-Perez began working up song ideas together, and one sounded good enough that it deserved a band to play and record it. The band had already begun work on their debut EP when they came up with the name the Griswolds; and when they finished recording the song "Mississippi," they wasted no time posting it online, and the song was promptly embraced by music bloggers. Radio soon followed, and Australian radio powerhouse Triple J put "Mississippi" into regular rotation; it would become their most played song of 2012. After the debut EP, Heart of a Lion, climbed the Australian charts, the Griswolds proved they had the live show to back up their skills in the studio, playing memorable sets at the Big Day Out, Parklife, and Homebake Festivals, and making their first forays into Europe. In May 2013, the group made its American debut with a show in Brooklyn, New York, and they were signed by Wind-Up Records, who issued the EP in the United States as "Mississippi" made its way onto the college radio charts. In early 2014, the Griswolds went into the studio with producer Tony Hoffer to start work on their first full-length album. Their full length debut Be Impressive arrived in August 2014.
http://www.wearethegriswolds.com
(2) Toledo, OH-based brothers Art and Roman Griswold began playing blues together in 1959. In 1997, they released All the Way Down, their third studio album and the only one widely available to date, for the London-based JSP Records. On the recording, Art Griswold plays guitar and sings, while Roman contributes vocals and Hammond B-3 organ.
Both Art and Roman grew up surrounded by the sounds of bent guitar strings and wailing harmonicas. Art got his first guitar at age 17 after a motorcycle wreck laid him up for a few months. He moved to Little Rock, AR and began sitting in with people like Big Moose Walker and others. After moving to Toledo, he became the guitarist for Little Walter Mitchell and honed his craft at a variety of Toledo blues clubs.
Both brothers began their musical education with gospel music, listening to the radio and ordering the latest recordings by Elmore James, Muddy Waters, and others. By 1959, Art was joined in Toledo by his older brother Roman, who had completed a hitch in the armed forces, and quickly made his mark as a harmonica player. Roman hooked up with Art’s band and the Griswolds landed a job at the club Hines Farm, where they had the opportunity to polish their chops backing up touring musicians like Jimmy Ricks, vocalist Little Esther Phillips, Freddie King, and Jimmy McCracklin. Finally, by 1965, Art Griswold opened his own tavern and made his own band the house band, playing six days a week. At this point, Roman began to pick up keyboards, since the lengthy jam sessions were taking their toll on him.
The Griswolds first entered the recording studio in the mid-’60s for the Fortune label in Detroit, where they recorded singles including “Pretty Mama” and “What the Judge Man Did to Me.” Their singles found some airplay on R&B-oriented radio stations, and they began to tour regionally in Detroit, Houston, Memphis, and New Orleans. The Griswolds continued to record (mostly singles) for small labels throughout the ’70s disco boom, but by the ’80s, they recorded and released their first full-length album, Two Aces and a Jack, with Toledo blues singer Big Jack Reynolds; the resulting airplay for the release brought them the chance to jam with Lee Atwater at a fund-raiser for President Reagan.
In 1990, the band, by this point paragons of the Toledo blues scene, recorded a live album, Full Time Blues, for the Highball label. Also in the early ’90s, they released a studio album, The Reel Deal, for the same label. Saxophonist Rick “Big Daddy Cool” Schefdore joined the band in 1991, and he brought a wealth of experience to the group. He wrote two of the songs on All the Way Down and produced the band’s first widely distributed album. Cockeyed World followed in early 2001.
(2) Source: The Grisswolds - (Allmusic) Artist Biography by Richard Skelly
If You Wanna Stay
The Griswolds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To tell me something's about to change
Just another cold embrace
I'm talking like I did yesterday
If you wanna stay
I will never miss you while I'm away
If you wanna stay
There's these crowns upon my faith
To tell me something's about to change
Won't be hard to be replaced
Something better will take the place
There's just something that I've done
That makes me think this is all wrong
There's just something that I've done
Don't you think that we've had enough?
If you wanna stay
I will never miss you while I'm away
If you wanna stay
I will never miss you while I'm away
If you wanna stay
I will never miss you while I'm away
If you wanna stay
I will never miss you while I'm away
If you wanna stay
I will never miss you while I'm away
If you wanna stay
I will never miss you while I'm away
I will never miss you while I'm away
I will never miss you while I'm away
The lyrics to The Griswolds' song "If You Wanna Stay" are open to interpretation, as they could be about a variety of different situations. One possibility could be that the singer is facing some sort of change in their life and is struggling to come to terms with it. They are acknowledging that something is about to shift, and that they are unsure of what's to come. Despite this uncertainty, the singer is reassuring someone - possibly a loved one - that they will never be forgotten even if they have to be apart for a while.
There's a sense of melancholy in the lyrics, as the singer reflects on what they may have done wrong and questions whether they've had enough. This could suggest that they are feeling regret or sadness about some aspect of their life. However, they are still making an effort to be comforting and supportive to someone else. The repeated chorus, "If you wanna stay, I will never miss you while I'm away," acts almost as a mantra or promise to this person that they will always be remembered and cherished.
Overall, the lyrics to "If You Wanna Stay" convey a sense of introspection and vulnerability, as the singer struggles to come to terms with changes in their life while still offering comfort to others.
Line by Line Meaning
There's this light upon my face
I sense something is about to change
To tell me something's about to change
I have a premonition that something is going to happen
Just another cold embrace
I am putting up a front, acting as if everything is okay when it's not
I'm talking like I did yesterday
I am stuck in a cycle and can't seem to move on
There's these crowns upon my faith
I have faith that good things are coming my way
Won't be hard to be replaced
If something or someone leaves, I know there is something better coming along
Something better will take the place
Whatever is lost will eventually be replaced with something better
There's just something that I've done
I have done something wrong and it's weighing heavily on my mind
That makes me think this is all wrong
I am questioning everything as a result of my mistake
Don't you think that we've had enough?
I am questioning the future of our relationship and whether it's worth continuing
If you wanna stay
If you want to continue our relationship
I will never miss you while I'm away
I won't let distance or time apart affect my feelings for you
I will never miss you while I'm away
My love for you is strong enough to withstand any distance or time apart
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER WHITEHALL, DANIEL DUQUE-PEREZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nisa 💙🩺
Sooo good! I've had this on repeat for days. Pretty sure at least 100 of the views are me lol
AmanOU2be
You guys are stupendous for the fact you release your entire album on youtube, let alone how good your music is.
I want that bridge as a ringtone.
Madeleine Roark
Such an awesome band and totally sweet guys too. So stoked for them to be touring with Walk The Moon this spring! On a side note, this song rules.
Ben Wyatt
This is my favorite one from the album. So good
jahnaan
Oolwwlwl
Ashton Beneke
They are so great live.
Sandra Yarrington
sounds like totally 80s music. Anybody that likes that type of music will love it!
kelsie todd
Heard this song on Alt Nation and automatically fell in love with it :)
nina rose
This song is the life of me. I obviously heard "beware the dog" first out of all of their music but as I started to discover more of their music I fell in love immediately. Yaaaaas.
Alfred Mccalla
great song! groovy vibes, it going to mash-up the place.