1. The Margarets are … Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple bands called The Margarets:
1. The Margarets are a Norwegian pop band consisting of Alex Rinde (lead vocal), Ante Giskeødegård (vocal & rythm guitar), Rune Berg (electric guitar & vocal), Lars Berg (bass), Klaus Robert Blomvik (drums) and Ronnie M.A.G. Larsen for the percutions. The group was formed on the island of Giske, west coast of Norway, in 1991.
"We drive over the bridge in the dusk. I ask Alex when Giske became connected to the mainland. He answers that the bridge opened the same fall that The Smiths released "Strangeways, Here We Come".
That's how it goes. Everything can be traced back to an album, a song, a refrain. All shining moments have their soundtracks.
It's a December day and the colors refuse to plant themselves in the landscape, and the light hesitates to come forward. From the airplane window Giske looks like a ball someone has kicked into the ocean. It seems like the island is floating aimlessly in the wind. I stare down at Giske and think how so many songs are about streets, avenues, and towns.
I can imagine Muddy Waters recording Hootchie Cootchie Man in Chicago. I see Elvis getting on the Mystery Train in Memphis. And more: Martha & the Vandellas dancing in the streets of Detroit, the Fab Four crossing Abbey Road. Even more: Van Morrison returning to Hyndford Street in Belfast, Paddy McAloon tipping his hat in greeting to Manhattan.
The roads on Giske must have shrunk in the rain. There's not enough space for more than one car at a time. People politely drive over on the side of the road and wave as they pass by. Everybody knows everybody here. The world is small and flat. This is not The Motor City. This is not Beat Street. This is not Rock City.
But the bridge is the rope that keeps Giske from floating away. And with the bridge came Margaret buzzing along in the mail truck. The post woman who made the world a bigger place. She who placed Manchester, Glasgow, London, and Liverpool in the mailboxes. Packages of records that got four boys to lose themselves and to find a name: The Margarets.
The headlights search in the evening light for the fisherman's cabin down by the furniture factory. It was here that these songs came to life. It was here they came out kicking in between sunbathing, crabbing, and eating potato balls. Since then, the songs have grown up in Halden, Malmö, and New York City.
I think that it makes sense. It works like that when a post woman opens up the world for you. If your heart finds the right beat. If the songs mean so much that you just have to sing or pick up an electric guitar. Then your island detaches, and moves out west to 6th Avenue.
London can yell. Manchester has a lot to answer for. Atlantic City lights up and calls you in. Nashville has a cheating heart. Giske is a melodrama if you just open your car door: Thunderclouds, blinding rainstorms, a closed airport, a great big sky, and mailboxes with lead weights so packages of records won't blow away.
We drive around the island late in the evening. Seeing the lights from Aalesund. Seeing the light from the Alnes lighthouse, and the flash from the top of the radio tower that Ante brags about climbing all the way up. The houses in Giske have huddled together, as if to keep warm in the rain.
I think that the rain also has a light in itself. The dark has a light in itself. The house calls with yellow windows and all that's to be found inside: Family pictures, coffee drinking, laughter, chatter, postcards, pop songs. All of the simple things that make it the heart. To find this house. To drive down to the wharf. To hear these songs. It's a sort of homecoming. It is an amazing feeling of knowing you're welcome. To zoom over the bridge and drive right home."
2. The Margarets are a Swedish indie pop band.
UNIVERSAL LOVE
The Margarets Lyrics
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The cold nights, the silence, and your fears
What did you loose? What did you find?
When you find the time, please, send us a sign
Universal love, coming from above
Universal love, coming from above
The way you move me on a dead end street
Sounds of sirens tears the night in two
Have we failed to see your point of view?
In the rush of the city, lovers long meet
The way you move me on a dead end street
Sounds of sirens tears the night in two
Have we failed to see your point of view?
Universal love, coming from above
Universal love, coming from above
You're more important than you know
Take my hand, when will you understand
You're heaven sent
The Margarets' "Universal Love" is a song that invites us to reflect on the power of love in its purest, most all-encompassing form. The lyrics speak to the idea that love is a universal force that transcends boundaries of time, space, and even individual differences. The song begins with a poignant image of someone walking through a lonesome desert for years, facing the cold nights, the silence, and their fears. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for a person's internal struggles and loneliness, as they try to find their way in life. The lyrics then invite the person to send a sign when they find the time, suggesting that the idea of universal love is not something that can be forced, but rather discovered through a personal journey of introspection.
The second part of the song shifts to the rush of the city, where lovers meet on a dead-end street amidst the sounds of sirens tearing the night in two. This creates a jarring contrast with the imagery of the desert, highlighting the disconnect that exists between people and the environment around them. The lyrics suggest that this disconnect is significant and that we have failed to see each other's point of view. However, the song reminds us that this disconnect can be bridged by love, that we are all more important than we think, and that we are heaven-sent.
Overall, "Universal Love" encourages us to embrace love in all its forms, to recognize its power to unite us and to transform our lives. It invites us to reflect on our own personal journey towards discovering love, while also acknowledging the importance of connecting with others and seeing the world from a broader perspective.
Line by Line Meaning
You've been walking in the lonesome deserts for years
You've been alone in isolation for a long time.
The cold nights, the silence, and your fears
You've been scared and disconnected in the nights.
What did you loose? What did you find?
What have you lost or gained in your journey?
When you find the time, please, send us a sign
Please let us know about your journey.
Universal love, coming from above
Love that transcends worldly boundaries.
In the rush of the city, lovers long meet
Amidst chaos and hustle, lovers unite.
The way you move me on a dead end street
You make me feel alive amidst monotony.
Sounds of sirens tears the night in two
The noise of city life is disturbing and damaging.
Have we failed to see your point of view?
We might be missing the bigger picture.
You're more important than you know
You are significant.
Take my hand, when will you understand
I'm here for you, please know that.
You're heaven sent
You are a blessing.
Contributed by Alexis F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
David Johnsen
Im going back to Ålesund today for the first time since i had to move.. The margarets talked to me that day and the whole winter, and now today. My soul is gonna tear apart when i enter town 💔 But luckily i have support, thanks Margarets 🙏