=>History
The band was founded in 1978 by then 12-year old singer-songwriter Alex Soria (1966-2004) with his brother Carlos Soria. Other members of the Nils were Jean "Johnny" Lortie and later Alex MacSween on drums (currently with Bionic and Detention), Guy "Chico" Caron (Bass) and Chris Spedding (guitar, keyboards and producer of their debut-album). The band members performed in simple jeans and t-shirt combos like the Ramones and also shared a love for the British punk bands such as Buzzcocks and The Clash.
The band never achieved widespread fame despite critical success and a following among other musicians in the genre. Many famous bands loved the Nils or were directly influenced by them: i.e. The Goo Goo Dolls, Superchunk, or the Meat Puppets.
The Nils' first full-length (self-titled) album was released in 1987 at "Rock Hotel records". But they didn't have big hits outside underground radio also their song-writing had critical success.
The band lasted, in increasingly exhausted form, till the early 1990s, when weariness and drug problems sidelined them.
When the Profile label Rock Hotel subsidiary collapsed shortly after the release of the Nils' self-titled debut, the group went with it.
The two brothers were off the scene for several years but in the late '90s Alex Soria formed the melodic-punk band Chino.
In 1996 the live-recording Green Fields in Daylight by The Nils was released.
There's also a Nils-tribute record called Scratches and Needles (1998, on local label Mag Wheel) that includes contributions by Down by Law and Punchbuggy.
The Nils had a brief reunion in 2003, which led some hope that like other eighties heroes, the Nils would get their due a couple of decades later. But Alex Soria committed suicide in 2004 by throwing himself in front of a moving train.
Daylight
The Nils Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like Green Fields in Daylight
Let's pretend we had mouthfuls
Is my intuition right
It seems that memory is suspended by frames
Of scarred moments that seem to invade
The foundations of an everyday smile
Hello again, I haven't seen you in a while.
The Nils's song "Daylight" is a melancholy track that delves deeply into the complexities of memory, joy, and nostalgia. The opening line "Let's pretend we were joyful" immediately sets the tone for what follows, as we are invited to consider the possibility of a past that may not have been as idyllic as we remember it. The metaphor of "Green Fields in Daylight" invokes a sense of innocence and purity, suggesting that perhaps our memories have been distorted by time and distance. Nevertheless, the singer holds onto the hope that their intuition is right, that there was something truly joyful in that past that they can recapture.
As the song unfolds, we are presented with a complex portrait of memory as something that is "suspended by frames" and "invad[es] the foundations of an everyday smile." Here, we see the darker side of nostalgia, the way that it can distort our perceptions and prevent us from fully embracing the present. The repeated refrain of "On time - daylight / Hello again, I haven't seen you in a while" serves both as a reminder of the transience of time and an acknowledgement of the power of memory to bring us back to a particular moment or feeling.
Overall, "Daylight" is a haunting and thought-provoking song that reminds us of the complex interplay between memory, nostalgia, and joy. It invites us to consider the ways in which our past informs our present and how we can learn to embrace both with grace and acceptance.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's pretend we were joyful
Let's imagine a world where we are happy and carefree
Like Green Fields in Daylight
Our happiness would be as vibrant and alive as green fields basking in the sun
Let's pretend we had mouthfuls
In this imaginary world, we would have everything we need and want, with full bellies and satisfied hearts
Is my intuition right
The artist is questioning if this dream for happiness is realistic and attainable
It seems that memory is suspended by frames
The way memories are stored in our mind is fragmented and pieced together like a series of frames in a movie
Of scarred moments that seem to invade
Traumatic experiences have the power to overpower our happy memories and invade our daily lives
The foundations of an everyday smile
Our ability to find joy in our daily lives is shaken by these negative memories
On time - daylight
But the passing of time can heal these scars and bring back the light of day
Hello again, I haven't seen you in a while.
The artist is greeting an old friend, perhaps representing the return of happiness and joy after a long absence
Contributed by Chase R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.