1996-2001: Hollywood Records years
In 1995 the band signed to Hollywood Records, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. 1996 saw the release of their first album, Destruction by Definition. Its blend of punk rock and ska brought the national attention in the midst of the mid-1990s punk rock mainstream revival. The single "No Face" became a minor hit on modern rock radio stations and the album was supported through extensive touring across the United States. They released a follow-up in 1998 entitled Battle Hymns, which continued their ska punk style while incorporating more aggressive elements of hardcore punk, with nearly all of its songs lasting under two minutes in length.
Following the release of Battle Hymns Grant left the band. He went on to play with numerous groups including Thoughts of Ionesco, The Vandals, face to face, and Telegraph before finding a permanent position in the Alkaline Trio. He was replaced by Erin Pitman for some touring before new permanent drummer Ryan Vandeberghe joined. In 2000 this lineup released The Suicide Machines, a more pop rock oriented effort that moved away from the ska influences of their earlier releases. They received some radio and video play for the single "Sometimes I Don't Mind" and performed on the Warped Tour that Summer. In 2001 they released Steal This Record, which continued their exploration of pop punk style while mixing in elements of their earlier ska punk and hardcore albums.
2002-2005: Side One Dummy years
Following touring in support of Steal This Record bassist Nunley left The Suicide Machines to start his own band, Blueprint 76, and was replaced by Rich Tschirhart. The band also ended their contract with Hollywood Records, fulfilling their contractual obligations by releasing the compilation album The Least Worst of the Suicide Machines. They then moved to the independent label Side One Dummy Records. Their next album A Match and Some Gasoline, released in 2003, found the band abandoning the pop experimentations of their previous two albums and returning more to the ska punk and hardcore styles of their earlier years. They also began to explore sociopolitical themes in songs such as "Did You Ever Get a Feeling of Dread?" and "Your Silence," which were critical of President George W. Bush's administration, its response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They toured internationally in support of the album and again performed on the Warped Tour.
In 2005 the band released the album War Profiteering is Killing Us All, which continued their political themes by openly attacking the Bush White House, the continuation of the Iraq War, and conservative Republicanism. Navarro also launched his own record label, Noise Riot Records, and released On the Eve of Destruction: 1991-1995, a compilation of the band's early EPs, singles, and demos.
2006: Breakup and post-Suicide Machines activity
In 2006, while touring in support of War Profiteering is Killing Us All, the band abruptly broke up. Explanations given by the band members for this included Vandeberghe's desire to take a break from touring, which he did while friend Steve McCrumb filled for a performance at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on May 11. A tour of Mexico had been planned to follow this, and Navarro had suggested that the band perform its final shows that Christmas. However, interpersonal tensions came to a head after the Troubadour show when Lukacinsky refused to finish the tour. Lukacinsky himself further elaborated that the band had been planning to break up for some time.
Following the band's breakup, Navarro and Vandeberghe continued working with Left in Ruin, a band they had started as a Suicide Machines side project and had worked on and off with for almost 6 years. Vandeberghe also joined the new band Hifi Handgrenades. Lukacinsky, meanwhile, started his own band Bayonetting the Wounded. Navarro is currently fronting Hellmouth. Tschirhart is in The A-Gang.
Permanent Holiday
The Suicide Machines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll drop what I'm doing, it's okay, I'm going on a permanent holiday
Well I left a note saying I'll be gone for a long time, yeah a long, long time
It's gonna take a lot to bring me back now
I won't spend another day in this heart-attack city
It's messed up here and everything's money
Those well-heeled boys that think they're so funny
Well just today I was forced to say I'm going on a permanent holiday
I'll drop what I'm doing, it's okay, I'm going on a permanent holiday
Well I told them all I wasn't coming back for a long time, yeah a long, long time
Well everything's fad and as for the fame well everything's got it's 15 minutes
I've no idea where it all went bad
But I guess you can't tell until you get down in it
I told them all I wasn't coming back
Well maybe I'll go to France or maybe Spain
'Cause the work that they do here is the kind that numbs my brain
I need to get away and I'm never coming back 'cause my mind just turned off and my body's out of whack
Va ¨C Ca ¨C Tion!
Well just today I was forced to say I'm going on a permanent holiday
I'll drop what I'm doing, it's okay, I'm going on a permanent holiday
Just today I was forced to say I'm going on a permanent holiday
I'll drop what I'm doing, it's okay, I'm going on a permanent holiday
Well I left a note saying I'll be gone for a long time
The Suicide Machines’s song “Permanent Holiday” is about breaking free from the monotony of daily life and taking a permanent vacation. The lyrics express a desire to leave the stresses of life behind, to escape to a place where the work that they do isn't numbing and where things aren't solely based around money. The tone of the song is a rebellious one, with the singer proclaiming that they won’t spend another day in the heart-attack city that they are currently residing in.
The song speaks to a widespread feeling of ennui and disillusionment with the way things are; it addresses the drag of monotony and the desire for something new and different. The line “I’ve no idea where it all went bad” would seem to be a reference to the fact that life is short and the singer is regretful for not having made the necessary changes earlier.
In summary, this song speaks to the need to escape from the chains of society and to live a life free from the restraints of daily routine. It's a song about rebellion, realization, and the need for something completely new.
Line by Line Meaning
Well just today I was forced to say I'm going on a permanent holiday
I had to inform others that I am leaving indefinitely
I'll drop what I'm doing, it's okay, I'm going on a permanent holiday
I will abandon my current obligations without consequence because I am leaving for good
Well I left a note saying I'll be gone for a long time, yeah a long, long time
I left behind a message indicating that I will be away for an extended period
It's gonna take a lot to bring me back now
It will require significant effort to convince me to return
I won't spend another day in this heart-attack city
I refuse to remain in this high-risk and stressful environment
It's messed up here and everything's money
This place is chaotic and corrupted by wealth
Those well-heeled boys that think they're so funny
The wealthy and privileged individuals who believe themselves to be amusing
Well I told them all I wasn't coming back for a long time, yeah a long, long time
I informed everyone that I have no intention of returning in the foreseeable future
Well everything's fad and as for the fame well everything's got it's 15 minutes
This society's obsessions with trends and temporary attention are frivolous
I've no idea where it all went bad
I am uncertain when things deteriorated
But I guess you can't tell until you get down in it
One cannot comprehend the extent of the issue until they experience it firsthand
Well maybe I'll go to France or maybe Spain
Perhaps I will choose to travel to France or Spain
'Cause the work that they do here is the kind that numbs my brain
I need to escape work that is mundane and mind-numbing
I need to get away and I'm never coming back 'cause my mind just turned off and my body's out of whack
I must leave to avoid damaging my mental and physical health and have no intention of returning
Va ¨C Ca ¨C Tion!
Vacation!
Just today I was forced to say I'm going on a permanent holiday
I had to announce that I am leaving forever
I'll drop what I'm doing, it's okay, I'm going on a permanent holiday
I will abandon my current responsibilities without consequence because I am departing permanently
Well I left a note saying I'll be gone for a long time
I left a written message informing others of my extended absence
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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