The bands initial line-up featured Pär Wiksten (vocals, guitars), Christina Bergmark (keyboards, vocals), Stefan Schönfeldt (guitars) and his younger brother Frederick Schönfeldt (bass) with Gunnar Karlsson (drums) and Björn Malmquist (violin). Karlsson was later replaced by Erik Dahlgren.
Early influences included Australian band The Go-Betweens as well as The Sisters Of Mercy.
The band released six studio albums in their 21 year career including the commercially successful Be A Girl (1994) and Bagsy Me (1997).
Part-way through recording their seventh studio album the band officially announced their split in April 2009 with Pär Wiksten going solo.
2020 the band returned together and released the single Can't Kill The Musikk and will tour during 2021.
Ball
The Wannadies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's all a waste of time
Abused or be abused,
A nice degrading cruise,
We hope you'll like it
Lord no, we're having a ball, yeah
We're having a ball, yeah
We're having a ball, yeah
You learn to love and trust,
We show you how to crush
Destroy or be destroyed,
We hope you will enjoy,
It's just the way we like it
Lord no, we're having a ball, yeah
We're having a ball, yeah
We're having a ball, yeah
The more we trust we're used,
The more we love we're bruised
Grow up, grow old and die,
It's all a waste of time,
It's just the way we like it
Lord no, we're having a ball, yeah
We're having a ball, yeah
We're having a ball, yeah
Abused or be abused,
A nice degrading cruise, oh
Destroy or be destroyed,
We hope you will enjoy, joy
Grow up, grow old and die,
It's all a waste of time,
It's the way we like it
Lord no, we're having a ball, yeah
We're having a ball, yeah
We're having a ball, yeah
The Wannadies's song "Ball" is a critique on the societal norms that constrain individuals. The lyrics start by dismissing the idea of the traditional life cycle: grow up, grow old and die, as a waste of time. The band asserts that in reality, people are either abusers or victims, and it's a "nice degrading cruise". The song challenges the listener to question whether this is truly the way they want to live their lives. Nevertheless, the band acknowledges that the system is currently working for them and they are "having a ball".
In the second verse, the Wannadies delve further into the control mechanisms of society, asserting that they instruct individuals how to "love and trust" while simultaneously showing them how to "crush and destroy". In this world, people are either "destroyed or be destroyed" but these are supposed to be activities that individuals find pleasurable. The lyrics end with the same message as the beginning, that growing up and aging is a "waste of time", but at the same time, the Wannadies are having a great time.
Overall, "Ball" exposes the danger of blindly adhering to societal norms and showcases the band's rebellious spirit. The song confronts social expectations and norms, highlighting the tension between the desire to conform and to rebel.
Line by Line Meaning
Grow up, grow old and die,
Life is meaningless and futile, being born and growing old only leads to death
It's all a waste of time
Life is pointless and serves no real purpose
Abused or be abused,
In life, you either victimize or become a victim
A nice degrading cruise,
The journey of life is a descent that celebrates degradation and insignificance
We hope you'll like it
We hope you revel in the degradation and mediocrity of life
Lord no, we're having a ball, yeah
We are indifferent and apathetic to the meaninglessness of life, and we still enjoy it
You learn to love and trust,
Life teaches us to trust and love others
We show you how to crush
But ultimately, we are trained and taught to crush and destroy those same people we love and trust
Destroy or be destroyed,
Life is a zero-sum game, you either destroy or you are destroyed
We hope you will enjoy,
We hope you take as much pleasure in destruction as we do
It's just the way we like it
Life is meaningless and cruel, but we enjoy it anyway
The more we trust we're used,
As we trust people, we become more vulnerable and are likely to be exploited
The more we love we're bruised
The more we love someone, the more we are hurt when that relationship eventually ends
A nice degrading cruise, oh
Once again, life is a journey of insignificance and degradation
We're having a ball, yeah
Despite everything, we are still enjoying life
Grow up, grow old and die,
The cycle of life continues - growing up, getting old, and ultimately leading to death
It's all a waste of time,
Once again, life is meaningless and serves no real purpose
It's the way we like it
We have accepted the meaninglessness of life and learned to enjoy it anyway
Lord no, we're having a ball, yeah
Once again, we are indifferent to the nihilism of life and are having a good time regardless
We're having a ball, yeah
Life may be meaningless, but we are still enjoying it
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Johnhamiltonmusic
Love this tune and the video 🎸😎👍
@gavinblack4980
I love the Wannadies and I love this song, saw them play live in Edinburgh way back in 1998/99 and they played an amazing set, fisrst time ever seing the video for this song that I've listened to way too many times - you guys are amazing, need you to some back and do a tour again!
@gavinblack4980
First, not fisrst, oops^
@simonmccaig2455
What a band!! One of the best live bands I’ve ever seen!
@davidhlavac3704
Great band - shame they're not making records anymore...
@nathanwilding7343
Got my tickets for Norwich next year!!!
@nevehamilton5843
Love this band. He runs with Dinosaur arms at the start btw. Ahaa xx
@PaulRevellCilla
What a tune 😃
@ClaitonNascimento
Great sound...
@DonaldDuck6516
Fantastic !