The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in Jönköping, Sweden in 1992. The main lineup of the band consisted of guitarist Peter Svensson, bassist Magnus Sveningsson, drummer Bengt Lagerberg, keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and lead singer Nina Persson.
Since 2012, the band’s performances have been with Oskar Humlebo on guitar instead of Svensson.
members: Lars-Olof Johansson, Bengt Lagerberg, Nina Persson, Magnus Sveningsson, Peter Svensson
formed in: Jönköping
labels: MCA Inc., MNRK Music Group, Mercury Records, Minty Fresh, Universal Music Group, Stockholm Records
genres: rock music, indie rock, pop rock, power pop, alternative rock
awards: Musikexportpriset
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
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"Lovefool" is a song written by Peter Svensson and Nina Persson for Swedish rock band the Cardigans' third studio album, First Band on the Moon (1996). It was released as the album's lead single on 10 August 1996 in Japan.
In the United States, the song was serviced to radio two days later. A few months after its release, the track was included in the Baz Luhrmann film Romeo + Juliet, helping the song gain international recognition.
Persson wrote the song's lyrics at an airport while waiting for a plane. She later said the song is "quite a sad love song; the meaning of it is quite pathetic, really." She added, "the biggest hits are the ones that are the easiest to write".
The song was a hit in several European countries, reaching number 15 on the Swedish Singles Chart and peaking at number 21 on the UK Singles Chart during its first release in 1996. After it appeared in Romeo + Juliet, it gained international attention, eventually reaching a new peak of number two on the UK Singles Chart following a re-release in April 1997. It then achieved international success, becoming a number-one hit in New Zealand and peaking just outside the top 10 in Australia at number 11. "Lovefool" became a crossover hit in the US after peaking at number nine on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, reaching number two on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. It reached number one on the Top 40/Mainstream chart and number two on the...
Kevin Courtney of Irish Times called the song "a quirky, bittersweet tune about love, loss and lies." Tom Moon of Knight-Ridder Newspapers called it "mercilessly catchy", writing that it "has become a rallying cry for jilted lovers everywhere." Sara Scribner of Los Angeles Times opined that Persson "begs for lies" on an "almost criminally catchy" tune. Bryan Lark of The Michigan Daily called it a "sugary sing-along". Thanos Lolis of Miscellany News called it "three minutes of sparkly, ABBAesque disco, very danceable and very capable of making a global hit." He also called it "catchy kitsch-in-sync". Pan-European magazine Music & Media called it a "trademark Cardigans track", adding, "this energetic mid-tempo single suggests summertime...
Three videos were shot for the song. The first was for Europe—"much more bleak, much more our original style", Persson said. "We had an actor playing a sort of handsome-man-love-interest of mine, and he was supposed to be a kind of gangster and the band played his gang members."
"My Favourite Game" is an alternative rock song written by Peter Svensson and Nina Persson for Swedish band the Cardigans' fourth studio album, Gran Turismo (1998). The song is the album's eighth track and was released as its first single on 14 September 1998.
Lyrically, it is about a failing relationship and the attempt made to better the significant other or save people from themselves.
"My Favourite Game" was written by guitarist Peter Svensson and lead singer Nina Persson during the recording sessions of the band's fourth studio album Gran Turismo between May and July 1998. The song, like the other songs from the album, was recorded in Tore Johansson's newly developed Country Hell recording studio in Skurup, Sweden. Persson started with the chorus, which "married the music so quickly that you couldn't tear them apart". Afterwards she wrote verses to "give the chorus meaning", which enabled her to "cram in a lot of lyrics into the verses" in contrast to other Cardigans songs with fewer lyrics such as "Erase/Rewind".
"My Favourite Game" is an alternative rock song composed in the key of C Minor. It is written in common time and moves at 143 beats per minute. The song is not written in standard verse-chorus form and its instrumentation includes guitar, bass and organ.
Chuck Taylor of Billboard wrote, "This first single from the Swedish outfit's upcoming fourth studio album, "Gran Turismo", is already gaining ground in the U.K. and looks poised to find favor stateside, first at modern rock, then adult top 40 and triple-A. Don't expect the cutesy overtones of "Lovefool"; this track is consistent with the band's more typical rock-fueled roots. Led by a pumped electric guitar hook, fuzzy bass, and a distinctive, pleading vocal from lead singer Nina Persson, the song effuses an overall groovy vibe that should help its crossover to the mainstream side. This record does take a couple spins to get the overall feel, but it's worth the ride once you give it a whirl around the block."
The music video for "My Favourite Game" was directed by Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund. It was filmed over a three-day shoot in the Mojave Desert near Barstow, California, at a reported cost of £220,000. Nina Persson reported on requiring oxygen several times during the shoot, saying the 110 °F (43 °C) temperature was "hot enough for a Swede to fall down."
"Erase/Rewind" is a song written by Peter Svensson and Nina Persson for the Cardigans' fourth studio album, Gran Turismo (1998). The song is the album's second track and was released as its second single in January 1999, reaching number three in Iceland, number seven in Italy and the United Kingdom, and number 12 in Sweden.
It was featured in the 1999 film The Thirteenth Floor during the ending credits. It was also featured in the 1999 film Never Been Kissed when Josie dances with her prom date Guy.
Birmingham Evening Mail wrote, "The Swedish five-piece decrease the tempo slightly for this lilting ballad which is not quite as catchy as 'My Favourite Game' – which spent a massive three months in the UK top 40 – but should still confirm the band as being back in the big time."
The official music video was directed by Swedish director Adam Berg. It features science-fiction references to Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey. At least three versions of the video exist. In one version, the walls which close on the band while performing nearly crush them before a camera pointing at them shuts down. Another version shows the walls stopping and a door opening in front of them. A variant of the latter shows several clips from The Thirteenth Floor during the video. At the end of the video, the band members begin to destroy their musical instruments.