As whimsical 90s bands are beginning to be saved in social media sound libraries, the lyrics of “I Thought I Saw Your Face Today” by She & Him and “Summer” by The Sundays are very familiar to TikTok and Instagram reels. When thinking of those songs and bands that have retro influence, artists like Belle & Sebastian, Saint Etienne, and No Doubt come to mind. But particular musicians who are forgotten in this era of music aren’t recognized due to their one-hit wonder being so well-known.
Meet Nina Persson, the lead singer of The Cardigans, on the cover of their 1995 album Life. The Swedish band is known for their bubblegum-pop hit song, “Lovefool”, coming-out previously, not on this particular album. It was catchy when first showcased on Romeo + Juliet, a 90s romcom; the upbeat sound contrasted with the desperate demeanor. The message is quite ironic; most of the songs they generally created are hypnotic with 70s twists on disco. Her loungy voice is what The Cardigans are known for, her swooning, persuasive banter of being pathetically in love; they are seen to be romantic upfront. Phrases gradually become more like “begging” that are based on fantasized actions. According to multiple sources, Persson used to be an ice skater before being a singer, as she is depicted on the front of the album cover.
The sound that’s presented in The Cardigans’, Life, the musicians’ style is candy flossy; pink and blue cotton candy are imagined to bubbly tunes, a loud, unique blend of instruments contrasting with the moodier lyrics. Though an ice skater had no correlation to the meaning of the album, in life, things change at a fast pace with little to no explanation of what happens next, with the mellifluous sound, the lyrics have deeper meaning, and it’s easy to get lost in the careless melody.
“Carnival”: the first track beginning the album, the song begins with a vibraphone, is fast-paced and joyful, but in the lyrics, there is a hidden meaning reminiscing a carnival venue in the summer. A song after striving for clarity after a summer love, with repetitive lines, repeating:
“Gordon’s Garden Party”: a flirtation anthem of an illustration of a refined, high-class party where love has sprung in the most expected ways. This track is a story rendition of Katherine Mansfield’s novel “The Garden Party”, about characters feeling displaced at a part. The main characters in the book are mentioned in the song:
“Daddy’s Car”: A song describing a summer road-trip to multiple places across Europe, while this song is a light-hearted, unserious song that differs from the other tracks. This track is similar from the other ones on this album with self-discovery mementos and themes.
“Sick & Tired”: A negative song about getting sick and tired of an undefined, exhausting relationship. After “Daddy’s Car” summer track, connecting to the relationship being a summer love affair failing due to the summer ending with it. Written in an attic, the isolation metaphor shines in the loss of a purpose.
“Tomorrow”: “Here Where The Story Ends” by The Sundays and “Sylvie” by Saint Etienne are songs that have similar themes of healing. Of healing epiphany, that nothing in not that serious in moment, especially when the thought of losing someone, when:
“Rise & Shine”: The lyrics of this song, stressing the importance of moving on and saying goodbye to a situation that is hard to let go.
“Beautiful One”: Imageric lyrics of adoration of a “wonderboy”, a love song after a love affair of words exchanged, making the relationship stronger through words of romanticism, leaving out a harsh reality.
“Traveling with Charley”: An assistant’s perspective of a fictional character named Charley, who is gradually unsuccessful due to unrequited love, gradually distresses his incompetence. Charley puts on a “brave face”, to hide humiliation and stupidity of rejection of the narrator. The narrator has blind affection and admiration towards the comfort in dysfunctional relationships.
“Fine”: Song yearning for validation in a deep romantic relationship that slowly falls apart, accepting that it’s “fine” to just keep the love running in a metaphorical circles of lies to have the relationship to keep with no progression.
“Celia Inside”: Waiting for a specific relationship to solve itself, narrator wait for clarity. The emotional lyrics scattered to express feelings in hiding:
”Hey, Get Out Of My Way”: The most streamed song out of this whole album, distinguishable artists that were popular at the time were Sixpence None the Richer and No Doubt, creating similar genres of retro influx. The meaning of leaving toxic relationships behind in a shrewd manner, this song stressing that hauling relationships out is the best way to heal.
“After All…”: Reflecting that the narrator was personally responsible for a past relationship’s upbringings and agrees with the victor of finding something wrong due to her own internal self-sabotage.
“Sabbath Bloody Day”: is quite different from the original heavy rock by Black Sabbath. It’s a must-listen for any music lover interested in cross-genres that is unique in sound and lyrically distinguished. As Black Sabbath is a metal-rock 80s band, The Cardigans cover has the same message but a different finesse than what Black Sabbath style of music is.
The vocal work is like no other and the arrangement of instruments melt together to make a catchy and memorable album. The Cardigans had the ability to completely change the sound of an intricate song to something new and creative like no other artist in the 90s that rose in popularity during the time. Life is worth listening to have a compilation of a playlist from 90s memorable bands based on imagery, unique sound and an original aesthetic of dreaming away life.
