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The Cardigans is a Swedish band formed in the town of Jönköping in 1992. The band's musical style has varied greatly from album to album and encompasses their early indie leanings passing through 60s-inspired pop and more band-based rock.

Each one of their records has opened a new market and attracted the attention of new audiences. Their debut album Emmerdale (1994) gave them a solid base in their home country and raised some flags abroad, especially in Japan. But it wasn't until their breakthrough second album Life (1995) that international audiences and critics responded. The band is perhaps best known for their international hit single "Lovefool", from the album First Band on the Moon (1996). Its inclusion in the soundtrack of William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet by director Baz Luhrmann secured their popularity. Although some might consider them a one-hit wonder, the band has had international success after that with the singles "My Favourite Game" and "Erase/Rewind", both from the album Gran Turismo.

Members

• Peter Svensson - lead guitar
• Magnus Sveningsson - bass
• Bengt Lagerberg - drums
• Lars-Olof "Lasse" Johansson - keyboards and guitar
• Nina Persson - vocals

History

Peter Svensson and Magnus Sveningsson, both heavy metal musicians, formed the group in October of 1992 in Jönköping, Sweden, with drummer Bengt Lagerberg, keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and lead singer Nina Persson. Living together in a small apartment, The Cardigans recorded a demo tape which record producer Tore Johansson heard, leading to an invitation to record at a studio in Malmö. In 1994 they released their debut album, Emmerdale in Sweden and Japan (it was re-released internationally in 1997). The album includes the Swedish radio hit "Rise & Shine" and was later voted the best of 1994 in a poll in Slitz magazine.

The rest of 1994 was spent touring Europe and recording Life, which was released worldwide in 1995. Life became an international success, selling more than a million copies and achieving platinum status in Japan. In 1996 Life was released under the label Minty Fresh in the U.S., but this release was essentially a compilation of tracks from Emmerdale and Life. Life was perhaps a satirical riposte to the first album, and saw the band move in a more avant-garde direction in terms of arrangements and artwork.

After their success with Life, The Cardigans signed to Mercury Records, under which they released First Band on the Moon worldwide in 1996. With this album, the band had developed into a more complex, darker animal, the songs included themes of heartbreak, infidelity and despair. "Lovefool" was a hit across the globe, especially in the United States and again in Japan, where the album reached platinum in only three weeks. However, it was unrepresentative of the album as a whole and, although it helped it achieve gold sales status in America, many critics branded them saccharine soft-pop on the basis of "Lovefool".

1998's Gran Turismo was darker and more moody, and was followed by a long hiatus during which the band members pursued solo side projects. The same year they also released a compilation of rare B-sides called The Other Side of the Moon as a Japan-only release which makes this album somewhat rare outside Japan.

During the break that followed, Nina Persson released an album as A Camp and the Cardigans recorded a duet cover of Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House" with Tom Jones on his album Reload, Peter Svensson worked on the project Paus with help from Joakim Berg from Kent, and Magnus Sveningsson recorded as Righteous Boy. The Cardigans returned in 2003 with Long Gone Before Daylight, a quieter, more ambient collection of songs mainly written by Nina Persson and Peter Svensson.

The band finished recording their sixth album, Super Extra Gravity, in May 2005, which was released to major critical acclaim on October 19 2005.

Discography

Albums

• Emmerdale (1994) - re-released in the U.S. in 1999
• Life (1995) - UK chart peak: #51. 31 weeks in the UK top 200 albums chart. Re-released in the U.S. in 1996.
• First Band on the Moon (1996). UK peak: #18. 41 weeks in the UK top 200 albums chart. 2.5 million sales worldwide. Certified Platinum in both Japan and the United States, Gold in the UK.
• The Other Side of the Moon (1997) - B-side and rarities compilation released only in Japan and Australia
• Gran Turismo (1998). UK peak: #8. 92 weeks in the UK top 200 albums chart. Certified Platinum in UK, Japan, and Gold in the US.
• Long Gone Before Daylight (2003) - re-released in the U.S. in 2004
• Super Extra Gravity - (2005) #1 Sweden

Singles

• "Rise & Shine" (1994) - Originally released in Sweden only, re-recorded and reissued for Sweden, Japan and UK in 1995 and for Europe in 1996 (#29 UK)
• "Black Letter Day" (1994) - released in Sweden and Japan only
• "Sick & Tired" (1994) (#34 UK)
• "Carnival" (1995) (#35 UK)
• "Hey! Get Out of My Way" (1995) - released in Europe and Japan only
• "Lovefool" (1996) - Reissued internationally in 1997 (#21 UK (original release), #2 UK (1997 remix))
• "Been It" (1996) - released in Europe and Australia. Later released in the U.S. in 1997 (#56 UK)
• "Your New Cuckoo" (1996) - released in Japan. Reissued in Europe and Australia in 1997 (#35 UK)
• "My Favourite Game" (1998) (#14 UK)
• "Erase/Rewind" (1999) (#7 UK)
• "Hanging Around" (1999) (#17 UK)
• "Junk Of The Hearts" (1999)
• "For What It's Worth" (2003) (#31 UK)
• "You're The Storm" (2003) (#74 UK)
• "Live and Learn" (2003)
• "I Need Some Fine Wine And You, You Need To Be Nicer" (2005) (#3 Sweden, #59 UK)
• "Don't Blame Your Daughter (Diamonds)" (out 23rd January 2006)

External links and references

• Official website
• The Cardigans Country - a fan site with news, discography, lyrics database, and more.
• The Very Best Cardigans Website Ever - a fan site with complete discography, album specials and more.
• Live photos of Nina Persson and A Camp
• The Cardigans @ MTV.com
• Interview with the band

• Swedish musical groups
• Rock music groups