The Cardigans

Released: March 24, 2003

Songwriter: Peter Svensson Nina Persson

Producer: The Cardigans Per Sunding

[Verse 1]
I went too far, yes I came too close
I drove away the one that I loved the most
Now I ride the tide on a boat made of sand
I'm sailing for another to guide me to land

[Chorus]
And lead me into the night
Please drive away the light
'Cause I've been blinded by glitter and gold
My eyes need to rest from this light
And sleep well at night

[Verse 2]
I traveled east and I traveled west
And I found a boy with a heart on his chest
I ran aground, my ship left to rust
Yes, I found a guide in the city of lust

[Chorus]
To lead me into the night
Oh, please drive away the light
Although my mother will never understand
I walk with him away from the light
And into the night

[Bridge]
Oh you, you, you, it's gotta be you
You, oh you, it's gotta be you
True, true, it's true, it's gotta be you
You, oh you, it's gotta be you
To lead me into the night

[Verse 3]
Well, I went too far and I came too close
I drove away the first one and now he's a ghost
Then I went adrift on a boat made of sand
It was leaking like a sieve but I made it to land

[Chorus]
He leads me into the night
He drives away the light
He makes the darkness seem bright
And walks with me into the night
Away from the light

One of the most pleasing pop groups of the ‘90s, the Cardigans specialized in sugary confections that would grow annoying very quickly if they weren’t backed by solid musicianship and clever arrangements. The band’s 1995 breakout album, Life, reflected the Cardigans at their most saccharine – the sunny disposition of vocalist Nina Persson being the major argument in favor – and critics inserted the group into the space age pop revivalist camp. the Cardigans later proved that they were more difficult to pigeonhole, however.

Even the band’s origins showed that their later appearance was quite misleading; two heavy metal fanatics formed the group in October 1992 in Jonkoping, Sweden. Guitarist Peter Svensson met bassist Magnus Sveningsson in a hardcore group, though he had previously trained in music theory and jazz arranging. The two later grew tired of metal and decided to form a pop band with vocalist Nina Persson – an art-school friend who had never sung professionally – plus keyboard player Lars-Olof Johansson and drummer Bengt Lagerberg.

All five Cardigans moved into a small apartment in 1993 and began recording a demo tape that entered the hands of producer Tore Johansson later that year. He liked what he heard and invited the group to record at his Malmö studio. Signed to the dance-oriented Stockholm label, the Cardigans released Emmerdale in May 1994. The single “Rise & Shine” became a hit on Swedish radio soon after the release of the LP, and a readers poll in Sweden’s Slitz magazine voted Emmerdale the best album of 1994.

more tracks from the album

Long Gone Before Daylight

From the album

Long Gone Before Daylight (2003)

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Lead Me Into the NightThe Cardigans

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Long Gone Before Daylight