Gran Turismo (album)
Encyclopedia
Gran Turismo is the fourth studio album by the Swedish
band The Cardigans
, released internationally on October 1, 1998 and in November 1998 in the U.S.
. It features a darker and more moody type of music, mixing with more electronic sounds. In an interview in 2009, producer and sound engineer Tore Johansson
commented on the dark and clean-brushed sound of the record, which sets it apart from the warm, jammy feel of many other recordings made at Tambourine Studios
: "It's a very cold and defined recording, no natural reverb or audio curtains: there's not a sound element on that disc which wasn't deliberately put there."
recorded a version of the song Do You Believe as an extra track for their 2010 album Diamond Eyes
.
My Favourite Game plays during the opening video of the Arcade disc of the racing game Gran Turismo 2
. In the European version, the song was a remix. The song was also used as the song for Formula one
's musical highlights at the end of the 1998 season on ITV
.
Erase/Rewind is featured on the soundtrack in several films, including The Thirteenth Floor
, Never Been Kissed
and Gattaca
.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
band The Cardigans
The Cardigans
The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in the town of Jönköping in October 1992.Their debut album Emmerdale gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan. It was not until their second album Life that an international reputation was secured...
, released internationally on October 1, 1998 and in November 1998 in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It features a darker and more moody type of music, mixing with more electronic sounds. In an interview in 2009, producer and sound engineer Tore Johansson
Tore Johansson
Tore Johansson is a Swedish record producer, composer and musician based in Malmö, Sweden.-Biography:In an interview with HitQuarters, Johansson claimed that the main impetus for his becoming a music producer was the lack of good recording studios in the Malmö area at that time in which to record...
commented on the dark and clean-brushed sound of the record, which sets it apart from the warm, jammy feel of many other recordings made at Tambourine Studios
Tambourine Studios
Tambourine Studios is a recording studio in the centre of Malmö, Sweden. It was set up by members of the Swedish band Eggstone and has been running for 10 years. The studio is best known for The Cardigans albums, which were almost all recorded there. Other bands to have recorded there are Bob Hund,...
: "It's a very cold and defined recording, no natural reverb or audio curtains: there's not a sound element on that disc which wasn't deliberately put there."
Track listing
- "Paralyzed" (Nina PerssonNina Perssonis the lead singer and lyricist for the Swedish pop group The Cardigans. She has also worked as a solo artist, releasing two albums as A Camp and appearing on the tribute album to Serge Gainsbourg entitled Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited...
, Peter SvenssonPeter SvenssonAnders Peter Svensson is a guitarist with the band, The Cardigans.His role in the group is as a guitarist and composer, but he also plays keyboard, vibraphone, and bass guitar, plus he provides some backing vocals...
) – 4:54 - "Erase/RewindErase/Rewind"Erase/Rewind" is a pop rock song written by Peter Svensson and Nina Persson for The Cardigans' 1998 album Gran Turismo. The song is the album's second track, and was released as its second single. It was also featured in The Thirteenth Floor during the ending credits...
" (Persson, Svensson) – 3:35 - "Explode" (Persson, Svensson) – 4:04
- "Starter" (Persson, Svensson) – 3:49
- "Hanging AroundHanging Around (The Cardigans song)"Hanging Around" is a pop rock song written by Peter Svensson and Nina Persson for The Cardigans' 1998 album, Gran Turismo. The song is the album's fifth track, and was released as its third single on July 12, 1999, and charted at #17 on the U.K. Singles Chart...
" (Persson, Svensson) – 3:40 - "Higher" (Persson, Svensson) – 4:32
- "Marvel Hill" (Persson, Magnus SveningssonMagnus SveningssonMagnus Sveningsson is best known as the bassist in the Swedish rock band, The Cardigans, and has also recorded under a solo project entitled Righteous Boy....
, Svensson) – 4:16 - "My Favourite GameMy Favourite Game"My Favourite Game" is an alternative rock song written by Peter Svensson and Nina Persson for The Cardigans' 1998 album Gran Turismo. The song is the album's eighth track, and was released as its first single....
" (Persson, Svensson) – 3:36 - "Do You Believe" (Persson, Svensson) – 3:19
- "Junk of the Hearts" (Persson, Sveningsson, Svensson) – 4:07
- "Nil" (Lars-Olof JohanssonLars-Olof JohanssonLars-Olof Johansson is best known as a member of the alternative rock band The Cardigans. Johansson's role in the band is keyboardist and guitarist. Johansson grew up in the Swedish town of Jönköping. He is also a member of acoustic/country band Up The Mountain.-References:...
) – 2:18
Personnel
- Peter SvenssonPeter SvenssonAnders Peter Svensson is a guitarist with the band, The Cardigans.His role in the group is as a guitarist and composer, but he also plays keyboard, vibraphone, and bass guitar, plus he provides some backing vocals...
- guitar, vocals - Magnus SveningssonMagnus SveningssonMagnus Sveningsson is best known as the bassist in the Swedish rock band, The Cardigans, and has also recorded under a solo project entitled Righteous Boy....
- bass, vocals - Bengt LagerbergBengt LagerbergBengt Lagerberg, , is best known as the drummer in the Swedish rock band The Cardigans. He is currently living in Malmö.The band The Cardigans has toured worldwide and has become very famous for their acclaimed albums Life and First Band on the Moon...
- drums, percussion - Lars-Olof JohanssonLars-Olof JohanssonLars-Olof Johansson is best known as a member of the alternative rock band The Cardigans. Johansson's role in the band is keyboardist and guitarist. Johansson grew up in the Swedish town of Jönköping. He is also a member of acoustic/country band Up The Mountain.-References:...
- keyboards, piano - Nina PerssonNina Perssonis the lead singer and lyricist for the Swedish pop group The Cardigans. She has also worked as a solo artist, releasing two albums as A Camp and appearing on the tribute album to Serge Gainsbourg entitled Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited...
- lead vocals
Singles
- My Favourite Game (10 October 1998, #14 UK)
- Erase/Rewind (28 February 1999, #7 UK)
- Hanging Around (17 July 1999, #17 UK)
- Gran Turismo Overdrive EP (The Cardigans remixed by Nåid) (19 November 1999, released outside the UK)
Album
- Swedish Top 100 Albums: Debuted at #1
- UK Top 200 Albums: #8, spent 92 weeks in the Top 200
- Billboard Top 200 Albums: #151
- GrammisGrammisThe Grammis Awards are the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards. The awards ceremony is generally held each year in February in Stockholm.The awards were established in 1969 and awarded until 1972 when they were cancelled....
Awards 1998: Album of the Year and Pop/Rock Group of the Year. - Certified gold in Sweden.
- Certified platinum in the UK.
- Certified sales of more than 3 millionMillionOne million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...
copies worldwide.
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Flanders Flanders Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp... ) Ultratip 50 Albums Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (BEA IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... ) |
11 |
| Belgium (Wallonia) Ultratop 50 Albums Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (BEA IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... ) |
18 |
| Finland Albums Chart (ÄKT / IFPI Finland IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... ) |
18 |
| France Album Chart (SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... ) |
44 |
| Netherlands Album Chart (GfK GfK The GfK Group, established in 1934 as Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung is Germany's largest market research institute, and the fourth largest market research organisation in the world, after Nielsen Company, Kantar Group, and IMS Health... ) |
27 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... (RIANZ) |
7 |
| Norway Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... (Nielsen SoundScan Nielsen SoundScan Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada... ) |
2 |
| Sweden Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... (SRIA Swedish Recording Industry Association Grammofonleverantörernas förening , or the Swedish Recording Industry Association in English, is an organization representing the music recording industry of Sweden... ) |
1 |
| Austria Albums Chart (Musikmarkt Musikmarkt Musikmarkt is a journal of the music industry in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The magazine is published weekly and contains the weekly Top 100 charts for singles and albums.... ) |
43 |
| United States Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
151 |
| United Kingdom Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... (CIN) |
8 |
Singles
- Swedish Top 100 Singles: "My Favourite Game"; #3, "Erase/Rewind"; #12,
- UK Top 75 Singles: "My Favourite Game"; #14, "Erase/Rewind"; #7, "Hanging Around"; #17
- Billboard Modern Rock Tracks: "My Favourite Game"; #16
- Canadian Singles Chart: "My Favourite Game"; #19
Album title
The album's name is explained by the band on an advanced copy of this CD's track number 15 Explain The Title Of The Album ' Gran Turismo': "The title can be interpreted in many ways but I think we only thought of a few ones we liked" Nina says, "we talked about having like Italian or French title and Gran Turismo came up and it sort of felt really good and you know I can think of music sometimes as tourism and traveling. So to me Gran Turismo is sort of the way to describe music sometimes or spending time with music" Peter says, "and I think that also the title suits this very album extremely well because the album is pretty much about trying to find your place in the world. I think sometimes you can always compare living to being a tourist in the world" Nina finishes.Covers and appearances in other media
Alt-Metal band The DeftonesDeftones
Deftones are an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, founded in 1988. The band consists of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham . Currently Sergio Vega is standing in on bass while Cheng recovers from a car accident...
recorded a version of the song Do You Believe as an extra track for their 2010 album Diamond Eyes
Diamond Eyes
Diamond Eyes is the sixth album by American Alternative metal band Deftones, released worldwide on May 4, 2010 through Warner Bros. and Reprise Records...
.
My Favourite Game plays during the opening video of the Arcade disc of the racing game Gran Turismo 2
Gran Turismo 2
is a driving simulator / racing game for the Sony PlayStation. Gran Turismo 2 was developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in 1999. The games serves as a sequel to Gran Turismo...
. In the European version, the song was a remix. The song was also used as the song for Formula one
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
's musical highlights at the end of the 1998 season on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.
Erase/Rewind is featured on the soundtrack in several films, including The Thirteenth Floor
The Thirteenth Floor
The Thirteenth Floor is a 1999 science fiction film directed by Josef Rusnak and loosely based upon Simulacron-3 , a novel by Daniel F. Galouye...
, Never Been Kissed
Never Been Kissed
Never Been Kissed is a 1999 comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell and starring Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, Michael Vartan, Molly Shannon, Leelee Sobieski, John C. Reilly, Jessica Alba, Marley Shelton, James Franco , Giuseppe Andrews, Jeremy Jordan and Garry Marshall...
and Gattaca
Gattaca
Gattaca is a 1997 science fiction film written and directed by Andrew Niccol. It stars Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law with supporting roles played by Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine, Gore Vidal and Alan Arkin....
.
External links
- Gran Turismo microsite
- The Cardigans' Complete Discography @ Marvelhill 2/6/2007: Link to discography page on Cardigans web site is down.
- The Cardigans' Complete Discography @ Rolling Stone
- IFPI Sweden
- Polyhex UK chart information