"My Favourite Game" is an
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
song written by
Peter Svensson
Anders Peter Svensson is a Swedish record producer, songwriter, and musician. He is the main songwriter and guitarist of the band the Cardigans.
He started playing guitar at the age of eight, and in his teens he went on to play with local bands ...
and
Nina Persson
Nina Elisabet Persson (; born 6 September 1974) is the lead singer and lyricist for the Swedish rock band The Cardigans. She has also worked as a solo artist, releasing two albums as A Camp and one under her own name, and has also appeared as a ...
for Swedish band
the Cardigans
The Cardigans is a Swedish rock band formed in Jönköping, Sweden, in 1992 by guitarist Peter Svensson, bassist Magnus Sveningsson, drummer Bengt Lagerberg, keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and lead singer Nina Persson. Post-hiatus shows since 2 ...
' 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" found minor international success, reaching number three in Sweden and number 14 in the UK. It also charted within the top 40 in several European countries and New Zealand. While it failed to chart on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and its
radio counterpart, it peaked at number 16 on the ''Billboard''
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart.
The accompanying music video was directed by
Jonas Åkerlund
Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund (; born 10 November 1965) is a Swedish film director, screenwriter, music video director, and drummer. His video for Madonna's song "Ray of Light" won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form, and a record of fiv ...
and features Persson joydriving on a desert road. It caused controversy due to its imagery of car crashes and reckless driving, and resulted it being recut to tone down the violence and appear on music channels. The song is featured in the 1999 video game ''
Gran Turismo 2
''Gran Turismo 2'' is a 1999 racing game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It is the sequel to '' Gran Turismo''. It was well-received critically and financially, shipping 1.71&nbs ...
''.
Songwriting, recording and production
"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
Tore Johansson (born 6 November 1959) 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 ...
's newly developed Country Hell recording studio in
Skurup
Skurup is a locality and the seat of Skurup Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of Swe ...
, 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 less lyrics such as "
Erase/Rewind
"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 1999, reaching number three in Ice ...
".
Before recording on the song commenced, Svensson presented the song to producer
Tore Johansson
Tore Johansson (born 6 November 1959) 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 ...
by playing the track on acoustic guitar. Although the song was originally taking shape as a slow country/rock shuffle,
[Liner album notes from Best Of The Cardigans. January 2008.] similar in style to
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...
's "
Old Man",
the tempo was doubled upon request of Tore Johansson.
Svensson declared that this helped as the band knew the song "was a single, but it wasn't working at first" under "the shuffle beat at half the tempo".
It was soon after changing the musical direction of the song when the song's distinctive guitar hook evolved.
Both the drum and guitar parts were recorded in a "'70s-style dry room"
while the vocals were recorded in the attic of the studio.
Even though the drums were recorded using
analogue tape compression, the rest of the song's production, including the "fat fuzzy bass line" and the
coda
Coda or CODA may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* Movie coda, a post-credits scene
* ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television
*''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...
, was completed using
Pro Tools 24.
Structure and lyrics
"My Favourite Game" is an alternative rock song composed in the key of C Minor.
[Sheet music for "My Favourite Game". ]Hal Leonard Publishing
HAL may refer to:
Aviation
* Halali Airport (IATA airport code: HAL) Halali, Oshikoto, Namibia
* Hawaiian Airlines (ICAO airline code: HAL)
* HAL Airport, Bangalore, India
* Hindustan Aeronautics Limited an Indian aerospace manufacturer of fig ...
. 2005. It is written in
common time
The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...
and moves at 143
beats per minute
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery ( ...
.
The song is not written in standard
verse-chorus form and its instrumentation includes guitar, bass and
organ.
The lyrics deal with a failing relationship, summed up by Persson as "fucking up in love", and the subsequent desire to change the loved one "to suit themselves better or save people from themselves".
[Cardigans Don Trip-Hop Trappings For New Album]
MTV Svensson commented how this concept "isn't always a good idea, like when women stay in a relationship with a man that beats them because they think he'll be better someday".
The song is driven by its two-note guitar riff which is the basis of the "electro-rock powerhouse".
Its verses are significantly faster than the slow, bass-heavy chorus where the drums run at half-time.
Critical reception
Chuck Taylor of ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' 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
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
Radio format
Mod ...
, then adult top 40 and triple-A. Don't expect the cutesy overtones of "
Lovefool
"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 in Sweden in mid-1996 and on 9 September 1 ...
"; 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
Nina Elisabet Persson (; born 6 September 1974) is the lead singer and lyricist for the Swedish rock band The Cardigans. She has also worked as a solo artist, releasing two albums as A Camp and one under her own name, and has also appeared as a ...
, 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."
Chart performance
Worldwide, "My Favourite Game" was the most commercially successful single from ''Gran Turismo''. Peaking at number sixteen in
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, it became the album's only single and the band's second single to enter the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
since their breakthrough hit,
Lovefool
"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 in Sweden in mid-1996 and on 9 September 1 ...
that peaked at number nine.
In Sweden, it debuted at number twenty-one on the Swedish Top 100 Singles Chart and peaked at number three in November 1998. It spent at total of eighteen weeks in the chart. In the United Kingdom, it debuted and peaked at number 14 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
Music video
The
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
for "My Favourite Game" was
directed
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''Di ...
by Swedish director
Jonas Åkerlund
Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund (; born 10 November 1965) is a Swedish film director, screenwriter, music video director, and drummer. His video for Madonna's song "Ray of Light" won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form, and a record of fiv ...
. It was filmed over a three-day shoot in the
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...
near
Barstow, California
Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. Located in the Inland Empire region of California, the population was 25,415 at the 2020 census. Barstow is an important crossroads for the I ...
, at a reported cost of
£220,000. Nina Persson reported on requiring oxygen several times during the shoot, saying the temperature was "hot enough for a Swede to fall down."
[
The video opens with a scene of lead singer Nina Persson, at the side of a desert road, trying to find a suitable rock. Meanwhile, the radio DJ, who is heard from the car radio, warns drivers that desert temperatures are very hot that day so they must remember to drive safely. When Persson finds a rock, she walks over to her car, a dark blue 1974 ]Cadillac Eldorado
The Cadillac Eldorado is a luxury car manufactured and marketed by Cadillac from 1952 until 2002 over twelve generations.
The Eldorado was at or near the top of the Cadillac line. The original 1953 Eldorado convertible and the Eldorado Brougham ...
convertible, places it on the accelerator to keep the pedal down and drives off as the song begins. During the video, she weaves back and forth onto the wrong side of the road, forcing many other drivers off the road and causing some to crash in the process. At one point in the video, she throws the Felix the Cat
Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in 1919 by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer during the silent film era. An anthropomorphic black cat with white eyes, a black body, and a giant grin, he was one of the most recognized cartoon charac ...
stuffed toy out of the car which was then run over by another car. In some versions of the video, the Felix the Cat doll is blurred out. At one stage of the video, she is also depicted using her feet to steer the steering wheel. There is a large and colourful tattoo on Persson's arm that was added for the video which can be seen rubbing off on the car seat as the video progresses. She also drives at pedestrians causing them to jump out of the way while driving through a small town. At the beginning of the last chorus, she turns the car around and drives back down the road where she caused so much destruction. Towards the end of the song, she stands up in the car seat, leaving the car driving seemingly in a steerless mode and heading into a collision course
{{wiktionary
A collision course, also known as a ''kamikaze run'', is the deliberate maneuver by the operator of a moving object (or often in Sci-Fi a spaceship) to collide with another object. It is a desperate maneuver since it often damages ...
with an oncoming van, containing the other members of The Cardigans, with drummer Bengt Lagerberg
The Cardigans is a Swedish rock band formed in Jönköping, Sweden, in 1992 by guitarist Peter Svensson, bassist Magnus Sveningsson, drummer Bengt Lagerberg, keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and lead singer Nina Persson. Post-hiatus shows since ...
as the driver. While the van's occupants react in horror, she calmly stretches out her arms and makes a cruciform
Cruciform is a term for physical manifestations resembling a common cross or Christian cross. The label can be extended to architectural shapes, biology, art, and design.
Cruciform architectural plan
Christian churches are commonly described ...
for a moment before the two vehicles collide as the song ends. The DJ sounds the State Patrol's warning "on a high-speed out-of-control vehicle on Route 666
666 may refer to:
* 666 (number)
* 666 BC, a year
* AD 666, a year
* The number of the beast, a reference in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament
Places
* 666 Desdemona, a minor planet in the asteroid belt
* U.S. Route 666, an America ...
" and passes on to commercial.
There are four different outcomes of the car crash at the end of the uncensored video. In ending one, Persson's body goes flying out of her car into the air and over the van roof where she is then depicted as being dead on the road. In ending two, she also flies over the van roof, except she tries to pick herself off the ground but gets knocked out by the rock that was used to keep the car pedal down. In ending three, she also flies out of the car and over the van roof except she manages to pick herself up from the ground and walks away from the accident, and wipes the blood away from her face (this version is censored). In ending four, Persson is depicted being decapitate
Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...
d by the top of her car windscreen and a mannequin head is seen in the next shot, rolling along the road. In the fifth edition, it is censored all out, along with the car crashes, and Nina still is in the car, bloodless, driving and nodding along to the radio.
Controversy
The music video caused much controversy when it was first released. Many European channels, including MTV UK
MTV is a British pay television channel focusing on reality TV and music programming operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia.
The channel launched as part of MTV Networks Europe localisation strategy in 1997. MTV UK (previously MTV UK & I ...
, only played an edited version of the video where all of the car crashes and depictions of reckless driving were removed despite director Jonas Åkerlund's attempts to meet the censorship standards by making five differently edited cuts of the video with varying degrees of violence and blood.["'Cardigans 'Game' video flunks crash test'". ]USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
. Friday 16 October 1998. The reason MTV UK rejected the video was because of fears that the video could encourage joyriding and cause car accidents amongst teenage drivers, so ending five was most played on MTV UK
MTV is a British pay television channel focusing on reality TV and music programming operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia.
The channel launched as part of MTV Networks Europe localisation strategy in 1997. MTV UK (previously MTV UK & I ...
. A more graphic cut was shown on the Cardigans website on a one-time-only basis four days before the single's release.[ But, in the U.S., the music channels were noticeably less restrictive as many of them either played the completely uncensored version of the video or a slightly censored version with only a few of the car crashes removed.
Despite the controversy, the music video managed to debut at number twenty-nine on ]MuchMusic
Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults.
MuchMusic launched on August 31 ...
's ''Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
'' in October 1998 and peaked at number twenty-three on 27 November. Also, the video has appeared on many "Greatest Music Video" lists including ranking at 68 in ''Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
's'' "100 Greatest Music Videos" sharing the position with U.N.K.L.E's "Rabbit in Your Headlights
"Rabbit in Your Headlights" is a song by British electronic duo Unkle. It was released as the lead single from their debut album '' Psyence Fiction'' (1998). The song features vocals from Radiohead singer Thom Yorke.
The song was written by Y ...
", and ranking 95 in Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's "100 Greatest Pop Videos".
Formats and track listings
All songs were written by Nina Persson
Nina Elisabet Persson (; born 6 September 1974) is the lead singer and lyricist for the Swedish rock band The Cardigans. She has also worked as a solo artist, releasing two albums as A Camp and one under her own name, and has also appeared as a ...
and Peter Svensson
Anders Peter Svensson is a Swedish record producer, songwriter, and musician. He is the main songwriter and guitarist of the band the Cardigans.
He started playing guitar at the age of eight, and in his teens he went on to play with local bands ...
except "Sick & Tired", written by Magnus Sveningsson
Magnus Sveningsson (born Johan Magnus Sveningsson on 4 April 1972 in Falköping)
is best known as the bassist in the Swedish rock band, The Cardigans, and has also recorded under a solo project entitled Righteous Boy.
In 2006, he restarted The C ...
and Svensson.
* UK CD1
# "My Favourite Game" – 3:39
# "War" – 3:57
# " Sick & Tired" (Live at Hultsfredsfestivalen) – 3:24
* UK CD2
# "My Favourite Game" – 3:39
# "My Favourite Game" ( Wubble-U's Wubbledub Mix) – 5:58
# "Lovefool
"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 in Sweden in mid-1996 and on 9 September 1 ...
" (Live at Hultsfredsfestivalen) – 3:20
* European "Minimax" CD single
# "My Favourite Game" – 3:36
# "War (First Try)" – 4:07
* Australian, Canadian, European, Japanese, and South African CD single
# "My Favourite Game" – 3:36
# "War (First Try)" – 4:07
# "War" – 3:56
Credits and personnel
The Cardigans
* Vocals: Nina Persson
Nina Elisabet Persson (; born 6 September 1974) is the lead singer and lyricist for the Swedish rock band The Cardigans. She has also worked as a solo artist, releasing two albums as A Camp and one under her own name, and has also appeared as a ...
* Guitar: Peter Svensson
Anders Peter Svensson is a Swedish record producer, songwriter, and musician. He is the main songwriter and guitarist of the band the Cardigans.
He started playing guitar at the age of eight, and in his teens he went on to play with local bands ...
* Bass: Magnus Sveningsson
Magnus Sveningsson (born Johan Magnus Sveningsson on 4 April 1972 in Falköping)
is best known as the bassist in the Swedish rock band, The Cardigans, and has also recorded under a solo project entitled Righteous Boy.
In 2006, he restarted The C ...
* Guitar, Keyboards: Lars-Olof Johansson Lars-Olof Johansson (born 23 February 1973, in Huskvarna, Sweden) is best known as a member of the alternative rock band The Cardigans. Johansson's role in the band is keyboardist and guitarist.Bengt Lagerberg
The Cardigans is a Swedish rock band formed in Jönköping, Sweden, in 1992 by guitarist Peter Svensson, bassist Magnus Sveningsson, drummer Bengt Lagerberg, keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and lead singer Nina Persson. Post-hiatus shows since ...
Other personnel
* Recorded at Country Hell, Skurup
Skurup is a locality and the seat of Skurup Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of Swe ...
, Sweden
* Producer: Tore Johansson, Peter Collins
* Engineer: Tore Johansson, Peter Collins, John Holbrook, Janne Waldenmark
* Assistant engineer: Lars Göransson, Jim Caruana
* Recording engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...
: Tore Johansson
* audio mixing
Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aesthetic, ...
: Tore Johansson
* Mixing assistant: Jim Caruana
* Mastering by: Roger Jonsson
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
External links
The Cardigans' official website
"My Favourite Game" lyrics
{{Authority control
1998 songs
1998 singles
The Cardigans songs
Mercury Records singles
Music video controversies
Music videos directed by Jonas Åkerlund
Number-one singles in Greece
Polydor Records singles
Songs written by Nina Persson
Songs written by Peter Svensson
Stockholm Records singles