1001 Songs Challenge #871: Erase/Rewind (1998)

On 11 February 2019 I set myself the challenge of reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery (ed.) and following the book’s advice to the letter. I’ve previously read 1001 Films… and started 1001 Albums… but felt 1001 Songs… would be a sensible place to start for what I have in mind here.

My challenge is to read about one song per day and listen to it (YouTube and Spotify, I need you tonight!) before sharing my own thoughts. Some songs I will love, others I’ll hate, and I’m sure there will be those that leave me perplexed but listen to them I shall.

I’ll also try, and most likely fail, to pinpoint the best song from the 1001 on offer but I’m nothing if not foolhardy. Instead of one song, I’m predicting I’ll have about 100 favourites by the end and may have to resort to a Top 10 so far to maintain any semblance of sanity.

So long as I post every day (including Christmas) then this challenge should come to an end on Wednesday 8 November 2021. Staying with the Barney Stinson theme I am hoping that the whole experience will prove to be… legendary!

The Cardigans – Erase/Rewind (1998)

We’re saying farewell to France today, dear reader, and making our way to Sweden for our listening pleasure today. Formed in 1992 The Cardigans were a rock band led by vocalist, Nina Persson, who first came to prominence in 1996 with the track, Lovefool, which appeared in Baz Luhrmann’s version of Romeo and Juliet. We join the group in 1998 with their fourth album, Gran Turismo, and from there 1001 Songs have gone with the song – Erase/Rewind.

Erase/Rewind appears to concern a relationship that is breaking down. Persson takes the vocals and seems to be addressing her lover. She tells them that although they perceive things between them to be a certain way, she no longer feels in sync with them. The title appears in the chorus and is the narrator’s way of saying they not only want things to end but they want to go back in time and delete it. This is akin to Michel Gondry’s 2004 film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

I remember The Cardigans first appearing with Lovefool in the mid-1990s and it was one of those songs that stuck in your head whether you liked it or not. The very popular, My Favourite Game, followed two years later but 1001 Songs opted for Erase/Rewind. I like the concept of the song, this idea of going back in time and making changes to our lives. It’s a universal theme that I am sure every single one of us has thought about at some point in our lives.

Favourite songs so far:

The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964)

Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence (1965)

The Beatles – A Day in the Life (1967)

The Doors – The End (1967)

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)

Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car (1988)

U2 – One (1991)

Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah (1994)

Radiohead – Paranoid Android (1997)