The Cardigans - Carnival

One of the wonderful things about living outside of the U.S. in the 1990s was being exposed to so many amazing artists and so much great music, artists and music that never got their proper due in the U.S.

I will never forget the first time I heard this song. I was living in Asia. And it captured me instantly. In 1995, it was unlike anything else at the time, with a retro sound and such understated but powerful vocals.

And then I saw the video. Sometimes a video and a song seem somewhat unconnected. Not in this case. The video not only captures the song perfectly, it elevates it. And not just elevates it, it absolutely completes the song and makes it whole.

I remember thinking that The Cardigans would surely become a successful band. And they did, in fact, find some success. But never as much as I would have thought and part of that was probably because they were forced to change some of what I loved about them and their music in Life.

Regardless, they left us and me with this masterpiece. The song and the video!