The Smithereens are a powerpop/rock group from Carteret, New Jersey. The gr… Read Full Bio ↴The Smithereens are a powerpop/rock group from Carteret, New Jersey. The group formed in 1980 and for most of its existence consisted of founding members Pat DiNizio (lead singer/guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar), Mike Mesaros (bass), and Dennis Diken (drums). Following DiNizio's death in 2017, the band has continued to perform with guest singers.
The group gained some notoriety when a single from its first album, Blood and Roses, was included on the soundtrack for and as the theme song of the 1986 Albert Pyun movie Dangerously Close and the video got some moderately heavy rotation on MTV. The group spent some time in its initial semi-celebrity phase defending itself in Rolling Stone against thinly-veiled accusations of sounding too much like The Byrds and The Beatles, pointing out that its Marshall Amplifier-heavy live sound was closer to heavy metal than it was to The Beatles.
Along with a basic Eastern-coast roots-rock sound that owed much to the inspirations of DiNizio, including Buddy Holly, The Who, The Clash, Elvis Costello, and Nick Lowe, the Smithereens deployed a uniquely retro obsession with Mod, the late British Invasion pop of John's Children and The Move, and other artifacts of fifties and sixties culture that lent its music substance and style. The highest position a Smithereens album attained on the Billboard pop charts was in 1990, when 11 peaked at #41 on the strength of the single A Girl Like You (which hit #38). The group is still active and tours frequently, but went for seven years without releasing a new studio album, following God Save the Smithereens in 1999.
In January 2007, the band released a cover of the album Meet the Beatles titled Meet the Smithereens. Bassist Mike Mesaros does not appear on the album, replaced by Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion . An album of original material was promised for later in the year, but Christmas with The Smithereens, released in October 2007, included only three original songs along with nine covers of Christmas songs.
The group gained some notoriety when a single from its first album, Blood and Roses, was included on the soundtrack for and as the theme song of the 1986 Albert Pyun movie Dangerously Close and the video got some moderately heavy rotation on MTV. The group spent some time in its initial semi-celebrity phase defending itself in Rolling Stone against thinly-veiled accusations of sounding too much like The Byrds and The Beatles, pointing out that its Marshall Amplifier-heavy live sound was closer to heavy metal than it was to The Beatles.
Along with a basic Eastern-coast roots-rock sound that owed much to the inspirations of DiNizio, including Buddy Holly, The Who, The Clash, Elvis Costello, and Nick Lowe, the Smithereens deployed a uniquely retro obsession with Mod, the late British Invasion pop of John's Children and The Move, and other artifacts of fifties and sixties culture that lent its music substance and style. The highest position a Smithereens album attained on the Billboard pop charts was in 1990, when 11 peaked at #41 on the strength of the single A Girl Like You (which hit #38). The group is still active and tours frequently, but went for seven years without releasing a new studio album, following God Save the Smithereens in 1999.
In January 2007, the band released a cover of the album Meet the Beatles titled Meet the Smithereens. Bassist Mike Mesaros does not appear on the album, replaced by Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion . An album of original material was promised for later in the year, but Christmas with The Smithereens, released in October 2007, included only three original songs along with nine covers of Christmas songs.
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Blown to Smithereens: Best of the Smithereens
The Smithereens Lyrics
A Girl Like You I used to travel in the shadows And I never found…
Beauty and Sadness Maybe I've seen your face A long, long time ago Maybe I've…
Behind the Wall of Sleep She had hair like Jeannie Shrimpton back in 1965 She had…
Blood & Roses It was long ago, it seems like yesterday Saw you standing…
Blue Period Blue period, black comedy Such a joke I've played on me I…
Blues Before & After You know I really want to see you when you…
Drown In My Own Tears There's a light in the window that tells me you're…
House We Used To Live In This is the house we used to live in This is…
In A Lonely Place I heard it said somewhere that one day all good…
Miles From Nowhere I am lost somewhere I do not know This is not…
Only A Memory My mind is filled with thoughts of you I think about…
Strangers When We Meet She told me Sunday Baby its over We cant go on this…
Time Won't Let Me I can't wait forever Even though you want me to I can't…
Too Much Passion When I kiss your lips I just don't want to…
Top Of The Pops Big plans, big time, everything Downtown pawn shop Bought us…
Yesterday Girl I never think about the future I just live for today And…
Robert Cochran
on Blood And Roses
The Ulgiest Cool Band in the World
Tony C.
on I Don't Want To Lose You
The lyrics listed on here are for the song "Especially For You", rather than "I Don't Want to Lose You". Ironically, "Especially For You" isn't the title track from their full length debut, it's from their second studio album 'Green Thoughts'.