Later that year, the group released the classic hardcore single "Amoeba" on Posh Boy Records. The Adolescents signed with Frontier Records in January 1981 and recorded The Adolescents the following month. Rikk Agnew left and was replaced by Pat Smear, formerly of The Germs. This line up lasted until the end of June when Smear left.
The Adolescents broke up in August 1981. Cadena formed The Abandoned, Soto and Agnew joined Legal Weapon, Royer formed D.I. and Agnew joined Christian Death after his departure.
Rikk Agnew made his solo album in 1983 then joined D.I. with Alfie Agnew, Frank and Rikk's younger brother.
In 1986 The Adolescents reformed with their original line-up and started to work on a new album. They recorded Brats in Battalions in the late summer. The record came out in August 1987 due to the band deciding to produce and release the album themselves with little cash or backing.
The Adolescents broke up in April 1989.
The band regrouped to tour for the 20th anniversary of their self-titled album in 2001 and have continued to perform.
The Adolescents have a new release out on Finger Records, O.C. Confidential in 2005. Finger Records is owned and run by Mel Schantz out of Orange County, California.
The Adolescents toured in support of OC Confidential, but Frank Agnew left the band in 2006. Rotating through as the band's live guitarists over the next few years were Matt Beld, Joe Harrison, and Soto's former Joyride bandmate Mike McKnight. O'Brien left the band in 2008 and was replaced by Armando Del Rio. Reflex and Soto became the band's sole constant members and primary songwriters from this point forward, and signed the Adolescents to German label Concrete Jungle Records. A split EP with the band Burning Heads was released in 2009. For the band's next album, 2011's The Fastest Kid Alive, the lineup was Reflex, Soto, Del Rio, McKnight, and Harrison. The band also contributed a cover version of the Runaways' "School Days" to the tribute album Take It or Leave It: A Tribute to the Queens of Noise that year.
Dan Root took Harrison's guitar position in 2012, and the Adolescents released the American Dogs in Europe EP in conjunction with a European tour. This was followed by the band's sixth studio album, Presumed Insolent (2013). Del Rio was replaced by Mike Cambra, and McKnight by Leroy Merlin, for 2014's La Vendetta..., which was given a North American release the following year by Frontier Records. Hot War, a split EP with Russian band Svetlanas, followed in 2015, containing one song from Presumed Insolent and one from La Vendetta... The Adolescents' most recent studio album, Manifest Density, was released July 8, 2016 by Concrete Jungle, with Ian Taylor taking Merlin's place as rhythm guitarist.
I Love You
Adolescents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm still wondering how I could have said
All the wrong things at the wrong time
And how you managed to keep your head
When I got - way out of line
These feelings of mine should have come sooner
There's no way I can imagine your loss.
You're the last person I'd ever cross.
[Chorus:]
And I hear your anger,
It's too late to take back what's been said.
It won't go away the morning after,
Guilt's a parasite that leaves all dead.
And I break down, yeah I want to die,
I can't because I know there's something more
Alone in the morning I start to cry,
In the end I feel worse than before.
As we sit outside so afraid to see him,
We wonder if he's better off now.
We can't face the pain of the mausoleum,
We can't be strong because we don't know how.
And we know he's right here next - beside us
The feelings in the air are all so tense.
We want so much more, too much ain't enough
Why are we so afraid of his presence?
[Chorus]
Mother looks to her husband in the eye,
"Our baby's gone." They start to cry.
If you come back and its just for a day -
There's only three words we all want to say -
I LOVE YOU! [x8]
The song "I Love You" by Adolescents is a heartfelt confession of regret from the perspective of someone who realizes too late that they have hurt their loved one with their thoughtless words and actions. The opening lines convey the singer's remorse and confusion at having said all the wrong things at the wrong time, and the wonderment at how their partner managed to keep their cool despite their transgressions. The singer acknowledges their delayed realization of their true feelings, and the impossibility of imagining the depth of their loved one's hurt. The chorus is a lament of the repercussions of the singer's hurtful words, and how the guilt that comes with it is a parasite that leaves all dead. The singer's overwhelming feelings of despair and self-loathing are expressed in their confession of wanting to die, but the knowledge of something more keeping them from taking such a drastic step.
The second verse shifts the focus to a shared pain of loss between family members, as they grieve for the loss of a loved one. The uncertainty of how to deal with death and the inability to be strong in the face of it are expressed through the lines "we can't face the pain of the mausoleum, we can't be strong because we don't know how." The singer questions their fear of the departed's presence, and the desire for more time with their loved one. The repetitive chanting of the phrase "I love you" by the end of the song serves as a reminder to cherish and express our love for those we hold dear, as we never know when they may be taken away from us.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm still wondering how I could have said
I am contemplating the possibility of how I could have spoken differently
All the wrong things at the wrong time
Phrasing everything inappropriately during an inopportune moment
And how you managed to keep your head
I am curious how you were able to remain calm and level-headed
When I got - way out of line
When I acted erratically and inappropriately
These feelings of mine should have come sooner
I regret not expressing my emotions earlier
There's no way I can imagine your loss.
I am unable to visualize the magnitude of your grief
I ask myself "How could you do this to her?"
I question myself by pondering how I could have caused such troubles for you
You're the last person I'd ever cross.
You are the last person I would ever want to upset
And I hear your anger,
I am aware of your wrath
It's too late to take back what's been said.
I cannot retract the words that were said previously
It won't go away the morning after,
The realization of the mistakes made will not fade in the morning after
Guilt's a parasite that leaves all dead.
Pangs of remorse are persistent and can eat away at a person
And I break down, yeah I want to die,
I am overwhelmed with emotion; I feel defeated to the point of seeking death
I can't because I know there's something more
I cannot act on my impulses because I know there is something worth living for
Alone in the morning I start to cry,
I weep in solitude each sunrise
In the end I feel worse than before.
Ultimately, the realization of the situation exacerbates rather than alleviates the pain
As we sit outside so afraid to see him,
We are hesitant to reunite with him and thus linger outside
We wonder if he's better off now.
We speculate if his life has improved since leaving us
We can't face the pain of the mausoleum,
We are not prepared to confront the agony of the tomb
We can't be strong because we don't know how.
We are incapable of being resilient since we have never learned how to build that muscle
And we know he's right here next - beside us
We are aware of his proximity by our sides
The feelings in the air are all so tense.
The atmosphere is fraught with apprehension and unease
We want so much more, too much ain't enough
We aspire for more, even though we already have plenty
Why are we so afraid of his presence?
We question why his proximity is causing us fear
Mother looks to her husband in the eye,
The mother gazes into her spouse's eyes
"Our baby's gone." They start to cry.
The parents begin to weep upon acknowledging their child's passing
If you come back and its just for a day -
Even if the child were to return temporarily
There's only three words we all want to say -
There are only three things we all want to communicate
I LOVE YOU! [x8]
We love you deeply and unequivocally
Contributed by Sebastian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
CR
on No Way
I perceive the "No ass, no head" lyrics to mean no sex, no blowjobs(head) hence the "gotta go home and jack off instead"