Greg Graffin, the band's frontman, holds a Master's degree in geology from UCLA and a Ph.D. in zoology from Cornell University. His dissertation for Cornell was a comprehensive study of how modern scientists, especially those who believe in strict Darwinism, view theism and religion, and how their own religious beliefs, if any, affect their study and work. He has since published it for fans of the band.
In 1983, Bad Religion released into the unknown, a keyboard-driven psychedelic rock album that was enormously unpopular among the band's core fan base. It is now out of print, and generally disowned by the band. However, in past years it has become a collectors item, and has gained some acceptance from fans. It now can be seen going for more than $100 on eBay, and is often pirated.
In 1984, Greg Hetson (Circle Jerks) replaced Gurewitz. Bad Religion returned to a somewhat mellower, rock and roll version of their original sound with the back to the known, but they disbanded soon after.
The band reformed in 1987 and released suffer in 1988, cementing their comeback in the punk community. Not only is this album considered one of their best by most fans, but it is often credited with "saving" the Southern Californian punk rock scene by fans and Bad Religion's contemporaries alike.
no control (1989) and against the grain (1990) further increased the band's popularity, followed by generator (1992). Before the recording sessions for the latter album commenced, drummer Pete Finestone left the band in to focus on his other band, The Fishermen. Bobby Schayer joined the band as his replacement. recipe for hate (1993) followed shortly thereafter.
With alternative rock breaking into the mainstream, Bad Religion left Epitaph for major label Atlantic and quickly re-released Recipe for Hate on the major label. 1994's stranger than fiction followed, but shortly after its release Brett Gurewitz left the band again. Officially, he cited the increasing amount of time he was spending at Epitaph's offices as the Offspring (then a part of the Epitaph roster) became one of the biggest bands of the mid-1990s. But it was well-known that the departure was not on good terms, as he later accused the band of selling out for leaving Epitaph in favor of a major label. Gurewitz recorded a song with his new band The Daredevils entitled "Hate You," reportedly directed towards Jay Bentley. Gurewitz, moreover, was struggling more seriously with heroin and other addictions that had plagued him for years.
Gurewitz was replaced by Brian Baker, former member of bands such as Minor Threat and Dag Nasty. Previously, Graffin and Gurewitz had split songwriting duties, but Gurewitz's departure left Graffin as the band's lone songwriter.
What followed were a series of moderately successful albums, the gray race (1996), no substance (1998), and the new america (2000). As their popularity waned, Bad Religion left Atlantic in 2001 and returned to Epitaph. Bobby Schayer left the band following a serious shoulder injury and was replaced by Brooks Wackerman (Suicidal Tendencies) and Brett Gurewitz rejoined the band in time to record the process of belief (2002). the empire strikes first was in June 2004. Both albums are widely regarded as a return to form for the band.
In 2004, the band released digitally-remastered versions of five of their early albums (How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, Suffer, No Control, Against the Grain, and Generator). The How Could Hell Be Any Worse? re-issue also contained all of their first EP, the Public Service EP (alternative versions of Bad Religion, Slaves and Drastic Actions from the self titled EP) and Back To The Known.
Bad Religion's fourtheenth full-length studio album, titled new maps of hell, was released on July 10, 2007. It debuted at #35 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 21,000 copies in its first week. It was originally intended to be released in 2006, but was pushed back largely due to the release of Graffin's second solo album, cold as the clay and his work at UCLA.
In 2010, Bad Religion released 30 Years Live for the band's 30th anniversary. The album was available for free to subscribers of the Bad Religion mailing list. Later the same year, Bad Religion released their fifteenth studio album, The Dissent of Man. The album took nearly two years to write and record, mainly due to the band's heavy touring schedule.
Brett Gurewitz, who still heads Epitaph Records, still records with the band and plays local shows, but doesn't tour with them. Greg Hetson can still be found at the occasional Circle Jerks show and helped open a bar in LA. Wackerman is working on a side project called The Kidneys. Graffin spends 10 weeks a year teaching two classes (Life Sciences 1 and Earth and Space Sciences 116) at UCLA. Jay Bentley keeps the Bad Religion MySpace page updated.
Don't Sell Me Short
Bad Religion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because the trail builders
Failed to give us passage there
So we can't reach the sky
We don't need any more failure
There is human tragedy
That's written everywhere
And we are all too young to die
Some people never go away
'cause they've got something to say
Don't sell me short!
You've been wrong too long
Don't brush me off
Just because I don't belong
Like it or not I'm all you've got,
Dispose when I'm shot
Just don't sell me short,
I might not be who you thought
We don't need any more fables
Because the writers have passed
And left us lessonless
And we must find our own way
We don't need any more privilege
There is vivid desperation
That is powerless
That no surplus can repay
Like the fix of rapture in a trance
Oh, fates are sealed by circumstance
So you've got to take a chance
Don't sell me short!
You've been wrong too long
Don't brush me off
Just because I don't belong
Pass me on by, ignore my cry,
Forget me when I die
Just don't sell me short,
Not while I'm still alive
Everybody's talking about heaven on earth,
I'm still trying to figure out
Just what I'm worth
I'm full of emotion
And stuff you can't contain
And you just want to
Flush me down the drain
But you can't make me go away
The lyrics to Bad Religion's "Don't Sell Me Short" speak to the idea of feeling undervalued, overlooked and disregarded when all you want to do is make your voice heard. The opening lines criticize those in power who have failed to provide access to those who yearn to reach new heights – the metaphorical mountains of opportunity – essentially slamming shut the door of success before people have had a chance to even try. The song then continues on to address the fact that there are lessons and experiences that can't be learned from old fairy tales or by inheriting power and privilege, but rather by experiencing life's hardships and making one's own way. The band then actively pleads with their listener not to underestimate and underestimate themselves or those around them, as everyone has the potential to possess greatness even if they don't fit the narrow mold that people often prioritize.
Line by Line Meaning
We don't need any more mountains
We don't need any more obstacles to our goals
Because the trail builders
Since the architects of our world have failed us
Failed to give us passage there
Failed to provide a clear path to success
So we can't reach the sky
We cannot achieve the heights of greatness
We don't need any more failure
We no longer require more disappointment
There is human tragedy
There are countless examples of human suffering
That's written everywhere
That are evident all around us
And we are all too young to die
And we still have much to accomplish before our time is up
Like a mystery that's here to stay
Like an enigma that refuses to be solved
Some people never go away
Some individuals cannot be ignored or forgotten
'cause they've got something to say
Because they have valuable insights to offer
Don't sell me short!
Do not underestimate me or my potential
You've been wrong too long
You have undervalued me for an extended period of time
Don't brush me off
Do not dismiss me without considering my perspective
Just because I don't belong
Just because I am different or do not fit in
Like it or not I'm all you've got,
Whether you like it or not, I am your only option
Dispose when I'm shot
Do not dispose of me once I am no longer useful
Just don't sell me short,
Just do not underestimate me
I might not be who you thought
I may have more to offer than you initially expected
We don't need any more fables
We do not require more fabrications or myths
Because the writers have passed
Because the storytellers have left us
And left us lessonless
And left us without any moral or educational guidance
And we must find our own way
We must discover our own paths to progress
We don't need any more privilege
We do not need further entitlement or advantages
There is vivid desperation
There is intense despair or hopelessness
That is powerless
That is unable to effect meaningful change
That no surplus can repay
That cannot be remedied with surplus resources
Like the fix of rapture in a trance
Like the addictive high of momentary pleasure
Oh, fates are sealed by circumstance
Our destinies are determined by our circumstances
So you've got to take a chance
Therefore, you must take risks to achieve success
Pass me on by, ignore my cry,
Disregard me and my pleas for consideration
Forget me when I die
Erase me from your memory once I am gone
Just don't sell me short,
But do not underestimate me during my life
Not while I'm still alive
While I still have the chance to succeed
Everybody's talking about heaven on earth,
Many people discuss utopia or ideal living conditions
I'm still trying to figure out
I am still uncertain of my own value or role
Just what I'm worth
Just how much I am capable of accomplishing
I'm full of emotion
I am a complex and passionate individual
And stuff you can't contain
And my potential cannot be limited by others' expectations
And you just want to
But others desire to
Flush me down the drain
Discard me without acknowledging my worth or potential
But you can't make me go away
But they cannot make me disappear or give up on my goals
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GREG GRAFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ghoulunathics
Don't know wether this will be too obivous or if you just disagree with me, but i must share the way i hear this song, because the message in it is so important to modern world.
"We don't need any more mountains
Because the trail builders
Failed to give us passage there,
So we can't reach the sky"
I hear this as a criticism towards the modern extreme-materialism where anything that cannot be proven trough modern science is thought nonexistent and meaningless. Science couldn't find heaven from skies, therefore we have no soul, nor our existence have a meaning, which removes the moral issue of harnessing our existence to their own profit, and which is used to lead us away from awareness of our individual experience and personal desire, towards the dystopic collectivism that we live in.
"We don't need any more failure
There is human tragedy
That's written everywhere
And we are all too young to die"
Human tragedy, meaning the modern world itself, which is forcefully leading the whole existence of mankind towards destruction. Our existence has a huge potential exploring the space, exploring our minds, our nature, and philosophy - we should not waste it by killing ourselves personally, or by destroying this planet with our shallow desires of material success and power over one another, which our current society is all about.
"We don't need any more fables
Because the writers have passed
And left us lessonless
And we must find our own way"
The modern religion is not our salvation. It's just another way to distract us from reality - what the modern society is doing to us and to the planet - to think that whatever happens here there will be a greater good at the end, which just gives them free hands to use us in their own good. We need to open our eyes and take the future into our own hands; we have the power, but everything around us is just distracting us from it.
"We don't need any more privilege
There is vivid desperation
That is powerless
That no surplus can repay"
Simply a statement that the road we are on will not last for long - the planet doesn't have the resources to support our current way of living.
"Don't sell me short!
You've been wrong too long
Don't brush me off
Just because I don't belong
Like it or not I'm all you've got,
Dispose when I'm shot
Just don't sell me short,
I might not be who you thought"
Quite obvious metaphor to the short selling of stock. The way the modern society sees us is just a tools of profit - not human, not individuals, but just as a tools to serve their own good in an expense of the whole humanity and our future on this planet. I'm an individual, a person with my own will, my own emotions, given a chance to experience my personal journey on this time on this planet, and just that the society doesn't treat me that way doesn't change it. Society may ignore it, but it still exist - me, as an individual. I don't want you to treat me any special, just don't treat me as something which value can be measured in money.
Bad Wulff
This might be my favorite Bad Religion song, and I've listened to their whole discography (I mean, I love so much of their songs, but this one is super special to me) - in any case, I think it's underrated
Max Musterman
word!
The Reactive Code
This is such an underrated song (as is the album).
Max Musterman
its the best album and the best song evor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Corn Pone Flicks
This song seriously got me through a really shitty time. I just kept listening to it over and over while trying to get past a really difficult hurdle, until I finally did. Thanks, BR.
andrea lb
Masterpiece as always. Simple and profound at once. Life-changing band
Leandro Rodrigues
Bad never dies, essa banda é eterna.
noideac
i wish more bad religion songs were personal, cause they write such great lyrics
Gabriel Fachola Bass Covers
Música incrível e Álbum incrível....não sei como Pôde ser tão Subestimado
felipehxcxbr
best band with best vocals..