They are best known for their singles "Girl All The Bad Guys Want" in 2002 on Drunk Enough to Dance which was nominated for a 2003 Grammy Award for "Best Pop Performance by a Group or Duo" and "1985" (originally written by Mitch Allan of SR-71) in 2004 on A Hangover You Don't Deserve. Speaking with Songfacts about "Girl All The Bad Girls Want" in a 2010 interview, Reddick said: "'Girl All The Bad Guys Want' was my very first co-write ever, and me and Butch Walker sat in a room and literally wrote that song in 30 minutes. I mean, it was done."
The band's name is derived from comedian Steve Martin's "Bowling for Sh*t" routine from his 1978 comedy album, Wild and Crazy Guy, itself a reference to Bowling for Dollars. Jaret Reddick has also stated that at the end of his last performance with his old band one of the members came on stage and proclaimed "Come back next week when we play with our new band... BOWLING FOR SOUP!". This was supposed be to be joke name, but since they couldn't think of anything better the name stuck. Their single '1985' can be found on the UK and the Norwegian editions of Singstar Rocks for the PS2.
They have also became hits on Radio Disney with edits of "1985", "Punk Rock 101", "High School Never Ends", and the inclusion of their version of "I Melt With You" in the Disney movie "Sky High". They have also written and recorded "Today is Gonna Be a Great Day" as the theme song for Disney's "Phineas and Ferb"
Band Lineup:
Jaret Reddick - Lead Vocals/guitar
Chris Burney - Guitar/vocals
Erik Chandler - Bass/vocals
Gary Wiseman - Drums
I Don't Know
Bowling for Soup Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I don't know
What your thinking when I show up
You invite me in
I sit and stare at the walls
Full of pictures
Of the people and the places
Sitting on the front porch made our fingers really cold
Could have used some Chap Stick, but, I found something better to use
You made me lose track of time
For just an hour
That we gained the night before
Day-light savings time
It all went by so fast
I forgot
To take a picture from the shoebox
Before I go away
The lyrics to Bowling for Soup's song I Don't Know seem to describe a situation where the singer is unsure of their reception when they visit someone at West Hall. It seems like there is some level of tension in their relationship, but despite this, the person invites the singer in. Once inside, the singer is struck by the various pictures on the walls, all of which depict people and places that are important to the person they are visiting. Despite the cold weather and the chapped lips, the singer enjoys their time on the front porch, chatting with the person they are visiting. They lose track of time, thanks to Daylight Savings Time, and ultimately forget to take a picture from a shoebox before leaving.
The lyrics suggest a sense of nostalgia and wistfulness, as the singer seems to be looking back on a particular moment in time that was special to them. There's a sense of uncertainty in the song, as the singer seems unsure of their place in relation to the person they are visiting, but there's also a sense of fondness for the time they spent together. The images of the shoebox and the pictures on the wall suggest that this is a memory that the singer cherishes, and that has stayed with them even after time has passed.
The song is open to interpretation, of course, but it seems to be a reflection on the way that memories can shape our understanding of ourselves and our relationships with others. The singer is grappling with their own feelings and emotions, even as they try to connect with the person they are visiting. It's a bittersweet song, capturing the complexity of human relationships and the way that time can alter our perceptions of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm on my way to West Hall
I am headed towards West Hall.
And I don't know
I don't know what to expect when I get there.
What your thinking when I show up
I am not sure what you are thinking when you see me.
You invite me in
You offer me a place to come inside and stay.
I sit and stare at the walls
I am sitting and observing the walls around me.
Full of pictures
The walls are covered in a variety of photos.
Of the people and the places
The photos feature many individuals and different locations.
You hold dear
These are all important to you in some way.
Sitting on the front porch made our fingers really cold
Sitting outside in the front porch was really chilly, and we both felt it on our fingers.
Could have used some Chap Stick, but, I found something better to use
Even though our lips were chapped from the cold, I found something else to occupy my attention.
You made me lose track of time
Being with you caused me to forget about the passage of time.
For just an hour
It felt like no more than an hour spent together.
That we gained the night before
We had an extra hour due to daylight saving time from the previous night.
It all went by so fast
The time we had went by quickly.
I forgot
I didn't remember.
To take a picture from the shoebox
I missed taking a photo from the shoebox.
Before I go away
Before it was time for me to depart.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: CHRIS KRUSE, CHRISTOPHER WILLIAM BURNEY, JARET RAY REDDICK, JONATHAN ERIK CHANDLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ZalFancy
Love this song. I own the album, its great!
Julie Smith
OLD SCHOOL Music BOWLING FOR SOUP
sonic2kk
Fun fact: This song was originally on "Cell Mates" (BFS' second album) and was actually recorded by The V.I.M.S.
MasterOfKnowledge
The original versions of Wisk, Kool-Aid, Assman, and Cody were also on that album. Also, what I find funny is the song was originally I Hate McDonalds, but renamed to I Don't Know after the track right before it, also by The VIMS