Bowling for Soup (acronym: BFS, or sometimes B4S) is a pop punk band based … Read Full Bio ↴Bowling for Soup (acronym: BFS, or sometimes B4S) is a pop punk band based in Denton, Texas (but originally from Wichita Falls, Texas) formed in 1994 from the remains of an old metal band. Quoting Jaret Reddick, the lead singer, "we wanted to make happy music". They're known for their often humorous lyrics, upbeat guitar riffs, and Jaret's distinctive voice.

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

Kool-Aid
Bowling for Soup Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was sitting all by myself just thinking
And know I'm lying awake in bed,
I can't forget about what you said.
I tell myself, "hey man you should know better
You've gotta act like nothings wrong
You've gotta stand up and be strong."

Don't blame me for butting in

These F'N walls are closing in
And if everything does not seem cool
It's cause I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do.

Everything's fine and I don't know why I do this to myself
I've got this thing with losing my mind
I wish I could tell you all the things I want to say
Somehow I think I will in time

I don't suppose I feel like we are sinking
It's not as bad as yesterday
And you can make everything OK.
If you start to feel like we are nowhere

I'll have the memories of you
And, you can think about me too.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of “Koolaid” by Bowling for Soup explore the complexity of emotions that arise after a relationship ends. The first stanza describes the singer’s struggle to move on and forget something said by their partner. It’s a message they tell themselves over and over again, to be strong and act like nothing happened. The second stanza discusses the stress of internalizing their problems, as if the walls are closing in on them. Even if everything appears okay on the surface, the singer is unsure what to do with their feelings, leading them to act out in unhealthy ways. The third verse reveals the depth of the singer’s feelings and their desire to express them to their ex-partner someday.

The chorus of the song repeats once more that everything’s fine, and the singer doesn’t know why they continue to struggle. However, losing their mind is a pattern, and they wish they could openly communicate with their ex. This is followed by a voice of hope that the singer doesn’t believe they’re sinking and everything could still work out. The song ends with the reflection that even if things do end, the memories and thoughts of each other will still exist.

Overall, the lyrics reveal a complex swirl of emotions that come after a relationship ends, as the singer struggles to understand what happened, their own actions, and expresses their desire to communicate with a former partner again.

Line by Line Meaning

I was sitting all by myself just thinking
I was alone with my thoughts

And know I'm lying awake in bed,
Now I can't sleep, stuck with my thoughts

I can't forget about what you said.
Your words are stuck in my head

I tell myself, "hey man you should know better
I try to give myself a pep talk

You've gotta act like nothings wrong
I have to pretend everything is okay

You've gotta stand up and be strong."
I have to be brave and face my problems

Don't blame me for butting in
I'm sorry for interfering

These F'N walls are closing in
I feel trapped, like the walls are closing in on me

And if everything does not seem cool
Things don't seem okay

It's cause I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do.
I don't know what to do to make things better

Everything's fine and I don't know why I do this to myself
Things are okay, but I still worry and stress myself out