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
Me With No You
Bowling for Soup Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything I need
I'm not torn I'm just getting it together
I'm not broken don't you mind
The pieces of me
You see scattered on the ground
I swear I'll turn this thing around
I'm not home but I'm sitting
I'm a photograph in need of a zoom
I feel far away
I can't make out the face
It's all blurred since you went away
When you took your keys out
You took a little piece of me
I'm a circle incomplete
I'm a heart that barely beats
All the memories stay forever as tattoos
I'm a star without a sky
I'm hello with no goodbye
I'm the dreams we had that never will come true
That's me with no you
Na na na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na na
I'm a mark, I'm a martyr
I'm a victim, I'm a jerk
I'm an engine that just doesn't seem to start
I'm a kingdom with no king
I'm a king without a crown
So I fall down on my knees
And I pray nobody sees
You got my attention
Now please come back to me (come back to me)
I'm a circle incomplete
I'm a heart that barely beats
All the memories stay forever as tattoos
I'm a star without a sky
I'm hello with no goodbye
I'm the dreams we had that never will come true
That's me with no you
Can't find the words to fit the melody
But I swear that I could sing it
When you were here with me
I'm all over the place on a scale of 1-10
I'm a C, that's me
I'm not lost I just haven't found
Everything I need
I'm not torn I'm just getting it together
I'm a circle incomplete
I'm a heart that barely beats
All the memories stay forever as tattoos
I'm a star without a sky
I'm hello with no goodbye
I'm the dreams we had that never will come true
That's me with no you
Na na na na na na na na na na na (that's me with no you)
Na na na na na na na na na na na (that's me with no you)
Na na na na na na na na na na na (that's me with no you)
Na na na na na na na na na na na (that's me with no you)
The lyrics of Bowling for Soup's "Me With No You" talks about loss and the aftermath of it. The singer admits that they are not lost, but just haven't found everything they need. They're getting it together and not broken, but they're scattered on the ground. They promise to turn things around and stay in their room but feel far away and the face is blurred without their loved one. They acknowledge that when their loved one left, they took a little piece of them with the key.
The lyrics then move to describe them as "a circle incomplete; a heart that barely beats." They have all the memories of their time with their loved one as tattoos that stay with them forever. They feel like a star without a sky; they say hello, but there's no goodbye, and the dreams they once had will never come true without their loved one. They admit to being all over the place on a scale of 1-10, but specifically identify as a C.
The lyrics conclude with the singer's acknowledgment that they're not lost, but they haven't found everything they need. They're getting it together, but they're not complete without their loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not lost I just haven't found Everything I need
I haven't found everything I need yet but I'm not lost
I'm not torn I'm just getting it together
I'm not broken, I'm piecing myself back together
I'm not broken don't you mind The pieces of me You see scattered on the ground
I'm not really broken, don't worry about the pieces of me you see on the floor
I swear I'll turn this thing around
I promise I'll make things better
I'm not home but I'm sitting Here in my room
I'm physically present in my room but it doesn't feel like home without you
I'm a photograph in need of a zoom
I need a closer look to see what's really going on with me
I feel far away I can't make out the face It's all blurred since you went away
Since you left, everything's been blurry and I feel distant to the world
When you took your keys out You took a little piece of me
You taking your keys is symbolic of you taking a part of me with you
I'm a circle incomplete I'm a heart that barely beats All the memories stay forever as tattoos
I feel like a part of me is missing, my heart is fragile, and all our memories are permanent like tattoos
I'm a star without a sky I'm hello with no goodbye I'm the dreams we had that never will come true
Without you, I have no direction in life, I don't know how to say goodbye, and the dreams we had together will never be fulfilled
I'm a mark, I'm a martyr I'm a victim, I'm a jerk I'm an engine that just doesn't seem to start I'm a kingdom with no king I'm a king without a crown So I fall down on my knees And I pray nobody sees
I feel like I've been judged and criticized, everything is going wrong, and it's like my life is a broken engine that won't even start. I'm a ruler with no realm, an unremarkable king, and I'm praying for a way out without anyone seeing me at my lowest.
You got my attention Now please come back to me (come back to me)
You had all of me focused on you and I'm pleading for you to come back
Can't find the words to fit the melody But I swear that I could sing it When you were here with me I'm all over the place on a scale of 1-10 I'm a C, that's me
I'm having trouble expressing myself, but when you were here, everything felt musical. I'm all over the place in terms of emotions, like a C grade on a scale of 1-10
Na na na na na na na na na na na (that's me with no you)
The repeating phrase emphasizes that without you, I'm incomplete
Contributed by Madison L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Christine Y.
This song sounds so emotionally raw. It's different from their usual sound and I like that BFS is trying out different sounds :)
Jordan Cross
You clearly haven't heard the rest of their tracks...
Adam Hout
This is Bowling For Soups best song. Lyrically and musically. Freaking amazing
Katye West
The chorus is how I felt when my dog died. Had her 16 years. Was with me through elementary to graduation. Miss her everyday.
DirtRich
Bowling for Soup are so overlooked, in so many ways.
ThatOneGuy 333
@Linda Does Stuff wym
Linda Does Stuff
Well, it's probably because they force their fetishes on their audience.
Tyler Barton
I love this song. BFS is awesome. I think I'm gonna break the replay button.
weirdkorey
it is very good i have the entire album already and its amazingly good
Charlie Barber
"All the memories stay forever like tattoos" One of the best lyrics ever