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
Out The Window
Bowling for Soup Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wasn't sure exactly what you meant by that
I know that we have had some problems
But I've got solutions in my head
[Chorus]
So I jumped out the window
And down the fire escape
Climbed through the window, I thought led to your heart
Thrown out the window, there was nothing there to break my fall.
Sorry I sent you all the flowers
I heard your boyfriend wants to shove them up my ass
I never meant to cause you problems
But I've got solutions in my head.
[Chorus]
You said it's over
You said never again
Why does this happen all the time?
You don't even want to be friends
It makes you happy when I cry
Now all I've got left is my sanity
Now all I've got left is my sanity
And I'm not sure how far it goes.
The line “You said to never ever come back, I wasn't sure exactly what you meant by that” in Bowling for Soup's song Out The Window suggests that the singer has been asked to leave by his significant other, which he finds ambiguous. He then goes on to recall the problems that the two have had, and claims that he has solutions to them, implying that he is willing to work on the relationship. However, in the chorus, he jumps out of a window, breaking it and climbing through it, hoping to find his way back into his significant other's life. The line “I thought it led to your heart” suggests that he is looking for a metaphorical way into his partner's heart.
In the second verse, the singer apologizes for sending flowers to his significant other, probably as a way of reconciling with her, but is then threatened by her boyfriend. Despite all the problems, the singer continues to search for ways to patch things up, even if it means being thrown out of a window. The last part of the song suggests that the singer has realized that his actions may not have been the best solution after all. “Now all I've got left is my sanity, and I'm not sure how far it goes” could mean that he feels like he has lost his mind, and doesn't know where to go from here. It could also suggest that he has come to the realization that his actions may have been irrational and caused him to lose his own sense of sanity.
Line by Line Meaning
You said to never ever come back
You told me not to return ever again
I wasn't sure exactly what you meant by that
I wasn't completely sure of the implications of what you said
I know that we have had some problems
I am aware that there have been some issues between us
But I've got solutions in my head
I have thought of ways to resolve our problems
So I jumped out the window
I took extreme measures and jumped out of the window
And down the fire escape
I made my way down through the fire escape
Broke the window, who needs car keys anyway?
I broke the window because I did not care about using car keys for entry
Climbed through the window, I thought led to your heart
I climbed through what I thought was the window to your heart
Thrown out the window, there was nothing there to break my fall.
I was thrown out of the window with nothing to break my fall
Sorry I sent you all the flowers
I apologize for sending you flowers
I heard your boyfriend wants to shove them up my ass
I heard that your boyfriend wants to hurt me
I never meant to cause you problems
I did not intend to create issues for you
You said it's over
You said that our relationship is finished
You said never again
You explicitly stated that we will not resume our relationship
Why does this happen all the time?
I am frustrated at the frequency with which this happens
You don't even want to be friends
You do not even want to maintain a friendship
It makes you happy when I cry
It brings you joy to see me upset
Now all I've got left is my sanity
All I have remaining is my sanity
And I'm not sure how far it goes.
I am uncertain of the limits of my sanity
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JARET RAY REDDICK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind