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
Real
Bowling for Soup Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the place we never wanted to go
There's no sense in looking back
Let the final credits roll
I could never live up to
The man that's in your head
You want the guy from the notebook
But you got me instead
But you'll be sorry when I'm gone
I never said I was perfect
Who the hell wants perfect anyway?
Sometimes I really fuck up
But baby I learn from my mistakes
And I don’t know what I'm supposed to be
All that I ever am is me
And I'll never gonna change, here's the deal
I'm just trying to be real, real, real
I'm just trying to be real, real, real
I never was the hip kid
I always use words like hip
Judas Priest on my Walkman
When culture club was the shit (I tumble for you)
I drive a ‘91 Volvo
The a/c still works fine
I'm happy with my Miller Lite
While everyone's drinking wine
'Cause it's less spilling, it tastes great
I never said I was perfect
Who the hell wants perfect anyway?
Sometimes I really fuck up
But baby I learn from my mistakes
And I don’t know what I'm supposed to be
All that I ever am is me
And I'll never gonna change, here's the deal
I'm just trying to be real, real, real
I'm just trying to be real, real, real
You can have your gluten free pizza, I've got taco bell
You can try your best to change me
I just gotta be myself
I never said I was perfect
Who the hell wants perfect anyway?
Sometimes I really fuck up
Baby I learn from my mistakes
And I don’t know what I'm supposed to be
All that I ever am is me
And I'll never gonna change, here's the deal
(Never gonna change)
I never said I was perfect
Who the hell wants perfect anyway?
Sometimes I really fuck up
But baby I learn from my mistakes
And I don’t know what I'm supposed to be
All that I ever am is me
And I'll never gonna change, here's the deal
I'm just trying to be real, real, real
I'm just trying to be real, real, real
The song "Real" by Bowling for Soup talks about being true to oneself despite not fitting into society's standards of the perfect person. The lyrics encourage accepting one's flaws and learning from mistakes while embracing individuality. The opening lines suggest moving forward and not clinging to the past as the final credits roll. The singer knows that they could never live up to the ideal person in the other person's head, referencing "the guy from the notebook." However, the chorus emphasizes that the person is just being themselves and trying to be real no matter what.
The second verse paints a picture of the singer's personal taste and preferences, not necessarily in line with what society deems cool or cultured. The singer's happy with their simple Miller Lite instead of fancy wine and still prefers listening to Judas Priest over Culture Club. The bridge highlights this even further by stating that the singer is content with their Taco Bell rather than conforming to gluten-free pizza fads. The song's lyrics assert that the singer is happy with who they are even though it doesn't align with societal expectations of perfection.
Line by Line Meaning
I think it's time that we move ahead
It's time to move forward from a place we didn't want to be
To the place we never wanted to go
To a place we didn't choose to be, but have to move forward from
There's no sense in looking back
Reflecting on the past won't help us move forward
Let the final credits roll
Let's move on to the next chapter of our lives
I could never live up to
I can't meet the expectations of
The man that's in your head
The ideal man you have in mind
You want the guy from the notebook
You want a romantic, perfect movie character
But you got me instead
Instead, you have me, a flawed but real person
But you'll be sorry when I'm gone
You'll regret not appreciating me when I'm no longer here
I never said I was perfect
I never claimed to be without flaws
Who the hell wants perfect anyway?
Nobody really wants perfection because it's impossible
Sometimes I really fuck up
I make mistakes sometimes
But baby I learn from my mistakes
I try to learn from my mistakes and grow as a person
And I don’t know what I'm supposed to be
I'm still figuring out who I am and what I want to do in life
All that I ever am is me
All I can be is myself
And I'll never gonna change, here's the deal
I won't change for anyone and that's final
I'm just trying to be real, real, real
I'm only trying to be authentic
I never was the hip kid
I was never a cool kid
I always use words like hip
I use outdated slang
Judas Priest on my Walkman
I listen to old heavy metal bands
When culture club was the shit (I tumble for you)
When popular music was different from my taste
I drive a ‘91 Volvo
I drive an old, uncool car
The a/c still works fine
But it still works well and that's good enough for me
I'm happy with my Miller Lite
I'm satisfied with a basic, affordable beer
While everyone's drinking wine
While others enjoy fancier, more expensive drinks
'Cause it's less spilling, it tastes great
I prefer Miller Lite because it's less likely to spill and I enjoy the taste
You can have your gluten free pizza, I've got taco bell
I don't care about eating healthy or trendy food, I like Taco Bell
You can try your best to change me
Others might want to make me different
I just gotta be myself
But ultimately, I will always stay true to myself
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: James Kevin Dotson, Jaret Ray Reddick
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ZmieniK
I think it's time that we move ahead
To the place we never wanted to go
There's no sense in looking back
Let the final credits roll
I could never live up to
The man that's in your head
You want the guy from the notebook
But you got me instead
But you'll be sorry when I'm gone
I never said I was perfect
Who the hell wants perfect anyway?
Sometimes I really f*ck up
But baby I learn from my mistakes
And I don’t know what I'm supposed to be
All that I ever am is me
And I'll never gonna change, here's the deal
I'm just trying to be real, real, real
I'm just trying to be real, real, real
I never was the hip kid
I always use words like hip
Judas Priest on my walkman
When Culture Club was the shit (I'd tumble for you)
I drive a ‘91 Volvo
The a/c still works fine
I'm happy with my Miller Lite
While everyone's drinking wine
'Cause it's less spilling, it tastes great
I never said I was perfect
Who the hell wants perfect anyway?
Sometimes I really f*ck up
But baby I learn from my mistakes
And I don’t know what I'm supposed to be
All that I ever am is me
And I'll never gonna change, here's the deal
I'm just trying to be real, real, real
I'm just trying to be real, real, real
You can have your gluten free pizza, I've got taco bell
(Make a run for the border)
You can try your best to change me
I just gotta be myself
I never said I was perfect
Who the hell wants perfect anyway?
Sometimes I really f*ck up
Baby I learn from my mistakes
And I don’t know what I'm supposed to be
All that I ever am is me
And I'll never gonna change, here's the deal
(Never gonna change)
I never said I was perfect
Who the hell wants perfect anyway?
Sometimes I really f*ck up
But baby I learn from my mistakes
And I don’t know what I'm supposed to be
All that I ever am is me
And I'll never gonna change, here's the deal
I'm just trying to be real, real, real
I'm just trying to be real, real, real
Dog Mayor
Wow a pop punk band that didnt change their sound
cade278
NFG and BFS are amazing. They never changed their sound. Two bands that I wish got bigger is Cute Is What We Aim For, and SR-71.
RIOT !
@Connor Reilly becacause the dont sell theirselves
Bella Laishram
They didn't change thats why they r awesome... Otherwise u know how modern pop songs sucks
Elver Galarga
Yeahh, but that's weird
Anyways I love BFS
A filthy barn yard animal
@Connor Reilly radio, idk but there's more ways of listening to them than utube
ShyLivesMatter
"I never said I was perfect, who the hell wants perfect anyway? ... I'm just trying to be real." Hell yeah. Honesty is undervalued. And I love how BFS stays true to themselves and never "grows up" despite the haters...growing up is overrated. Never change, BFS! Fave song from the new album. These guys are like my musical Prozac lol Or at least my musical superheroes...they always seem to come out with new shit when I'm most in need (got me through my Dad's death, separation from my ex-wife, etc) :-)
Andy Yerman
Almost 20 years later, and this is still my favorite band. In case someone here doesn't know, Jaret does a weekly podcast called Jaret Goes To The Movies. Give it a listen, you'll be happy you did!
Nimrod86
@Ra Marty it’s on YouTube apple podcasts and Spotify
Ra Marty
Where can i finds this???