Gomez completed an inaugural U.S. tour opening for Eagle-Eye Cherry in October 1998, while the press still offered praise (Spin magazine called Bring It On "a damn beautiful album," giving it an eight out of ten rating). Liquid Skin followed one year later and went platinum in England, and the rarities/B-sides compilation Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline appeared in 2000. A third studio album, In Our Gun, was released in spring 2002. Another hiatus saw Ian Ball relocating to Los Angeles while still working with the band at its new studio in Portslade, England. The dozens of tracks recorded during this time were whittled down and fashioned into Split the Difference, released in May of 2004. By that time, Hut, the group's original label, had gone under, leaving Gomez signed to Virgin (Hut's distributor). Despite all the critical acclaim, the band's album sales never seemed to match Virgin's expectations, and the two sides parted ways later that year.
In 2005, Gomez signed with ATO Records and released Out West, the group's first live album. How We Operate arrived in May 2006, and the band rounded out the year by assembling a retrospective collection of singles, rarities, and unreleased tracks entitled Five Men in a Hut: Singles 1998-2004. Gomez's members were spread across two continents by this point, leading to a three-year gap between How We Operate and the band's sixth studio release, A New Tide, parts of which were recorded individually by the various bandmates and then merged online. Ben Ottewell took some time after its release to launch a solo career, with 2011's Shapes & Shadows marking his first major release outside of the band. Months later, the band released another studio album, Whatever's on Your Mind, with Phantom Planet's Sam Farrar sharing production duties with the bandmates themselves.
Biography by Greg Prato
Bubble Gum Years
Gomez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whiskey bottle and a 45, my dear
We're on a roll, suitcase and cellophane, my dear
Whiskey bottle and a 45 satisfies my dear
And someone's whispering into my ear
Askin' softly what do your fear today
In the bubblegum years
In the bubblegum years
Been wasting time, i lost my money, found someone to call me honey
How to grow old was never clear, gon' look for something much less sincere, my dear
Whiskey bottle and a 45 satisfies my dear
And someones whispering into my ear
Askin' softly what do your fear today
'Cause in faithless times i know your hate, i've felt your crimes, i've felt your cruelty
In the bubblegum years
In the bubblegum years
The lyrics in Gomez's song "Bubble Gum Years" talk about two lost souls who are traveling together. They have a whiskey bottle and a 45, which means that they are carrying alcohol and a gun. The two are living dangerously as they are on a roll, carrying a suitcase with cellophane. The song also talks about someone whispering into the singer's ear, asking what fears they have.
The singer also discusses how they have witnessed cruelty and hate during faithless times while in the bubblegum years. The bubblegum years are a time when everything is happy and carefree. However, the singer has experienced the opposite of that by seeing crimes and cruelty. They have been wasting time and losing money, but they have found someone to call honey.
The overall theme of the song seems to be about the harsh realities of life and how it's difficult to find true happiness. The whiskey bottle and 45 symbolize a life of danger and risk-taking, which ultimately leads to dissatisfaction. The bubblegum years are just a facade, and the reality of cruelty and hate is always present.
Line by Line Meaning
A lost souls, you and i, my dear
We are both lost souls, my love.
Whiskey bottle and a 45, my dear
We have a whiskey bottle and a gun, my love.
We're on a roll, suitcase and cellophane, my dear
We are on the move, carrying our belongings in plastic wrap, my love.
Whiskey bottle and a 45 satisfies my dear
Drinking and shooting guns satisfies us both, my love.
And someone's whispering into my ear
Someone is speaking softly to me.
Askin' softly what do your fear today
They are asking me what I am afraid of today.
'Cause in faithless times i know your hate, i seen your crime, i felt your cruelty
I know that you are filled with hate and have committed crimes during these hopeless times, and I have witnessed your cruelty
In the bubblegum years
This is all happening during a time of superficiality and naivety.
Been wasting time, i lost my money, found someone to call me honey
I have been wasting time and losing money, but I have found someone who gives me affection.
How to grow old was never clear, gon' look for something much less sincere, my dear
I am unsure of how to age gracefully, so I will look for something less genuine.
Whiskey bottle and a 45 satisfies my dear
Once again, drinking and shooting guns satisfies me, my love.
And someones whispering into my ear
Someone is once again speaking softly to me.
Askin' softly what do your fear today
They are asking me what I am afraid of today.
'Cause in faithless times i know your hate, i've felt your crimes, i've felt your cruelty
I know that you are filled with hate and have committed crimes during these hopeless times, and I have personally felt your cruelty.
In the bubblegum years
This is all happening during a time of superficiality and naivety.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BEN OTTEWELL, BENJAMIN JOSEPH OTTEWELL, IAN THOMAS BALL, OLIVER JAMES PEACOCK, PAUL BLACKBURN, THOMAS WILLIAM GRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind