Vocalist Doug Robb met with guitarist Dan Estrin in a high school battle of the bands competition and decided to form a band. They recruited Markku Lappalainen and Chris Hesse to form Hoobastank. In an interview with Yahoo's Launch, Doug Robb said the name had no particular meaning. "You're going to ask me what it means. It doesn't mean anything. And it's really cool, it's one of those old high school inside-joke words that didn't really mean anything." Rob Bourdon of Linkin Park attended the same high school as the members of Hoobastank.
Hoobastank started playing gigs in their local area and, with their unique saxophone section headed by Jeremy Wasser, recorded a self-released album called They Sure Don't Make Basketball Shorts Like They Used To in 1998. By this stage, they had developed a strong reputation in Southern California. This attracted interest from Island Records who signed the band in 2000. The bands reputation grew further on tours with the similar sounding band Incubus who come from the same area of Los Angeles and Alien Ant Farm.
Hoobastank released their self-titled debut in November 2001. The first single was Crawling in the Dark which was a breakthrough hit reaching #68 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the modern rock chart, #8 on the mainstream rock chart and #1 on an MP3.com download chart in early 2002. The second single Running Away was even more successful reaching #44 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on the modern rock chart, #9 on the mainstream rock chart and #3 on the MP3.com download chart. The Hoobastank album went platinum on the back of these hits and reached #25 on the Billboard 200 album charts and #1 on the Billboard Heatseeker chart. The album also achieved recognition internationally with the album touring in Europe and Asia in support of the record. Remember Me, the third single, was a moderate hit reaching #23 on the modern rock charts and #9 on the mainstream rock charts.
The band entered the studio in 2003 with producer Howard Benson who has produced records by P.O.D., Cold and The Crystal Method. However, recording was disrupted for a month when Dan Estrin was seriously injured in a freak minibike accident in August. Estrin had recovered by October and the band headed off on a Nokia Unwired Tour with The All-American Rejects and Ozomatli in November.
Their second album The Reason was released in December 2003. The first single Out of Control was made available for download on the band's website. Doug Robb says on the band's website: "A lot of it is about asking questions or questioning all that people see. It's not all about religion. 'Out of Control' is about that and about opening your eyes after being blinded by being devoted to anything." [2] "Out of Control" would reach #9 on the US modern rock chart, #16 on the mainstream rock chart and #16 on a composite world modern rock chart (based on the US, Germany, the UK, Sweden, Finland, Canada and Australia). The Reason initially reached a peak of #45 on the Billboard 200.
The title track was released as a single in the first half of 2004. It became a massive hit reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart proof), #1 on the US and world modern rock charts, #1 on a world airplay chart in May 2004, #10 in Australia and #12 in the UK. The Reason album received a new lease of life on the US album charts reaching #3 on the Billboard 200.
Additionally, on 15 June 2009, the band played a prank on Iranian protesters and their supporters during the 2009 Iranian election protests using the popular Web 2.0 service Twitter and the shock image Goatse, featuring a naked man stretching his anus to a large size with both hands, with the inside of his rectum clearly visible. While thousands of protesters used the Twitter service to rapidly spread information on street level protests and the shocking behavior of pro-government militias and security forces, Hoobastank allegedly spread links to the image disguised as relevant news items and twittered them to thousands of their fans and followers. The punk rockers have since announced their satisfaction with the number of the political enthusiasts having viewed the image unintentionally (over 2 million, according to the site's usage statistics). As of June 2009, Twitter's verification system for celebrities has not officially validated either twitter account.
Seven Amazingly Fascinating Things About Hoobastank
1) Guitarist Dan Estrin has a great story involving brain surgery and a catheter.
In 2003, during the band's tour for its multi-platinum second album The Reason, Estrin made a fateful purchase. "Everyone in the band rides street bikes and motocross bikes," says the guitarist. "I was fucking around on a mini-bike that I just bought. I was riding one around after a show ... and I smashed my head into concrete." The result? "They had to cut my head open. I just remember, before the surgery, I had two fears: they'd have shave my head and I'd wake up with a catheter in me. So I wake up, and lo and behold, my head's shaved and there's a tube in my dick."
2) There are flutes and seven minute songs on the new album (blame Pink Floyd).
If you liked the infectious pop-rock stylings of the last two Hoobastank albums, you'll enjoy Every Man for Himself just as much, if not more. That said, Every Man does offer up some variety, even while maintaining the band's core sound. The epic "More Than a Memory", for example, features flutes, accordion, chimes and trumpets. "I was listening to a lot of Pink Floyd at the time, especially The Wall," remembers Estrin. "I like albums, and songs, that take you on a journey, that almost come across as a movie. And that song definitely does - it's like Floyd, the Beatles, and even tails off like "Sir Psycho Sexy," that old Red Hot Chili Peppers song. I just like applying lessons from bands I admire."
3) Did we mention the Journey influence?
Listen to "Moving Forward" and prepare to recognize a very familiar classic rock refrain. "We wrote that song when Doug was driving one day and heard Journey's 'Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin' on the radio," says Estrin. "We like Journey; we're not huge fans, but I really liked that 'na na na na' part of the song." He laughs. "I don't think it's stealing. We made it our own style."
4) Music critics despise them. The feeling is mutual.
"The album comes out in April. I expect we'll do some shows, meet fans, and have critics ready to tear it apart," says Robb. "Honestly, I want to go 'fuck it, it's not for you, it's for me and the guys in the band.' If we're happy with it, that's what counts. We get a lot of shit because we don't go out of our way to be 'different' ... we're just trying to be who we are. And that's actually the theme of the album - being yourself."
5) Speaking of message boards, you can find a lot of fun, weird stuff about Hoobastank on theirs... and some of it might be true.
* Dan used to be a roadie for Incubus.
* Chris worked in a plant nursery for 5 years.
* Doug and Dan used to be counselors at the YMCA.
* The name of the band? It's the "H" in Jesus H. Christ. At least, that's what Doug will tell you.
6) That's a real drill sergeant on the album. He's there for a reason.
"Born to Lead" features the barking cadence of Sgt. Dale Guy. "I wouldn't want him there all the time, but he was cool," says Robb. "The song was about people wishing and praying for things instead of doing something to accomplish their dreams. It's about getting off your ass, and I think the Sarge added a lot to the song's vibe."
7) They recorded Every Man for Himself in a really backward, inefficient, grueling kind of way.
The band started work on the album during Hooba's last mega-tour. Estrin would come up with musical ideas during sound checks, then record a demo later, hand it off to Doug for melodies and lyrics, and finally, fly home with the whole band to record the finished product during non-tour weekends. "It wasn't an ideal way of doing things," admits Robb. "But I think, strangely, it affected us in a positive way. Maybe it was the energy of being on tour, but I think the results came out far better than our previous two records."
You're The One
Hoobastank Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of all the old excuses
The fears I built so close
Cause inside I've always known
That no one else could ever do
Or ever feel like home
There's so many things I'll never know
You're the one
I need you more than ever
It's taken too long
Taken to long to say
My life began
The night we spent together
Now I cannot live
I'd die any other way
I'm not afraid
You're the one
It's hasn't always been
The best of times
But if you'd ask
I'd do it all again
(are you ready to begin)
I'm ready to begin
A brand new chapter of our lives
Just tell me where and when
(a brand new chapter in our lives)
Cause there's so many things I'll never know
But this I know for sure
You're the one
I need you more than ever
It's taken too long
Taken too long to say
My life began
The night we spent together
Now I can not live
I'd die any other way
I'm not afraid
You're the one
(instrumental)
You're the one
Who understands
Who makes me better than I am
I do it all because of you
When all we had
Had come undone
You stood and fought
And didn't run
You're the one who
Pulled us through
You're the one
I feel it more than ever
It's taken too long
Taken too long to say
Our lives began
The night we spent together
Now I can not live
I'd die any other way
I'm not afraid
You're the one
Hoobastank's song "You're the One" is an emotional ballad about the realization of the singer's love for their significant other. The lyrics begin with the singer admitting that they are letting go of their fears and excuses, and that they have always known that no one else could ever feel like home or be right for them. They admit to having many uncertainties in life, but being sure about their love for their partner. The chorus repeats the phrase "you're the one" over and over again, emphasizing the singer's love and need for their partner.
The second verse has a slightly different tone, as the singer admits that their relationship has not always been perfect, but that they would do it all over again if given the chance. The repetition of "are you ready to begin" shows that the singer is eager to start a new chapter with their partner. The instrumental break provides a moment of reflection, before the final verse, which describes the ways in which the partner has made the singer a better person and has been a source of support for them.
Overall, the song expresses the importance of love and finding the right person, even in the face of uncertainty and difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight I'm letting go
I'm freeing myself from all my excuses and fears
Of all the old excuses
I'm releasing myself from the excuses that have held me back
The fears I built so close
I'm letting go of the fears that have kept me from moving forward
Cause inside I've always known
I've always had this feeling inside me
That no one else could ever do
That no one else can replace you
Or ever feel like home
Or ever make me feel as comfortable and at home as you do
There's so many things I'll never know
There are so many things I won't understand
But this I know for sure
But I know this one thing for certain
You're the one
You are the one for me
I need you more than ever
I need you now more than ever before
It's taken too long
It's taken me too long to realize this
Taken too long to say
It's taken me too long to express my feelings to you
My life began
My life really began
The night we spent together
On the night we were together
Now I cannot live
I cannot live without you
I'd die any other way
I'd rather die than live without you
I'm not afraid
I'm not scared
It's hasn't always been
It hasn't always been easy
The best of times
The happiest of times
But if you'd ask
But if you were to ask me
I'd do it all again
I would go through it all again
Are you ready to begin
Are you ready to start anew?
I'm ready to begin
I'm ready to start over
A brand new chapter of our lives
A new beginning for us
Just tell me where and when
Just tell me when and where to start
Who makes me better than I am
You make me a better person
I do it all because of you
I do everything I do because of you
When all we had
When everything we had
Had come undone
Was falling apart
You stood and fought
You didn't give up
And didn't run
You didn't run away
You're the one who
You're the one who
Pulled us through
Saved us
I feel it more than ever
I feel it stronger than ever
Our lives began
Our lives really began
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRIS LIGHT HESSE, DANIEL B. ESTRIN, DOUGLAS SEAN ROBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind