With Schwarzenbach on guitar and vocals, Bauermeister on bass, and Pfahler on drums, the band gained recognition in the late eighties and early nineties for their melodic yet driven sound built on the foundation for Schwarzenbach's poignant, bleeding-heart lyrics and signature rasp.
The band's first full-length release Unfun was put out by Shredder in 1990. On this, the band stuck close to the sound coming out of their contemporaries in the nascent pop punk scene in their sound, with the exception of Bauermeister's prominent bass lines and Schwarzenbach's lyrics, at times walking the line of the melodramatic.
Unfun was followed by Bivouac on Tupelo/Communion in 1992. Bivouac proved thicker and darker - both thematically and melodically - yet served to elevate the band above a crowd of previously similar acts. This more ambitious release also artfully used pieces of found-audio, in what was becoming one of the band's signatures, weaving it in and out of the ten minute title track, "Bivouac."
Their third release, 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, produced by the ubiquitous Steve Albini, unveiled a sparse pop-punk with more carefully crafted lyrics. This album also holds what has become arguably their best known song, "Boxcar."
Jawbreaker had seemed poised for critical and commercial success by the time of their fourth, and last album, Dear You. Despite a vigorous marketing push, Jawbreaker's album sales were anemic in the wake of a post-Green Day market, and was one of the causes leading to the end of the band's career in 1996.
The group recently reacquired the rights to Dear You and have successfully put the long out-of-print album back into circulation on Pfahler's label, Blackball Records.
The band's cult status as the definitive nineties proto-pop-punk band has grown since its breakup, and songs like "Kiss the Bottle" and "Jet Black" are referenced as influences by bands such as Sparta, Lucero, and Rocky Votolato. In 2003, a Jawbreaker tribute album, Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault was released on Dying Wish Records, and featured covers by 18 bands including Fall Out Boy, Nerf Herder, Sparta, and Face To Face.
Singer Blake Schwarzenbach went on to form the New York City-based band Jets to Brazil, who have also since broken up, and is now an adjunct English professor at Hunter College (CUNY). In the fall of 2008, he debuted his new band, Thorns of Life, formed with Aaron Cometbus of Crimpshrine and Pinhead Gunpowder on drums and ex-Gr'ups bassist Daniela Sea.
Drummer Adam Pfahler is currently drumming in San Francisco-based Whysall Lane, whose LP was released in 2006 on his own Blackball Records.
Bassist Chris Bauermeister has been playing in post-hardcore band Horace Pinker and pop-punk band Shorebirds, which was formed with Matt Canino, formerly of Latterman; Shorebirds split in the summer of 2008.
In 2021, Blake Schwarzenbach teamed up with Joyce Manor on a release.
In spite of the similar name, the band Jawbreaker Reunion is unrelated.
Bad Scene Everyone's Fault
Jawbreaker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What sick things I saw.
Make out sessions and bicycle messengers, punks and art school dropouts.
I ran into this guy I knew but hadn't seen in years.
We went into the neon kitchen and stole a couple beers.
He said his girl had dumped him but was there with
another guy.
He said that he still liked her.
or you're too nice". He said, "I even cooked her breakfast".
So we went into the living room.
Someone was blasting Zeppelin.
It sounded good.
I felt ashamed.
I knew every drum fill.
Anyway, there she sat, totally kissing this guy. They looked good, I mean like in love.
Then I remembered my friend.
He said, "How could you do this?
You said that you needed your space.
He's wearing the shirt that I gave you".
Then she said, "Why, why, oh why, oh why, why are you always like this?
If I'm having fun then it's breaking your heart. Besides, you said I could have it".
Then the cops showed up.
The song "Bad Scene Everyone's Fault" by Jawbreaker is a narrative of a complex social situation. The first verse the singer describes going to a party and seeing people engaging in various intimate activities. The second verse describes a more familiar encounter - the singer runs into an old friend who tells him about his recent breakup. However, the ex-girlfriend is also at the same party, with her new partner. In the third verse, the situation becomes even more complicated as the friend confronts the ex-girlfriend, in front of the singer. This leads to a heated argument, which ends with the arrival of the cops.
The lyrics of this song are open to interpretation, but one interpretation is that the song is about the isolating effects of a break-up. The singer goes to a party, but all he sees are people who are coupled in different ways. Additionally, the singer's old friend is still trying to deal with his feelings for his ex-girlfriend, and he is unable to move on. The ex-girlfriend, meanwhile, is enjoying herself and making no apologies for it. The chorus of the song, "Why, why, oh why, oh why, why is it always like this?" speaks to the sense of inevitability that pervades situations like these, which can be frustrating and challenging to navigate.
Line by Line Meaning
I went to a party last night.
I attended a party the previous night.
What sick things I saw.
I observed unpleasant situations.
Make out sessions and bicycle messengers, punks and art school dropouts.
There were multiple activities taking place at the party, including kissing, bicycle messengers, punks, and art school dropouts.
I ran into this guy I knew but hadn't seen in years.
I met an acquaintance whom I hadn't encountered in years.
We went into the neon kitchen and stole a couple beers.
We ventured into the brightly lit kitchen and took a few beers.
He said his girl had dumped him but was there with another guy.
He shared that his girlfriend broke up with him, yet she was present with someone else.
He said that he still liked her.
He admitted that he still possessed feelings for his ex-girlfriend.
All I could say was, "Why, why, oh why, oh why, why is it always like this? Either you're too mean or you're too nice".
I expressed my frustration by saying, "Why is it always like this? Why either too mean or too nice?"
He said, "I even cooked her breakfast".
He stated, "I even made her breakfast".
So we went into the living room.
Consequently, we moved into the living room.
Someone was blasting Zeppelin.
A person played Zeppelin loudly.
It sounded good.
The music was appealing to listen to.
I felt ashamed.
I experienced negative emotions like embarrassment or guilt.
I knew every drum fill.
I was able to recognize every drum pattern.
Anyway, there she sat, totally kissing this guy. They looked good, I mean like in love.
In any case, I noticed her kissing another guy, and they seemed physically attractive together, as if they were in love.
Then I remembered my friend.
I recollected my friend's feelings and situation.
He said, "How could you do this? You said that you needed your space. He's wearing the shirt that I gave you".
He questioned her, saying, "How could you behave this way? You indicated that you need space. Furthermore, he's wearing the shirt I gave you".
Then she said, "Why, why, oh why, oh why, why are you always like this? If I'm having fun, then it's breaking your heart. Besides, you said I could have it".
She replied, "Why are you always like this? If I'm having fun, it breaks your heart. Furthermore, you granted me permission to have the shirt".
Then the cops showed up.
Suddenly, the police arrived.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind