The band's name derives from a bird Vinnie had while growing up, which was treated better than the rest of the family. It's also a reference to the phrase "everything is jake," which is an old phrase meaning everything is cool.
Less Than Jake released their debut album, Pezcore, in 1995, following a series of independent seven-inch single releases. The band's subsequent two studio albums, Losing Streak (1996) and Hello Rockview (1998), were released on major label, Capitol Records, leading to increased exposure. The band's fifth studio album Anthem (2003) was their most commercially successful to date, featuring the singles, "She's Gonna Break Soon" and "The Science of Selling Yourself Short".
In 2008 the band founded its own label, Sleep It Off Records, and released its seventh full-length album, GNV FLA. The band has recently stated its preference for EP releases, and independently issued Greetings from Less Than Jake (2011) and its counterpart, Seasons Greetings from Less Than Jake (2012). In late 2012, the band combined the two to create the compilation album, Greetings and Salutations (2012) Their eighth studio album, See the Light, was released on November 12, 2013.
Miscellaneous Info:
Vinnie was previously the owner of the independent record label Fueled by Ramen, as well as a toy company called Wünderland War (formerly Monkey Vs. Robot). This label has signed bands such as Fall Out Boy, Punchline, The AKAs, Gym Class Heroes, Panic! At The Disco and Days Away. Roger, meanwhile, is in a second band, called Rehasher, for whom he composes lyrics and plays guitar. JR played sax on the last track of Off Key Melodies. JR works with a promoting company called the CT Mafia, as well as composing solo music. He contributed one track to the Drive-Thru compilation tribute to Bob Dylan, using the band name The Stay At Home Joneses (Roger sang backup for this track).
Roger and Vinnie have an unexplained fetish for Pez candy and they reportedly have sizeable dispenser collections. This love for Pez goes so far as to name one of their albums, Pezcore (parodying of the way in which many bands are described as [something]-core, starting with hardcore) and Pez dispenser motifs are a common feature of their merchandise.
Roger's employment history includes a smoke shop in the band's hometown Gainesville, Florida known as Knuckleheads which has since been transformed into a similar establishment named Smoke. Band member haunts have included Eddie C's, the Hardback (which was transformed into the Lyric), and Insomnia (which used to be the Covered Dish, and is now the new location of Common Grounds).
The members of Less Than Jake also served as backup musicians for Asian Man Records owner Mike Park in the B.Lee Band (once called "the Bruce Lee Band", changed for legal reasons).
The track "Look What Happened" appeared on two of their albums, "Borders & Boundaries" (2000) and "Anthem." (2003) The "Anthem" version is completely re-recorded, and has eschewed the brass at the beginning of the song that was featured in the previous recording. The re-recording features guest vocals from Teen Idols/Bullets To Broadway's Heather.
They have also re-recorded many other songs, including "Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts," "Jen Doesn't Like Me Anymore" and "Shotgun".
They recorded the main theme song "We're all Dudes" for the 1997 film "Goodburger" based on the sketch from the Nikelodeon TV show "All That." The song features Kel Mitchell (main character, Ed, in the movie). The song is based off of the jingle "Ed" would always sing while waiting for the next situation to come up in the Goodburger sketches. At the end of the song Mitchell says "Ah, Ed and Less than Jake, oh, uh... no?"
In 2004, Less Than Jake appeared on the Projekt Revolution Tour, joining such artists as The Used, Snoop Dogg, Korn, and the headlining band: Linkin Park.
Lineups:
Chris DeMakes - vocals and guitar (1992–present)
Roger Lima - vocals and bass (1993–present)
Buddy ''Goldfinger'' Schaub - tenor trombone and backing vocals (1993–present)
Peter ''JR'' Wasilewski - tenor saxophone and backing vocals (2000–present)
Matt Yonker - Drums (2018–present)
Past members:
Jessica Mills - alto saxophone (1993–1998)
Derron Nuhfer - tenor and baritone saxophone (1995–2000)
Pete Anna - tenor and alto trombone (1998–2001)
Vinnie Fiorello - drums (1992–2018)
Website: http://www.lessthanjake.com/
Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Grandma got run over by a reindeer
Walking home from our house Christmas eve
You could say there's no such thing as Santa
But as for me and grandpa we believe
She'd been drinking too much egg nog
And we begged her not to go
And she staggered out the door into the snow
When we found her the Christmas morning
At the scene of the attack
She had hoof prints on her forehead
And incriminating claws marks on her back
[Chorus]
Now we're all so proud of grandpa
He's been taking this so well
See him in there watching football
Drinking beer and playing cards with cousin nel
It's not Christmas without grandma
All the family's dressed in black
And we just can't help but wonder
Should we open up her gifts or send them back?
Send them back!
Now the goose is on the table
And the pudding made of fig
And the blue and silver candles
That would just have matched the hair in grandmas wig
I've warned all our friends and neighbours
Better watch out for yourselves
For they should never give a license
To a man who drives a sleigh and plays with elves
(chorus)
Hey!
(chorus)
But as for me and grandpa we believe (x2)
Grandma got runover by a reindeer
Walking home from our house christmas eve
You could say there's no such thing as santa
But as for me and grandpa we believe
(merry christmas!)
The song "Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer" by Less Than Jake is a humorous take on a tragic event that occurred on Christmas Eve. The song tells the story of how Grandma, who had been drinking too much eggnog and forgotten her medication, stumbled out into the snow and was run over by a reindeer. The image of a drunken Grandma being hit by Santa's sleigh is both amusing and sad at the same time. The song also addresses the belief in Santa Claus, with the line "You could say there's no such thing as Santa, but as for me and Grandpa we believe." This line suggests that despite the tragedy that has occurred, the singer and his family still hold onto the magic of Christmas.
The song goes on to describe how the family copes with the loss of Grandma. Grandpa, who has taken the incident surprisingly well, is seen watching football, drinking beer, and playing cards with their cousin Nel. However, the family cannot help but wonder whether they should open the gifts that Grandma had left them or send them back. The song ends with a warning to friends and neighbors to be careful during Christmas time, as drivers of Santa's sleigh may not have the proper license.
Overall, "Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer" is a lighthearted and comedic song about a tragic event. It uses humor to address the serious theme of losing a loved one during the holiday season.
Line by Line Meaning
Grandma got run over by a reindeer
Grandma was hit by a reindeer
Walking home from our house Christmas eve
Grandma was walking home from our house on Christmas eve
You could say there's no such thing as Santa
Some people may not believe in Santa
But as for me and grandpa we believe
But Grandma's family believes in Santa
She'd been drinking too much egg nog
Grandma had too much eggnog to drink
And we begged her not to go
We asked her not to leave
She forgot her medication
Grandma forgot to take her medicine
And she staggered out the door into the snow
She left the house and walked through the snow while unsteady
When we found her the Christmas morning
We found her on Christmas morning
At the scene of the attack
Where she was hit
She had hoof prints on her forehead
Her forehead had marks from hooves
And incriminating claws marks on her back
There were claw marks on her back
Now we're all so proud of grandpa
The family is proud of Grandpa
He's been taking this so well
Grandpa is handling the situation well
See him in there watching football
He's inside watching football
Drinking beer and playing cards with cousin nel
He's drinking beer and playing cards with Cousin Nel
It's not Christmas without grandma
Christmas isn't the same without Grandma
All the family's dressed in black
Everyone in the family is wearing black
And we just can't help but wonder
We can't help but wonder
Should we open up her gifts or send them back?
Should we open her presents or return them?
Send them back!
Return the presents!
Now the goose is on the table
The goose is on the table
And the pudding made of fig
There is a fig pudding
And the blue and silver candles
There are blue and silver candles
That would just have matched the hair in grandmas wig
The candles match the wig Grandma wore
I've warned all our friends and neighbours
I warned friends and neighbors
Better watch out for yourselves
Be careful
For they should never give a license
They shouldn't give a license to
To a man who drives a sleigh and plays with elves
Someone who drives a sleigh and plays with elves
Hey!
But as for me and grandpa we believe (x2)
Grandpa and I believe in Santa (x2)
Grandma got runover by a reindeer
Grandma was hit by a reindeer
Walking home from our house christmas eve
Grandma was walking home from our house on Christmas eve
You could say there's no such thing as santa
Some people may not believe in Santa
But as for me and grandpa we believe
But Grandma's family believes in Santa
(merry christmas!)
Merry Christmas!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: RANDY BROOKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TheAutisticWitch ☽O ☾
Omg, I love this song 😂😂😂
generic_thiq
MY CHILDHOOD SONG
Joseph Bamborough
If my grandma got run over by a reindeer, I think she'd have put a hex on it. I wonder which reindeer it was? I bet it was Donner, never trusted that one.