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/
Great American Sharpshooter
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of what it could've been.
When "time is all you've lost"
Keeps burning through your head.
Now you fall asleep standin'
But lie awake in bed.
Watch the clock drag on,
And think of what you should've said.
(Whoa)
It's for the better,
Your better half is gone.
It's okay,
you didn't need her anyway.
And I don't want to hear ya say
Nobody could take her place.
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh.
And what more can I say
You don't need her anyway.
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh.
And so you think,
Of how it should've been.
And "It's just over"
Keeps goin' through yer head.
You're hearing all those words,
Time and time again
Watch the phone all night
And think of what you should've said.
(Whoa)
It's for the better,
Your better half is gone.
It's ok, you didn't need her anyway.
And I don't want to hear ya say
Nobody could take her place.
Woah-oh-oh-oh-ooohh.
And what more can I say
You don't need her anyway.
Woah-oh-oh-oh-ooohh.
Woah-oh-oh-oh-ooohh.
Woah-oh-oh-oh-ooohh.
Woah-oh-oh-oh-ooohh.
Woah-oh-oh-oh-ooohh.
And I don't want to hear ya say
(Woah-oh-oh-oh-ooohh)
Nobody could take her place.
Woah-oh-oh-oh-ooohh.
And what more can I say
(Woah-oh-oh-oh-ooohh)
You don't need her anyway.
Woah-oh-oh-oh-ooohh.
The song Great American Sharpshooter by Less Than Jake is an upbeat and energetic tune with underlying melancholic lyrics about a person who is struggling to move on from a past relationship. The lyrics are filled with regret and sadness, as the singer reflects on what could have been and what they should have said at the time. They are haunted by their thoughts, causing them to fall asleep while standing and remain awake in bed. They watch the clock drag on and wait for the phone to ring, hoping for a chance to make things right.
The chorus, however, takes an interesting turn. The singer's better half has left them, but instead of wallowing in self-pity, they confidently proclaim that it's for the better as they didn't need them anyway. The song urges the singer to move on and not dwell on the past, as they don't need the person who left them.
Overall, Great American Sharpshooter presents a message of hope for those who have gone through heartbreak. It encourages them to let go of the past, acknowledge that they are better off without that person, and to focus on moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
So you think,
You are contemplating or reflecting on something in your mind.
Of what it could've been.
You are imagining what might have happened if things went differently.
When 'time is all you've lost'
You are struggling with the fact that time has passed and you cannot get it back.
Keeps burning through your head.
You cannot stop thinking about it and it's causing you pain.
Now you fall asleep standin'
You are physically and emotionally exhausted from the situation.
But lie awake in bed.
You cannot sleep because your mind won't stop racing.
Watch the clock drag on,
You are waiting for something to happen but time seems to move slowly.
And think of what you should've said.
You are replaying the situation in your head and coming up with better responses.
(Whoa)
A vocalization indicating a shift in emotion or tone.
It's for the better,
The situation has changed, and it's ultimately better for you.
Your better half is gone.
Your significant other has left you or the situation.
It's okay,
You are reassuring yourself that everything will be fine.
you didn't need her anyway.
You realize that you are better off without this person.
And I don't want to hear ya say
Do not say that you cannot move on or that nobody could replace them.
Nobody could take her place.
You feel like nobody could fill the void left by this person.
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh.
A vocalization of emotion or reinforcement.
And what more can I say
There is nothing else that needs to be said about the situation.
You don't need her anyway.
You have accepted that you can move on without them.
Woah-oh-oh-oh-ooohh.
A vocalization of emotion or reinforcement.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind