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/
Green Eyed Monster
Less Than Jake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To be under the eyes
Watching so closely
Buy what you can't have
What'd you have
Wish I could everything you have
And you wonder where your friends have gone
How's it feel to have
Wish you had more than the one you had
Everything that you ever had
[Chorus]
I wish I could find a way
To wish it all away
And all that you want from me
Can disappear
With your jealousy
How does it feel
To be under the eyes
Watching closely
Buy what you can't have
What'd you have
Wish I could everything you have
And you wonder where your friends have gone
How's it feel to have
Just a few ones
Wish you had more than the one you had
Everything that you ever had
[Chorus]
Green eyes watching you
Wishing they could be all of you
Wait a little moment, take from me
Everything they take from me
Everything they take from me
Everything they take from me
[Chorus]
The lyrics to "Green Eyed Monster" by Less Than Jake speak about the feelings of envy and jealousy. The verses imply that the subject of the song is envious of someone they know and wants everything that person has, even though they're aware they can't have it. The lines "And you wonder where your friends have gone/How's it feel to have/Just a few ones" suggest that the subject's envy has caused them to lose friends and that they're now left with just a few. In the chorus, the singer wishes they could find a way for the subject's jealousy to disappear.
The repetition of "How does it feel/To be under the eyes/Watching so closely/Buy what you can't have" throughout the song implies that the subject is constantly aware of what they can't have and is feeling suffocated or overwhelmed by their desire for it. The use of "green-eyed monster" describes their envy or jealousy and portrays it as a destructive force that is ruining their relationships with others.
Overall, the song speaks to the universal themes of envy and jealousy, the negative effects they can have on a person, and the desire to let go of those feelings. It suggests that envy and jealousy can lead to isolation and unhappiness and that it's important to recognize and deal with those emotions in a healthy way.
Line by Line Meaning
How does it feel
How does it feel to be in this position
To be under the eyes
To feel observed or scrutinized
Watching so closely
Being watched with great attention
Buy what you can't have
Desiring things you can't obtain
What'd you have
What is it that you possess
Wish I could everything you have
Wishing one could have everything that someone else has
And you wonder where your friends have gone
Feeling abandoned or lost support from acquaintances
How's it feel to have
How does it feel to have a particular situation or thing
Just a few ones
Having only a few people or things left
Wish you had more than the one you had
Wishing for more of something than what one already has
Everything that you ever had
All one has possessed throughout their life
I wish I could find a way
Wishing for a solution to a problem
To wish it all away
To make those desires or problems disappear
And all that you want from me
All the attention or validation someone desires from another person
Can disappear
Can no longer be present
With your jealousy
Because of the person's intense envy
Green eyes watching you
Someone envious observing you
Wishing they could be all of you
Wishing to possess everything that you have
Wait a little moment, take from me
Allowing someone to take something from them for a brief moment
Everything they take from me
Anything that someone else may take from them out of jealousy
Everything they take from me
Anything that someone else may take from them out of jealousy
Everything they take from me
Anything that someone else may take from them out of jealousy
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thehonorablereverendaddiso1943
Lyrics:
How does it feel
To be under the eyes
Watching so closely
Buy what you can't have
What'd you have
Wish I could everything you have
And you wonder where your friends have gone
How's it feel to have
Just a few ones
Wish you had more than the one you had
Everything that you ever had
[Chorus:]
I wish I could find a way
To wish it all away
And all that you want from me
Can disappear
With your jealousy
How does it feel
To be under the eyes
Watching closely
Buy what you can't have
What'd you have
Wish I could everything you have
And you wonder where your friends have gone
How's it feel to have
Just a few ones
Wish you had more than the one you had
Everything that you ever had
[Chorus]
Green eyes watching you
Wishing they could be all of you
Wait a little moment, take from me
Everything they take from me
[x3]
[Chorus]
@duhdoesk
less than jake, my favorite all-time band! Awesome band.
@TheCuteMarioBros
THX ur awesome
@bigpantswastepreciousfabri8104
The Cute Mario Bros funny seeing you here
@juxier
old skool ltj only
@markmartin8211
The first LTJ song ever.
@drewndrsn
the first isn't lucky day?
@dcthomp
This ep was stolen from my car along with the first pressing of goodbye blue and white. I do have the 7" still
@1337zero1
@lesthanjakkickas Finally somebody comments me back lol. But yes it is a shame =/ I really do like their old stuff just as much as their new.
@666jaymes
i love this song sooo much, this is also of there 4 track demo wich is like 16 years old! is it just me or does it sound like their later song big from pezcore? still awsome
@RealDaveHelm
Ptah eccles reminds me of wish pig too, similar lyrics