The studio core comprises Spike Slawson on vocals, bassist Fat Mike, Joey Cape on guitar and backing vocals, Dave Raun on drums, and Chris Shiflett on guitar (his brother Scott of Face To Face/Viva Death fills in for Chris on tour). Touring members have included Brian Baker (Bad Religion/Minor Threat), Barry DaLive (Crosstops/RKL), Eric Melvin (NOFX), Matthew MacNasty (bagpipes player from the Real McKenzies), and Warren Fitzgerald (The Vandals).
Originally a themed 7" singles project, now each of their full length albums covers a different genre of music spanning the 50's to the 90's. Their first release in 1997 was entitled Have a Ball, followed by Are a Drag in 1999. In 2001 they released Blow in the Wind and two years later released Take a Break. Almost immediately after the release of Take a Break the released a live album Ruin Johnny's Bar Mitzvah The genres they've butchered now include country, on Love Their Country featuring covers of songs made popular by The Dixie Chicks, Johnny Cash and others. Their most recent release is a collection of B-sides from their album Have a Ball, simply titled Have Another Ball.
The Gimme Gimmes perform to entertain themselves as much as for the entertainment of their fans. Their albums and concerts are some of the most lighthearted and off the wall musical experiences in the punk world. Concerts are often interrupted between songs to freshen cocktails at the on stage tiki bar. CD liner notes relate the hardships of recording such as Fat Mike getting so caught up in "Wild World" that he believed he was Fat Stevens, a guitar-toting Islamic Extremist, so that when Spike sang "All My Lovin" he mistook it for "Allah my Lovin" and condemned Spike to death for heresy.
The Gimmes are also known for their costumes. Each album has a 'theme' for which they all dress up for the cover art and live shows. Some themes include red suits, metallic suits with fezzes, cheerleader outfits, drag (each Gimme dressed as a character from a musical they took songs from on the cover of Are a Drag: Chris Shiflett was Columbia and Spike was Dr Frank N. Furter from Rocky Horror, Joey Cape was Annie, Fat Mike was Sandy from Grease and Dave Raun was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz). During a Warped Tour they dressed as AFI, to the confusion of many fans. Most recently they have been dressing as cowboys, but are possibly best known for their lurid Hawaiian shirts.
Or their live album, "Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah", the band performed for a crowd of 30 at a Bar Mitzvah. The CD contained video of the actual event and the liner notes were written by attendee Benjamin Rosenblatt who describes the events: "They made a lot of mistakes. They even started a song then stopped, then started again." -track 7 "Strawberry Fields Forever" on the CD.
Beautiful
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Lyrics
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Now and then I get insecure, from all the pain
I'm so ashamed
I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words cant bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes words cant bring me down
To all your friends you're delirious
So consumed in all your doom
Trying hard to fill the emptiness, the pieces gone
Left the puzzle undone, is that the way it is
You are beautiful no matter what they say
Words cant bring you down
Cause you are beautiful in every single way
Yes words cant bring you down
So don't you bring me down today
No matter what we do
No matter what we say
Were the song inside the tune, full of beautiful mistakes
And everywhere we go, the sun will always shine
And tomorrow we might awake on the other side
Cause we are beautiful no matter what they say
Yes words wont bring us down, no
We are beautiful in every single way
Yes words cant bring us down
So don't you bring me down today
The song "Beautiful" by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is a cover of Christina Aguilera's hit single. The song's lyrics express the idea that no matter what people say or do, they cannot bring the singer down because they know they are beautiful. The opening lines of the song start with "everyday is so wonderful, then suddenly it's hard to breathe, now and then I get insecure, from all the pain, I'm so ashamed." The singer is talking about how sometimes everything is going well and life is beautiful, but suddenly they feel suffocated and start to doubt themselves. They feel insecure and ashamed, but they know they are beautiful and will not let others bring them down.
The chorus of the song is a repetition of the idea of beauty and strength. The singer says "I am beautiful no matter what they say, words can't bring me down, I am beautiful in every single way, yes words can't bring me down, so don't you bring me down today." The singer is trying to convey the message to the listeners that no matter what people say or do to bring them down, they should remember their worth and not let others affect their self-esteem.
The second verse talks about how people can become consumed in their own problems and despair, leaving a puzzle unfinished. The singer encourages the listeners by saying that "you are beautiful no matter what they say, words can't bring you down, cause you are beautiful in every single way, yes words can't bring you down, so don't you bring me down today." The song concludes with the idea that we are all beautiful, full of mistakes, but we should not let words or actions bring us down.
Line by Line Meaning
Everyday is so wonderful, then suddenly, its hard to breathe
Life can be great, but sometimes it can also be suffocatingly difficult
Now and then I get insecure, from all the pain
Sometimes, even in the midst of happiness, self-doubt and anxiety can creep in
I'm so ashamed
Internal feelings of shame can be overwhelming
I am beautiful no matter what they say
Regardless of the negative comments or criticisms of others, I am inherently valuable and worthy
Words cant bring me down
The hurtful words of others can't diminish my sense of self-worth
I am beautiful in every single way
There is no aspect of myself that is not worthy of love and acceptance
So don't you bring me down today
I won't allow others to negatively impact how I feel about myself
To all your friends you're delirious
Others may view you as irrational or unrealistic
So consumed in all your doom
You may be distracted by negativity and pessimism
Trying hard to fill the emptiness, the pieces gone
The search for meaning and fulfillment can be challenging when parts of oneself feel missing or incomplete
Left the puzzle undone, is that the way it is
Despite best efforts, life can still feel incomplete and unresolved at times
Cause you are beautiful no matter what they say
Others' opinions don't define your worth
No matter what we do
Despite our actions and choices
No matter what we say
Despite our words
Were the song inside the tune, full of beautiful mistakes
We are all unique and flawed, but that doesn't diminish our beauty and worth
And everywhere we go, the sun will always shine
There is always a glimmer of hope and positivity, even in difficult situations
And tomorrow we might awake on the other side
Things can always improve and change for the better in the future
Yes words wont bring us down, no
We won't let negative comments or criticisms affect us
So don't you bring me down today
We won't allow others to bring us down
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Linda Perry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind