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.
Believe
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No matter how hard I try
You keep pushing me aside
And I can't break through
There's no talking to you
So sad that you're leaving
Takes time to believe it
You're going to be the lonely one, oh oh
Do you believe in life after love
I can feel something inside me say
I really don't think you're strong enough
Now
What am I supposed to do
Sit around and wait for you
And I can't do that
There's no turning back
I need time to move on
I need love to feel strong
'Cause I've had time to think it through
And maybe I'm too good for you oh oh
Do you believe in life after love
I can feel something inside me say
I really don't think you're strong enough
Now
Do you believe in life after love
I can feel something inside me say
I really don't think you're strong enough
Now
But I know that I'll get through this
'Cause I know that I am strong
I don't need you anymore
I don't need you anymore, I don't need you anymore
No I don't need you anymore
Do you believe in life after love
I can feel something inside me say
I really don't think you're strong enough, no
Do you believe in life after love
I can feel something inside me say
I really don't think you're strong enough no
Do you believe in life after love
I can feel something inside me say
I really don't think you're strong enough, no
Do you believe in life after love
I can feel something inside me say
I really don't think you're strong enough no
The lyrics of "Believe" by Cher are about the end of a relationship and the aftermath of heartbreak. The song is written from the perspective of someone who is struggling to move on after a breakup, despite the fact that their former partner is not treating them well. The first verse describes the frustration the singer feels when trying to communicate with their ex-lover, who seems indifferent to their efforts. The second verse shows the singer trying to come to terms with the end of the relationship and attempting to move on, but still struggling to let go of their feelings. However, the chorus suggests that there is hope for the future, and encourages listeners to believe in the possibility of finding happiness after love.
Throughout the song, the idea of strength is a recurring theme. The singer questions whether they and their ex-partner have enough strength to move on, and at the end of the song, emphasizes that they know they are strong enough to get through their pain on their own. Overall, "Believe" is a powerful anthem of resilience and hope that reminds listeners that they can survive even the most painful of heartbreaks.
Line by Line Meaning
After love, after love
Following the end of a romantic relationship
No matter how hard I try
Despite my efforts
You keep pushing me aside
You continue to reject me
And I can't break through
I can't seem to get you to listen
There's no talking to you
You won't communicate with me
So sad that you're leaving
I'm upset that you're ending our relationship
Takes time to believe it
It's difficult to accept the reality of the situation
But after all is said and done
Once everything has happened
You're going to be the lonely one, oh oh
You'll be alone in the end
Do you believe in life after love
Do you think it's possible to move on from a failed relationship?
I can feel something inside me say
I have a gut feeling
I really don't think you're strong enough
I don't think you have the ability or maturity to handle the situation
Now
Currently
What am I supposed to do
I don't know what actions to take
Sit around and wait for you
Wait for you to come back
And I can't do that
I can't just sit and wait
There's no turning back
I can't reverse the situation
I need time to move on
I require time to emotionally recover
I need love to feel strong
I need support to feel confident
'Cause I've had time to think it through
After reflecting on the situation
And maybe I'm too good for you oh oh
Perhaps I am too mature or accomplished for you
But I know that I'll get through this
I am confident that I can overcome this situation
'Cause I know that I am strong
Because I believe in myself
I don't need you anymore
I can move on without you
No I don't need you anymore
I am certain that I can live without you
Lyrics Š Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BRIAN HIGGINS, MATT GRAY, PAUL BARRY, PAUL MICHAEL BARRY, STEVE TORCH, STUART IAN MCLENNAN, TIM POWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cindy Clinton
Love their covers! Please cover some Nightwish songs! The blending of 2 amazingly talented bands would be mind blowing!
Daniel Racy
This is living proof that anything punk rocked is better.
Marius
Amazing !!!
MiloĹĄ VanĂÄek
Nice pop song, played with guitars... I like it.
MartyMcFly -
....when you realize you're headbanging to Cher
srajendra3977
You must believe
MartyMcFly -
srajendra3977 how could you hate this? Maybe hearing it over and over again..... but itâs good!
srajendra3977
I worked on Herald square at a "Record store". Heard this song repeatedly and hated it. After work walked down to a bar. Tourist played it on juke box repeatedly and everyone starts dancing spasms for hours.đ¤đ đ đ
Vaqa
i do all the time, just to the rock cher not the pop cher hahaha
Chris Salisbury
I was doing it earlier to I Believe I Can Fly.