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.
Don't Cry For Me Argentina
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I try to explain how I feel
I still need your love after all that I've done
You won't believe me
All you will see is a girl you once knew
Although she's dressed to the nines
At sixes and sevens with you
Don't cry for me Argentina
The truth is I never left you
All through my wild days, my mad existence
I've kept my promise, don't keep your distance
I had to let it happen, I had to change
Couldn't stay all my life down at heel
Looking out of the window, staying out of the sun
So I chose freedom
Running around, trying everything new
But nothing impressed me at all
I never expected it to
Don't cry for me Argentina
The truth is I never left you
All through my wild days, my mad existence
I've kept my promise, don't keep your distance
Have I said too much?
There's nothing more that I can think of to say to you
All you got to do is look at me
To know that every word is true
Oh, don't cry for me Argentina
The truth is I never left you
All through my wild days, my mad existence
I've kept my promise, don't keep your distance
I've kept my promise, don't keep your distance
In "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," Me First and the Gimme Gimmes powerfully interpret the iconic song from the musical Evita. The lyrics of the song are sung from the perspective of Eva Perón, an Argentine actress and second wife of President Juan Perón, as she addresses the public following her husband's death. The first verse reflects on how difficult it is for someone to understand and accept the reasons behind a person's actions, even if they ask for forgiveness. The chorus is a straightforward plea not to mourn for her since she has never left Argentina nor broken her promises, signifying her love for the country and dedication to its people.
The second verse of the song shows Eva reflecting on how necessary it was for her to change up her life – to leave a life of little means – in order to make something of herself. She expresses a need for freedom and empowerment, which ultimately led her to marry Juan Perón and become the First Lady of Argentina. The song closes with Eva questioning whether she has said too much, as she assures the people of her loyalty to them and begs them not to distance themselves in her time of need.
Overall, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" is a testament to the power of personal transformation and patriotism. Through the song, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes give voice to a beloved figure in Argentine history and the struggles that she overcame to become a symbol of empowerment for her fellow citizens.
Line by Line Meaning
It won't be easy, you'll think it's strange
I know this will be difficult for you to understand and accept
When I try to explain how I feel
But I need to tell you how I truly feel
I still need your love after all that I've done
Despite my mistakes, I still need your love and forgiveness
You won't believe me
But I know you won't trust me or believe what I have to say
All you will see is a girl you once knew
All you will see is the past version of myself
Although she's dressed to the nines
Even if I try to present myself as a different person
At sixes and sevens with you
I still feel uncertain and confused around you
Don't cry for me Argentina
Please don't feel sorry for me, Argentina
The truth is I never left you
I never truly left you, my love for you remained
All through my wild days, my mad existence
Despite my reckless past and choices
I've kept my promise, don't keep your distance
I still remain faithful and true to you, please don't push me away
I had to let it happen, I had to change
I had to let go of my old self and change for the better
Couldn't stay all my life down at heel
I couldn't continue living a life of despair
Looking out of the window, staying out of the sun
I've spent too long hiding away from the world
So I chose freedom
So I made the difficult decision to choose freedom and a better life
Running around, trying everything new
I've been exploring new experiences and opportunities
But nothing impressed me at all
But nothing has truly satisfied me or replaced my love for you
I never expected it to
I never thought it could or would
Have I said too much?
Have I shared too many personal details?
There's nothing more that I can think of to say to you
I have shared everything I needed to say for now
All you got to do is look at me
But all you have to do is look at me to see the truth
To know that every word is true
To understand that my love and commitment to you is genuine
Oh, don't cry for me Argentina
Please don't feel sorry for me, Argentina
The truth is I never left you
I never truly left you, my love for you remained
All through my wild days, my mad existence
Despite my reckless past and choices
I've kept my promise, don't keep your distance
I still remain faithful and true to you, please don't push me away
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Erwin Halletz, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind