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.
Heart Of Glass
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once I had a love and it was a gas
Soon turned out had a heart of glass
Seemed like the real thing, but only to find
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind
Once I had a love and it was divine
Soon found out I was losing my mind
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind
In between
What I find is pleasing and I'm feeling fine
Love is so confusing there's no peace of mind
If I fear I'm losing you it's just no good
You teasing like you do
[Chorus]
Lost inside
Adorable illusion and I cannot hide
I'm the one you're using, please don't push me aside
We coulda made it cruising, yeah
It's just no good, you teasing like you do
The Me First and the Gimme Gimmes cover of Heart of Glass, originally performed by Blondie, has an interesting history. The song was written by Blondie band members Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, and was released on their 1978 album "Parallel Lines". The song is about the fragility of love and how it can be deceptive. The chorus features a play on words, with the phrase "heart of glass" referring both to the fragility of love and the heart of a person who is easily hurt or broken.
The opening lines of the chorus, "Once I had a love and it was a gas, soon turned out had a heart of glass" suggest the singer's initial excitement and passion for a relationship that, while seeming genuine, ultimately turned out to be insubstantial and weak. The second chorus reinforces this idea, with the singer expressing regret and feeling as though they were "losing their mind" due to the relationship's lack of depth and trust.
The verses of the song explore the confusion and uncertainty that can arise in a relationship, with the singer trying to find contentment in smaller moments, but ultimately feeling insecure about the future. The bridge reinforces the singer's desperation and dependence on the relationship, desperately hoping that it will survive despite the uncertainty and lack of trust.
Overall, the song is a powerful reflection on the fragility of love and the pain that can come as a result of being deceived.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I had a love and it was a gas
Once, I experienced love that felt like a thrilling sensation
Soon turned out had a heart of glass
Only later, did I realize that my lover had a fragile and easily breakable heart
Seemed like the real thing, but only to find
Initially, the love appeared authentic and genuine, but I ultimately discovered the truth
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind
A great deal of doubt and apprehension set in, and love became a thing of the past
Once I had a love and it was divine
I once had a love that I believed was sacred and holy
Soon found out I was losing my mind
I realized that my mental state was declining due to the circumstances with my love
It seemed like the real thing but I was so blind
The love appeared authentic at first, but I was blind to the truth of the situation
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind
My deep-rooted doubt and suspicion ultimately led to the downfall of our relationship
In between
In the midst of our relationship
What I find is pleasing and I'm feeling fine
I am content with the things that bring me joy while in the relationship
Love is so confusing there's no peace of mind
Love can be perplexing, leaving little room for tranquility
If I fear I'm losing you it's just no good
If I suspect that I am losing your affection, it creates issues and problems for us
You teasing like you do
Your playful flirtation creates confusion and makes it difficult for me to decipher your true intentions
Lost inside
Feeling trapped and confused within the relationship
Adorable illusion and I cannot hide
The perception of a blissful relationship is lovely but is not the case
I'm the one you're using, please don't push me aside
I feel as though you are only using me for your own desires, please don't discard me
We coulda made it cruising, yeah
We could have had a smooth-sailing and easy-going relationship if we worked together
It's just no good, you teasing like you do
Your behavior of playing with my emotions is harmful for our relationship
Lyrics © Freibank Musikverlags und vermarktungs GmbH, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Chris Stein, Deborah Harry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ganges Excavating
This whole album was one of their best. Great cover of Blondie!!
MartyMcFly
I think Love Their Country and Are We Not Men? We Are Diva are their best albums. I own every album of theirs and they really don’t have a single bad cover to be honest.
JilleIsIn
Truly never thought anyone could do this to any measure of Blondie, but you've gone and done it. - LOVE this version
justin mcguire
They did😁
Snake Plissken
I love this band because they take songs I hate and make them awesome.
Everything Que
You didn’t like Blondie ?
Adam Boynton
A dude once said to me, "once a cover band, always a cover band". This band is the exception to dude.
James Lower
I think they're my favorite cover band now
Ganges Excavating
Great cover once again!
Camila Arias Barbagallo
Mindblowing!