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.
Superstar
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fell in love with you, before the second show
Your guitar, it sounds so sweet and clear
But you're not really here
It's just the radio
[Chorus]
Don't you remember you told me you loved me baby
Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh baby, I love you, I really do
Loneliness is such a sad affair
And I can hardly wait, to be with you again
What to say, to make you come again
Make you come back again
And play your sad guitar
[Chorus: x2]
The song "Superstar" by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is a cover of the 1970 hit by The Carpenters. The lyrics tell the story of someone who fell in love with a musician after hearing them play on the radio. Despite the intense feelings and the promise of a return, the musician is not physically present and the singer is left with only the memory of their guitar's sweet sound. The chorus desperately clings to the hope that the musician will return, reminiscing about the words of love the musician once spoke. The last verse illustrates the singer's loneliness as they wait for the musician's return and long to hear their sad guitar once again.
The song speaks to the universal experience of pining for someone who is out of reach. The metaphor of the sweet guitar sound further emphasizes the idea of longing and how a simple sound can elicit powerful emotions. The first verse's line "before the second show" implies the singer's desperate and immediate infatuation with the musician. The repetition of "baby" in the chorus adds to the overall sense of intense yearning and love.
Line by Line Meaning
Long ago and oh so far away
In the distant past, when many things were different and unrecognizable
I fell in love with you, before the second show
I became infatuated with you after only watching one of your performances
Your guitar, it sounds so sweet and clear
The melody produced by your instrument is beautiful and easy to follow
But you're not really here
You are not physically present with me, only heard through the radio
It's just the radio
Your voice and music are transmitted to me through a broadcasting medium
Don't you remember you told me you loved me baby
Do you recall the moment when you expressed love to me
You said you'd be coming back this way again baby
You promised that you would return to this location sometime in the future
Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh baby, I love you, I really do
My affection for you is genuine and strong, conveyed through multiple repetition of endearing terms
Loneliness is such a sad affair
Feeling alone and disconnected is a painful and sorrowful experience
And I can hardly wait, to be with you again
I am eagerly anticipating being reunited with you
What to say, to make you come again
I am unsure of what to say or do to convince you to return to me
Make you come back again
Convince you to return to this place and our relationship
And play your sad guitar
Recreate the bittersweet melody that captures my heart
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Royalty Network, ONErpm, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Bonnie Lynn Bramlett, Delaney Bramlett, Leon Russell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DOGOFWAR11
love this song
MartyMcFly -
2:53 "baby baby buh buh buh buh baby!" best part
Dale Walter
🤘
Rob Jones
Indeed..
Franeurysm
I really love the intro
MartyMcFly -
I love the opening to On The Road Again where they use the Misfits “Astro Zombies”
danielscissorhands
No sound is heard from unit two
When there was once so much to do
Was once a green mansion, but now it's a wasteland
Our days of reckless fun are through
lgwgn88
the intro is from the adolescent's kids of the black hole
Nicolas Trigo
AGUANTE FAT MIKE...
beaujams78
Says someone who clearly doesn't get it at all. And you're all upset over a sample they used for a a few bars to open the song? As the song itself is by the Carpenters. Save the rage for something even remotely more appropriate please.