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.
Top Of The World
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There is wonder in most every thing I see
Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes
And I won't be surprised if it's a dream
Everything I want the world to be
Is now comin' true especially for me
And the reason is clear, it's because you are here
And I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
Somethin' in the wind has learned my name
And it's tellin' me that things are not the same
In the leaves on the trees and the touch of the breeze
There's a pleasin' sense of happiness for me
There is only one wish on my mind
When this day is through I hope that I will find
That tomorrow will be just the same for you and me
All I need will be mine if you are here
And I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
The lyrics to Me First and the Gimme Gimmes's song Top of the World are filled with an overwhelming sense of joy and happiness. The singer describes the euphoric feelings of love and how it has transformed their life. The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer talking about the wonder they see in everything around them. They can’t believe that what they’re experiencing is real and wonder if it’s just a dream. The second verse speaks to the fact that the singer has found the love they’ve always wanted, and it’s now a reality. They sing about how their lover is the sole reason they’re now on top of the world, looking down on creation. The song’s chorus is an ode to this love, with the singer declaring that it has put them at the top of the world.
The final verse is where the singer expresses their hope for the future as they enjoy this moment of overwhelming joy. They express their desire to have every day be just like this one and to always be with their lover. The song is an ode to love and happiness, with the lyrics capturing the amazing experience of being in love and how it transforms one’s life.
Line by Line Meaning
Such a feelin's comin' over me
I am filled with a powerful feeling
There is wonder in most every thing I see
Everything seems amazing and exciting
Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes
The weather is perfect and bright
And I won't be surprised if it's a dream
It feels so perfect that I might be dreaming
Everything I want the world to be
My ideal vision of the world is coming true
Is now comin' true especially for me
My dreams are coming true, specifically for me
And the reason is clear, it's because you are here
The reason for my happiness is because of your presence
You're the nearest thing to Heaven that I've seen
You are the closest thing to perfection that I have experienced
And I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
I feel like I am at the highest point and everything below is under my control
And the only explanation I can find
The only reason I can think of
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
The love that I have for you is the reason for my happiness
Your love's put me at the top of the world
Your love has elevated me to the highest level of happiness
Somethin' in the wind has learned my name
I feel like something in the air is calling my name
And it's tellin' me that things are not the same
It is indicating that things have changed
In the leaves on the trees and the touch of the breeze
I can feel the changes in the environment
There's a pleasin' sense of happiness for me
I feel a very pleasing sense of happiness
There is only one wish on my mind
I have only one desire
When this day is through I hope that I will find
I hope to find something at the end of this day
That tomorrow will be just the same for you and me
My wish is that tomorrow will be just as wonderful for both of us
All I need will be mine if you are here
Your presence will make everything I need mine
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: John Bettis, Richard Lynn Carpenter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
KMSNAP
Such a feelin's comin' over me
There is wonder in most every thing I see
Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes
And I won't be surprised if it's a dream
Everything I want the world to be
Is now comin' true especially for me
And the reason is clear, it's because you are here
You're the nearest thing to heaven that I've seen
I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found, ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
Something in the wind has learned my name
And it's tellin' me that things are not the same
In the leaves on the trees, and the touch of the breeze
There's a pleasing sense of happiness for me
There is only one wish on my mind
Bila arimby family
Top Of The World"
Such a feelin's comin' over me
There is wonder in most every thing I see
Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes
And I won't be surprised if it's a dream
Everything I want the world to be
Is now comin' true especially for me
And the reason is clear, it's because you are here
You're the nearest thing to Heaven that I've seen
reff.
I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
Somethin' in the wind has learned my name
And it's tellin' me that things are not the same
In the leaves on the trees and the touch of the breeze
There's a pleasin' sense of happiness for me
There is only one wish on my mind
When this day is through I hope that I will find
That tomorrow will be just the same for you and me
All I need will be mine if you are here
I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
MartyMcFly
Every cover they do is amazing
KMSNAP
Such a feelin's comin' over me
There is wonder in most every thing I see
Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes
And I won't be surprised if it's a dream
Everything I want the world to be
Is now comin' true especially for me
And the reason is clear, it's because you are here
You're the nearest thing to heaven that I've seen
I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found, ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
Something in the wind has learned my name
And it's tellin' me that things are not the same
In the leaves on the trees, and the touch of the breeze
There's a pleasing sense of happiness for me
There is only one wish on my mind
Dino Ramone
This type of song was made for them. You listen to The Carpenters and think that with its half decent melody, this song would sound great played by a punk rock band. This is one of their best.
Seth Opitz
+Dino Ramone Exactly, not the first punk cover of this; check out Shonen Knife's.
matthew cosgrove
very well put dude
Julius
@Mr. Crowley doesn’t mean they didn’t improve it
Doctor Speedweed
Great cover!!! I don't know why, but this song always seemed very apt for rock to me
Bila arimby family
Top Of The World"
Such a feelin's comin' over me
There is wonder in most every thing I see
Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes
And I won't be surprised if it's a dream
Everything I want the world to be
Is now comin' true especially for me
And the reason is clear, it's because you are here
You're the nearest thing to Heaven that I've seen
reff.
I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
Somethin' in the wind has learned my name
And it's tellin' me that things are not the same
In the leaves on the trees and the touch of the breeze
There's a pleasin' sense of happiness for me
There is only one wish on my mind
When this day is through I hope that I will find
That tomorrow will be just the same for you and me
All I need will be mine if you are here
I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
Hamzah ReXX
a song that keeps me strong in living this life
melissa tauala
I love it!!