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.
leaving on a jet plane
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm standing here outside your door,
I hate to wake you up to say good-bye.
But the dawn is breakin',
It's early morn,
The taxi's waitin'
He's blowin' his horn,
Already I'm so lonesome I could die.
So kiss me and smile for me,
Tell me that you'll wait for me,
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane,
Don't know when I'll be back again,
Oh, babe, I hate to go.
There's so many times I've let you down
So many times I've fucked around,
I tell you now they don't mean a thing.
Ev'ry place I go I'll think of you,
Ev'ry song I sing I'll sing for you,
When I come back I'll bring your wedding ring.
Now the time has come to leave you,
One more time let me kiss you,
Then close your eyes I'll be on my way.
Dream about the days to come
When I won't have to leave alone,
About the times I won't have to say:
I'm leavin' on a jet plane,
Don't know when I'll be back again,
Oh, babe, I hate to go.
The song "Leaving on a Jet Plane" by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is actually a cover of the original song by John Denver. The song is about a man who is leaving his lover behind, and he is torn between leaving and staying with her. The man is ready to leave, as evidenced by his packed bags and the taxi waiting for him outside, but he is also very upset about having to leave his lover behind. He hates to wake her up to say goodbye, and he's already feeling lonely before he's even left. He asks her to kiss him and smile for him, to tell him that she'll wait for him, and to hold him like she'll never let him go.
The man acknowledges that he has let his lover down many times and has messed around, but he assures her that these things don't mean anything now. He promises to think of her every place he goes and to sing for her every song he sings. He tells her that he'll bring her a wedding ring when he comes back. The man then asks his lover to close her eyes and dream about the days to come when he won't have to leave her alone and won't have to say goodbye. The chorus repeats again, with the man saying that he hates to go but he's leaving on a jet plane and doesn't know when he'll be back again.
Overall, the song is a bittersweet tale of love and longing, of wanting to leave and wanting to stay at the same time. It captures the universal feeling of having to say goodbye and the difficulty of leaving someone you love behind.
Line by Line Meaning
All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go,
I have prepared myself to leave, and my luggage is all packed.
I'm standing here outside your door,
I am currently situated outside your door.
I hate to wake you up to say good-bye.
I don't want to disturb your sleep to bid you farewell.
But the dawn is breakin',
The sun is beginning to rise.
It's early morn,
It's still early in the morning.
The taxi's waitin',
The taxi is ready and waiting for me.
He's blowin' his horn,
The taxi driver is sounding his horn, indicating that he is ready to depart.
Already I'm so lonesome I could die.
I feel incredibly lonely and sad, as if death would be preferable to this feeling.
So kiss me and smile for me,
Please give me a happy kiss and smile before I leave.
Tell me that you'll wait for me,
Promise me that you will wait for my return.
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
Embrace me as if you will never let me leave.
'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane,
I am departing via a jet airplane.
Don't know when I'll be back again,
I am unsure when I will return.
Oh, babe, I hate to go.
I feel sad and distressed about leaving.
There's so many times I've let you down
I have disappointed you many times in the past.
So many times I've fucked around,
I have engaged in many acts of infidelity.
I tell you now they don't mean a thing.
I am communicating that those past mistakes are irrelevant now.
Ev'ry place I go I'll think of you,
I will think of you whenever I visit new locations.
Ev'ry song I sing I'll sing for you,
I will dedicate every song I sing to you.
When I come back I'll bring your wedding ring.
Upon my return, I will bring your wedding ring with me.
Now the time has come to leave you,
It is time for me to depart from you.
One more time let me kiss you,
Allow me to give you one final kiss before I leave.
Then close your eyes I'll be on my way.
Once you have closed your eyes, I will depart.
Dream about the days to come
When you have time to daydream, think about the future.
When I won't have to leave alone,
A time when I will not have to depart by myself.
About the times I won't have to say:
Think about a future where I will not have to say:
I'm leavin' on a jet plane,
I am departing on a jet airplane.
Don't know when I'll be back again,
I am uncertain about my return date.
Oh, babe, I hate to go.
I feel sad and distressed about leaving.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Denver
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind