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.
the way we were
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Light the corners of my mind
Misty watercolor memπries
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were
Can it be
That it was all so simple then
Or has time rewritten every line?
If we had the chance
To do it all again
Tell me would we? Could we?
Memories
May be beautiful and yet
Whatπs too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So itπs the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember
The way we were
Every day was like
A gift of flowers
Ribbon-wrapped
And waiting to be seen
Eagerly we opened all the hours
Then what happened happened
Memories
May be beautiful and yet
Whatπs too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So itπs the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember
The way we were
The way we were
The lyrics of "The Way We Were" by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes evoke a powerful sense of nostalgia and longing for a simpler, happier time. The song's opening lines, "Memories / Light the corners of my mind / Misty watercolor memories / Of the way we were," paint a vivid picture of a past that is both beautiful and distant. The use of light and watercolor imagery creates a dream-like quality to the memories, emphasizing their ephemeral nature.
As the song progresses, the singer reflects on the simplicity of the past and wonders if time has rewritten their memories. The lyrics, "Can it be / That it was all so simple then / Or has time rewritten every line?" suggest that the singer is struggling to reconcile their current reality with the idyllic past they remember. This sense of yearning is intensified in the chorus, where the singer acknowledges that some memories may be too painful to remember, but it's the laughter that they will hold onto.
The final verse offers a glimpse into the everyday joys of the past, with the lines "Every day was like / A gift of flowers / Ribbon-wrapped / And waiting to be seen." The use of metaphor emphasizes the wonder and excitement the singer felt for life. However, the lyrics also acknowledge that tragedies happened and that memories can be bittersweet, with the line "Then what happened happened." Despite this, the chorus reminds us that our memories are what make us who we are, and that it's the laughter and love we remember that sustain us.
Line by Line Meaning
Memories
Reveries of past events
Light the corners of my mind
Bring back memories that have long been dormant
Misty watercolor memories
Nostalgic remembrances, softened by the passage of time
Of the way we were
Of how things used to be
Scattered pictures
Dispersed snapshots of past memories
Of the smiles we left behind
Of the grins we intentionally passed on
Smiles we gave to one another
Cheerful expressions we exchanged with each other
For the way we were
In remembrance of how things used to be
Can it be
Could it possibly be true
That it was all so simple then
That life in the past was uncomplicated
Or has time rewritten every line?
Or has the passage of time distorted our recollection of events?
If we had the chance
If given another opportunity
To do it all again
To relive past events
Tell me would we? Could we?
Ask the question of whether we would or could
Memories
Reminiscences of days gone by
May be beautiful and yet
May be emotionally-stirring, but
What's too painful to remember
What elicits unpleasant emotions
We simply choose to forget
We adopt the practice of not recalling them at all
So it's the laughter
Therefore, it is the joyous moments
We will remember
That we will recall
Whenever we remember
Every time we recollect
The way we were
The way things were in the past
Every day was like
Each day was akin to
A gift of flowers
An offering of something delightful
Ribbon-wrapped
Enclosed in a ribbon, to give it a more pleasing appearance
And waiting to be seen
Ready for our eager eyes
Eagerly we opened all the hours
We eagerly crossed off and experienced every hour
Then what happened happened
Then what took place simply occurred
The way we were
The state of affairs in the past
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore
Written by: Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Marvin Hamlisch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Terry Boyce
This is my favorite song by Barbra Streisand"and I love this version of punk! 😍
jim maury
Memories
Light the corners of my mind
Misty watercolor memπries
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were
Can it be
That it was all so simple then
Or has time rewritten every line?
If we had the chance
To do it all again
Tell me would we? Could we?
Memories
May be beautiful and yet
Whatπs too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So itπs the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember
The way we were
Every day was like
A gift of flowers
Ribbon-wrapped
And waiting to be seen
Eagerly we opened all the hours
Then what happened happened
Memories
May be beautiful and yet
Whatπs too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So itπs the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember
The way we were
The way we were
MartyMcFly -
So fucking good! One of the greatest bands ever! I own every album!!!
MartyMcFly -
I love how he ends the song with “Nooo!” instead of his usual “Yeah!!”
ajax2727
He ends it with No's instead of Yeah's Love it! haha
Kogoro Hitsune
I finally remembered which song was missing from the album.. Mary Hopkin - Those Were The Days!
Kat C
Really quite good
MartyMcFly -
So fucking awesome
Justin Mohareb
One person does not have misty water coloured memories.
The Lad and The Others
cool cool cool