Mudhoney's early releases on the Sub Pop label, particularly their debut single "Touch Me I'm Sick" and the Superfuzz Bigmuff EP, were massively influential on the Seattle music scene. More than almost any other release of the era they inspired the dirty, high-distortion sound that would become grunge. Later on, Mudhoney also mixed heavy blues rock and punk rock into their sound at various stages. Although the band has found little commercial success during its long career, which has yielded ten studio albums, it has inspired countless grunge and alternative rock musicians.
Band history
Mr. Epp and the Calculations
The very beginnings of Mudhoney start out in Bellevue, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. While at Bellevue Christian High School, Mark McLaughlin (later known as Mark Arm) and some friends started Mr. Epp and the Calculations, a band named after a math teacher of his. The band was more a joke band than a real band; their first "show" was in class singing Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" and using rolled up maps as guitars because they couldn't play real instruments. "Mr. Epp" finally played their first show three years after they formed in 1981. Around this time Mark Arm and a friend of his, Steve Turner formed a more serious yet still humorous band, Limp Richerds. Mr. Epp appeared on KZAM-AM radio and were introduced being called "the worst band in the world". They played their last show on February 3, 1984 with Malfunkshun at the Metropolis in Seattle.
Green River
Green River was formed in 1984 when Mark Arm and Steve Turner pulled together and recruited Alex Vincent, who had previously played with Turner in Spluii Numa. Looking for a bass player the band asked Jeff Ament to join their band. Ament had recently arrived in Seattle with his band Deranged Diction who had come out of Montana. Another one of Turner's former bandmates, Stone Gossard, also decided to play with them. Steve Turner left the band after the recording of Come on Down due to his distaste in the heavy metal leanings of the band. He was replaced by another Derranged Diction member, Bruce Fairweather. After recording two EPs and a full-length album, the band decided to call it quits in 1987. Gossard, Ament, and Fairweather went on to join Mother Love Bone. Following lead singer, Andrew Wood's death, Gossard and Ament went on to form Pearl Jam and Fairweather joined Love Battery. Arm reunited with Steve Turner to form Mudhoney.
Sub Pop (1988–1991)
Steve Turner wanted to start a band that actually rehearsed before they played. He and Mark Arm began working on some music along with Bundle of Hiss drummer Dan Peters. The trio decided that Matt Lukin, who had recently left Melvins, should join them as the bassist. They named themselves Mudhoney after a Russ Meyer film that none of the band members had actually seen.
Mudhoney's partial success led to a number of other Seattle bands, such as Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Tad, gaining some recognition. In the early '90s, Sub Pop was not making very much money. As a result, many of its bands left the label to search for backing by major labels. Mudhoney decided to stay and they released their second album, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge in 1991. However, after this album was released they were offered a deal with Reprise Records and they left Sub Pop Records to join their new major label in 1992.
Reprise (1992–1999)
As grunge was becoming more mainstream, Mudhoney shifted away from their early grungy music sound. Many of the bands that they were friends with (Nirvana and Pearl Jam) were having huge success and gaining popularity worldwide. Their first album on Reprise was Piece of Cake, which was an album that sounded much more like garage rock than grunge. Despite the fact that the band had signed on to a major label, they still kept their quirkiness and non-careerist attitude with them.
In 1995, when grunge was in its last days in the mainstream, Mudhoney decided to go back to the sound that they used to have. With their album My Brother the Cow they managed to mix both their early heavy dirge songs and some of their more punk rock songs on the same album. The song "Into Your Shtik" is said to be a song which bashes Courtney Love, saying that she should blow her head off too like her husband Kurt Cobain. The album is a fan favorite and is considered one of their finest albums. Two years later they released Tomorrow Hit Today. The album showed that Mudhoney still had their garage rock roots in them as well as including new blues rock type songs.
In 1996, Mudhoney appeared in the comedy movie Black Sheep, starring Chris Farley and David Spade. Mudhoney was shown playing at an MTV concert and then speaking with Farley backstage.
After a few years of touring, Reprise decided to release Mudhoney from their label. One of the reasons was Mudhoney's record sales had reached a career low despite the fact their live shows were drawing more people than ever before. Subsequently, bassist Matt Lukin called it quits, saying that he didn't like touring. The band released March to Fuzz, a retrospective compilation of songs from throughout their career. Many fans thought that the band was going to stop playing music altogether, although they did play a few shows around the Northwest area.
Return to Sub Pop (1999— )
These shows were doing so well that Mudhoney decided to resurrect their careers. They found permanent bassist Guy Maddison (of Monroe's Fur, Lubricated Goat) who had played with Mark Arm in one of his many side projects, Bloodloss. After Arm and Turner spent time with their side project, The Monkeywrench, the band recorded and released Since We've Become Translucent in 2002. In late 2005, the band opened Pearl Jam's South American tour, with concerts in Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In March of 2006, the band released the well received LP, Under a Billion Suns. The band has promoted the album by touring in Europe and the U.S. with bands such as Jennifer Gentle, The Holy Soul and Comets on Fire.
Good Enough
Mudhoney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I'm sure I'll make again
Guess I liked them enough
The first time around
No way to fight them
No use denying
The way it grows
Whatever happens
Never thought for a second
That I'd let go
Uh-huh
Everybody says
You must have lost your head
Well, one more time is good enough for me
Yeah, one more time is good enough for me
It's a hard road to your heart
And there was a time when I never thought I'd get that far
Uh-huh
Everybody says
You must have lost your head
Well, one more time is good enough for me
Yeah, one more time is good enough for me
The opening verse of Mudhoney's song "Good Enough" is about the inevitability of making mistakes in life, and the acceptance of those mistakes as just a part of the journey. The singer acknowledges that he is not immune to making mistakes, and he will probably make the same ones again. This could refer to personal, professional, or even romantic mistakes. He suggests that he may have even enjoyed making those mistakes or the outcomes they led to, which is why he may repeat these errors again. He accepts that there is no point in fighting or denying the mistakes and that they are likely to happen.
The chorus is an upbeat and optimistic declaration that even if others would criticize or judge him for making the same mistake twice or more, it is good enough for him. He has made peace with his own limitations and his own process of learning, and he is content to make the same mistake again if it leads him to his desired outcome. The last verse is about how difficult it can be to find love or emotional fulfillment, but the singer has come far enough on his journey to know that perseverance and determination are essential to reach his destination.
Overall, the song's message is one of self-acceptance, self-forgiveness, and being comfortable with oneself. It encourages the listener to embrace their imperfections and mistakes and to trust their own instincts. The song is an ode to embracing life as it is and not being too hard on oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
I've made mistakes
Acknowledging the previous errors made
That I'm sure I'll make again
Admitting that the same mistakes may happen again in the future
Guess I liked them enough
Realizing that the mistakes were enjoyable and that is why they were repeated
The first time around
Clarifying that the mistakes were only made once before being repeated
No way to fight them
Coming to terms with the fact that the mistakes cannot be avoided or prevented
No use denying
Accepting the existence of the mistakes rather than trying to cover or hide them
The way it grows
Acknowledging that the mistakes may become more significant or serious as they repeat
Uh-huh
A vocalization indicating agreement or understanding
Whatever happens
Admitting that the outcome is uncertain or unknown
Never thought for a second
Surprised by the situation that has unfolded
That I'd let go
Realizing that the mistakes may not be as important as initially thought
Everybody says
Noticing that others have an opinion about the mistakes being made
You must have lost your head
Others believe that the mistakes are a result of poor decision making or impulsiveness
Well, one more time is good enough for me
Despite what others may think, the repetition of the mistakes is still worthwhile
It's a hard road to your heart
The journey to finding love or acceptance is difficult and full of obstacles
And there was a time when I never thought I'd get that far
Reflecting on the past when love or acceptance seemed impossible to achieve
Yeah, one more time is good enough for me
Reiterating that the repetition of the mistakes is still worthwhile
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW PETER MILLER, MATTHEW PRIEST, NIGEL RICHARD CLARK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@crazycatman5928
I agree. I picked up drums in 97 and guitar in 06. It’s not hard to make good music...the melody is everything. I’ve got 40 plus years of listening to rock of all styles. I should have been a music producer but alas...time goes by and here I am living in a constant state of nostalgia.
No one wants to be that old person still clinging to a once popular trend.
We keep it alive in our hearts.
We keep it alive driving in our cars.
Rock is dead sadly.
Mainstream masses want to be spoon fed computer generated music made by talentless hacks that use beats from past hits, then rap or auto tune ghost written lyrics.
The 90s was the peak of rock.
The 90s was the last great decade of rock.
No other band changed music like nirvana did post 1994.
Nirvana opened up the flood gates to other Seattle bands.
I never liked mud honey but I can appreciate them now.
We had it so good back then and we didn’t even realize it.
Looking back I wish I could have frozen time.
Nostalgia is a depressing and addictive drug.
@e.l.324
All of them are so adorable in this video.
@DTM-Books
Mudhoney is one of the greatest devotees of The Stooges to ever grace the earth. I can't imagine the Seattle Rock sound without them.
@rmdb100
We could bring grunge back. It's all about picking up a guitar and doing it ourselves, instead of waiting for someone else to do it.
@crazycatman5928
I agree. I picked up drums in 97 and guitar in 06. It’s not hard to make good music...the melody is everything. I’ve got 40 plus years of listening to rock of all styles. I should have been a music producer but alas...time goes by and here I am living in a constant state of nostalgia.
No one wants to be that old person still clinging to a once popular trend.
We keep it alive in our hearts.
We keep it alive driving in our cars.
Rock is dead sadly.
Mainstream masses want to be spoon fed computer generated music made by talentless hacks that use beats from past hits, then rap or auto tune ghost written lyrics.
The 90s was the peak of rock.
The 90s was the last great decade of rock.
No other band changed music like nirvana did post 1994.
Nirvana opened up the flood gates to other Seattle bands.
I never liked mud honey but I can appreciate them now.
We had it so good back then and we didn’t even realize it.
Looking back I wish I could have frozen time.
Nostalgia is a depressing and addictive drug.
@newemail958
after you pick it up....is the next step to plug it in????
@GUNNFORRESTER
They call that folk punk now.....
@lillyrocks82
@@crazycatman5928 I'd like to do something too. don't hesitate because of your age.
Youngest ppl is making ummm 🤔 not so good things now and nothing special.
Nice Nickname. 🤘🎸🎸😺
@tobinriff2287
I agree! We can bring grunge back!
@prime8nate
If you're watching closely, the drummer is often wearing a green t-shirt that says "LDS Road Show". I was raised a mormon and I remember spitting out my drink with laughter when I saw the video first on 120 Minutes back in the day. All the youth in a particular church had some sort of musical play that we'd rehearse weeknights after school and once we got it down we traveled around to other mormon churches to perform it to the congregations. It was all so weird looking back on it now.
@savannahn.9026
I can’t stop watching this video. I love it.