MxPx started as three 15-year-old kids calling themselves Magnified Plaid pounding out music inspired by and similar to The Descendents and other Southern California punk rock bands. They didn’t really love their band name, however, which was a tribute to the original guitarist’s penchant for wearing one particularly loud plaid shirt. Consequently, the name was abbreviated to M.P., but in Yuri’s handwriting, periods become “X“‘s and since he made up the show posters for the band, the four-letter moniker stuck.
Andy Husted, the former guitarist, left the band in 1995 to continue college.
Andy was replaced by Tom to solidify the line-up that would take the band into their post-teen years. Maybe Tom’s background as a drummer made up for his relative inexperience playing guitar (he had only played for a year at the time). He and Yuri lock into backbreakingly fast rhythms that rank with vintage Minor Threat for speed and percussive attack. Mike then adds to the mix his signature sing-along melodies that call to mind SoCal punk bands from the early ’80s.
Bremerton had been a town most famous for its naval shipyards until MxPx caught the attention of Tooth & Nail Records when they played a “showcase” for the T&N label in 1993 in Herrera’s parents’ garage. Mike Herrera had practiced so much before the first show, he lost his voice.
MxPx released three albums with Tooth & Nail Records: Pokinatcha in 1994, Teenage Politics in 1995, and Life in General in 1996. After a falling out with Tooth & Nail, MxPx left the label and signed with A&M Records.
In July 2010 drummer Yuri Ruley announced he would be retiring from the band to focus on his family. Ruley played his last show with the band in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 18, 2010. In a recent video message from Mike, he stated that Tom and Yuri have both finished touring full time, but will continue to play one-off shows with the band.
Move To Bremerton
MxPx Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She always lives somewhere else in the world
I don't want to call her on the phone
I want to talk to her when I'm at home
Move to Bremerton we'll hang out
Move to Bremerton 'cause you want to
Move to Bremerton will you be mine?
(Move to Bremerton 'til the end of time)
So you end up in my town
I'll re draw the maps all one by one
So they all lead to Bremerton
Drop out of school and run away
Quit your job, you got a place to stay
Pack your bags and hitch a ride
Bremerton's a good place to reside
If you owned a brain and use it too
You gotta know that I'd have a crush on you
I'm a sucker for a level headed girl with a pretty smile
She gots to have ideas, yeah, and she gots to have style
The song Move to Bremerton by punk rock band MxPx features lead singer Mike Herrera lamenting about a recurring issue in his romantic life: he tends to meet girls who live far away and he doesn't want to communicate over the phone. Instead, he wants them to move to his hometown of Bremerton, Washington so that he can spend time with them in person. The lyrics express his desperate desire for companionship, and he even offers to change street signs and maps to make it easier for them to get there. He encourages the girls to drop out of school or quit their jobs to live with him in Bremerton, framing it as a mutually beneficial choice.
The song is full of romantic overtures and seems to suggest that the singer is willing to do whatever it takes to be with the object of his affection. The opening line, "When I meet a special girl, she always lives somewhere else in the world", suggests just how frequent and frustrating this predicament is for him. The chorus repeats the titular phrase "Move to Bremerton" as both a command and a plea. The song illustrates the lengths some people will go to in their pursuit of love, and the lengths to which they will go to avoid a long-distance relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
When I meet a special girl
When I come across a girl whom I consider to be special
She always lives somewhere else in the world
Every time I find a girl I like, she lives far away
I don't want to call her on the phone
I dislike the idea of using the phone to talk to her
I want to talk to her when I'm at home
I prefer talking to her in person at my residence
Move to Bremerton we'll hang out
Come live in Bremerton with me, so that we can spend time together
Move to Bremerton 'cause you want to
Move to Bremerton only if you desire to do so
Move to Bremerton will you be mine?
If you decide to move to Bremerton, will you be my girlfriend?
(Move to Bremerton 'til the end of time)
(Stay with me in Bremerton indefinitely)
I'll change the street signs you drive down
I will modify the street signs in your area, so that you head towards Bremerton
So you end up in my town
This way, you will eventually arrive in my hometown
I'll re draw the maps all one by one
I'll redraw all the maps one after another, showing the way to Bremerton
So they all lead to Bremerton
The maps will guide you towards Bremerton
Drop out of school and run away
Leave your school and depart from your hometown
Quit your job, you got a place to stay
You can resign from your job, as you'll have a place to reside with me
Pack your bags and hitch a ride
Pack your luggage and join me on a trip to Bremerton
Bremerton's a good place to reside
Bremerton is a great place to live
If you owned a brain and use it too
If you possess a brain and make smart decisions
You gotta know that I'd have a crush on you
You must know that I would develop a romantic interest in you
I'm a sucker for a level-headed girl with a pretty smile
I'm attracted to girls with a balanced mindset and a charming smile
She gots to have ideas, yeah, and she gots to have style
Additionally, she should have original ideas and a distinct personality
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Mooshkajoe
Lived in that gray ass town for a few years. Let's hear it for us navy brats.
I'll be honest though. It was pretty fucking chill. Having nothing to do and nowhere to go is real appealing when you're in your 30s.
Live in Memphis now
I tell people Bremerton is like suburban Cordova with a sprinkle of Millington and a fuck ton of gray.
I laughed my ass off at this video on how wet and gray everything is.
People be like "Mt St Helens looks so pretty today."
Bitch, where do you see anything? It's gray. Everything is fucking gray.
@thetsar7384
I live in Alabama but when I visited a friend in Seattle, I made sure I took the ferry across the sound to visit Bremerton because of this song. 😊
@dani.-.6691
The TSAR which part? Did you stay in west Bremerton or did you end up going more towards Silverdale
@aleaseaubreyfrieson5106
AND quickly realized Bremerton was lame.
@vendavalf.c.futboltotal6402
Nos vale verga.
@thetsar7384
dani .-. What I assumed was the downtown area. Seemed like a normal town with a drug problem (2003ish).
@0eieiei
@@aleaseaubreyfrieson5106 They did come from Alabama
@Nitricike
I started playing guitar by learning the riffs from this song. Those riffs got me a spot in a band which toured the country multiple times.
Thanks to this guy singing about some town, I changed my entire life.
Thanks, MXPX. You quite literally changed my life.
@timothyparryjropen
I met Mike Herrera at a Sam Ash acoustic show he was doing here in Nashville, he was super chill and cool. I don't think he expected the turnout that the store show had though as it was in the mid 00s!
@mazzarella_child567
Used to listen to this album two or three times in a row when I was 12. I turned 39 today and I still love these songs. They remind me of NOFX. great time in my life. School, friends, skating... I miss the 90s.
@yvettemedina6164
i absolutely adore this band, i first heard them back when i was like 14, im 33 now and still love them and i am now sharing them with my son whos nine and he is digging them. thanks mxpx for awesome music