NOFX is a punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, forme… Read Full Bio ↴NOFX is a punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, formed in 1983 and will officially permanently disband in October 2024. The original lineup included singer/bassist Fat Mike, drummer Erik Sandin, and guitarist Eric Melvin. Since 1991, the lineup has remained the same, with El Hefe playing guitar and trumpet. They have released 14 full-length studio albums, 15 EPs, 2 live albums, and many 7" singles. The group has sold over 6 million records worldwide, making them one of the most successful independent acts of all time.

The band's sound is diverse, utilizing elements of skate punk, hardcore punk, reggae, and other music genres. Their lyrics generally satirize issues such as politics, society, various subcultures, racism, the music industry, and religion, often using a large amount of comedy.

NOFX's first recording was a demo from 1983, produced by The Germs drummer Don Bolles, which did not sell any copies. They released their self-titled debut EP on Mystic Records in 1985, which was later re-released in 1992 as part of the Maximum RocknRoll CD. For a year, Erik Sandin left the band and was replaced by Scott Sellers, then Scott Aldahl. Dave Allen was in the band for about four months, until he died in a car accident. In 1986, the band released So What if We're on Mystic!. Dave Casillas joined the band on second guitar in 1987 and was featured on the EP The P.M.R.C. Can Suck on This!, attacking the PMRC's call for censorship of music. The original cover was an edited S&M photo, but the re-released version was changed to a photo of Eric Melvin.

Eric Sandin returned and they recorded Liberal Animation in 1988 (before Dave was replaced by Steve) with Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion. Although the title and some lyrics mocked vegetarianism and animal rights, Fat Mike says that he became a vegetarian after he wrote Liberal Animation. 'If a big enough animal had a chance it would eat you up!' The album was re-released in 1991 on Gurewitz's label Epitaph. Dave then left the band and was replaced by Steve Kidwiller. NOFX had signed to Epitaph by 1989, releasing their second album, titled S&M Airlines. 1990 saw the release of Ribbed. By 1991, Aaron Abeyta (aka El Hefe), joined to round out the group. White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean was released in 1992, which originally had the title White Trash, Two Kikes, and a Spic. The original title was changed because Eric Melvin's grandmother was upset about the racial epithets.

It was not until the 1994 release of Punk in Drublic that the band had a commercial breakthrough, with the album going gold. In the same year, pop punk entered the mainstream with the success of The Offspring's Smash and Green Day's Dookie.

In 1996 they released Heavy Petting Zoo, which wasn't very popular among its fans because it showed a different sound in some tracks. Their 1997 record So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes was faster, with more ska and reggae, and was well received by the public, although its title shocked everybody because it seemed as it was going to be their last album. They soon stated it wasn't true.

In 1999, the band released The Decline, a fiery and pessimistic social commentary. Having a duration of 18 minutes and 23 seconds, it is nearly the longest punk song to date, second only to "Yes Sir, I Will" by Crass, which spans more than 22 minutes.

The coming of a new century marked the end of NOFX in Epitaph Records. In 2000 they released Pump Up the Valuum, which in many people's opinion is a good record but still is missing something.

In 2003, NOFX released War on Errorism, and launched their anti-George W. Bush campaign. Fat Mike organized the website Punkvoter.com, compiled two chart-topping Rock Against Bush compilations, and kicked off a Rock Against Bush United States tour. The band has released many EPs (i.e. Fuck the Kids, The Longest Line) on Fat Mike's own label Fat Wreck Chords. In February 2005, they launched the NOFX 7" of the Month Club, a subscription-based service which saw the release of one new EP almost monthly, from February 2005 to March 2006 (a total of 12 releases). The cover art for these EPs were chosen from fan-submitted entries. The first 3000 subscribers to the club received all of their records on colored vinyl. Fat Wreck Chords later released full sets of the EPs.

On March 14, 2006, an EP entitled Never Trust a Hippy was released. The EP was followed on April 18 by the album Wolves in Wolves' Clothing. On September 12, 2006, the video game EA Sports NHL07 was released, featuring the title track of the latter album on its soundtrack.

The band recorded three nights of shows in San Francisco, California for the live album, They've Actually Gotten Worse Live! that was released on November 20, 2007.

NOFX aired in 2008 a reality show on Fuse TV called NOFX: Backstage Passport, chronicling their recent worldwide tour full of mishaps and fun stuff.

NOFX released their eleventh full length, Coaster, on April 28, 2009.

NOFX released their twelfth full length, Self/Entitled, on September 11th, 2012.

Official site: http://nofxofficialwebsite.com

Johnny B. Goode
NOFX Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Way down Louisiana, close to New Prleans
Way back up in the woods, among the evergreens
There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
Where lived a country boy name of Johnny B. Goode
He never ever learned to read or write so well
But he could play the guitar like ringing a bell

Go, go, go, Johnny, go

Go, go, Johnny B. Goode

He use to carry his guitar in a gunny sack
And sit beneath the trees by the railroad track
Oh, the engineers used to see him sitting in the shade
Playing to the rhythm that the drivers made
People passing by would stop and say
Oh my, that little country boy could play

His mama told him someday he would be a man
And he would be the leader of a big old band
Many people coming from miles around
To hear him play his music when the sun go down

Maybe, someday, his name would be in lights
Saying: Johnny B. Goode Tonight

Overall Meaning

The song "Johnny B. Goode" by NOFX is a cover of the classic rock and roll song by Chuck Berry. The lyrics provide a portrait of a country boy named Johnny B. Goode who lives in Louisiana, close to New Orleans, in a log cabin made of earth and wood. Although Johnny never learned to read or write well, he has a talent for playing the guitar. He is often found sitting beneath the trees by the railroad track, playing to the rhythm made by the train drivers. His music is so good that many people come from miles around to hear him play when the sun goes down. His mama tells him that someday he will be the leader of a big old band, and his name will be in lights.

Line by Line Meaning

Way down Louisiana, close to New Orleans
In the state of Louisiana, near the city of New Orleans.

Way back up in the woods, among the evergreens
In the forested area located far away from the city and populated areas.

There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
A house made of natural materials such as logs and mud.

Where lived a country boy name of Johnny B. Goode
A boy, known as Johnny B. Goode, who lived in the log cabin.

He never ever learned to read or write so well
Johnny B. Goode did not receive extensive education in reading and writing.

But he could play the guitar like ringing a bell
Despite his limited education, Johnny B. Goode possessed a great talent for playing the guitar.

Go, go, go, Johnny, go
Encouragement for Johnny B. Goode to continue playing or pursuing his dreams.

Go, go, Johnny B. Goode
A shortened version of the previous line, reemphasizing the support for Johnny B. Goode.

He use to carry his guitar in a gunny sack
Johnny B. Goode carried his guitar in a rough, woven bag.

And sit beneath the trees by the railroad track
He would sit among trees near the railroad tracks.

Oh, the engineers used to see him sitting in the shade
The engineers driving the trains would notice him sitting in the shaded area.

Playing to the rhythm that the drivers made
Johnny B. Goode played his guitar to the beat of the trains passing by.

People passing by would stop and say
People walking around the area would notice him and compliment his skills.

Oh my, that little country boy could play
Expressing a sense of surprise and awe towards Johnny B. Goode's playing abilities.

His mama told him someday he would be a man
Johnny B. Goode's mother had faith that her son would grow up to be a responsible adult.

And he would be the leader of a big old band
She also believed he would have success as the leader of a musical group.

Many people coming from miles around
Numerous individuals would travel long distances to hear him play.

To hear him play his music when the sun go down
They specifically wanted to hear his music during sunset.

Maybe, someday, his name would be in lights
There was a possibility that Johnny B. Goode's name would be featured prominently, likely due to his musical talent.

Saying: Johnny B. Goode tonight
A hypothetical statement indicating the possibility of a performance featuring Johnny B. Goode's name.

Contributed by Lincoln V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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