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
The Plan
NOFX Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't need fear or force or farce to know morality
'Cause morals aren't a substance you can shove in someone's ear
They're basically a bi-product of a mind thinking clear
It's nothing like the Bible there's no lesson to be learned
It's not the 10 commandments cause nothing's written in stone
It has to do with freedom + personal liberty
The blueprints of a better world
Were written on a postage stamp
No-one bothered to read the front
Stick out their tongue to lick the back
If you're not part of the cure you're part of the disease
Father time will tell us who concedes
The blueprints of a better world
Disguised and reveled as fortunes 10 000 Chinese
Restaurants customers prefer not to read it
When they're taught don't think just eat it
A turning point we call the plan
NOFX's song "The Plan" is an anthem for those who believe in personal liberty and freedom. The song is centered around the idea that morals are not something that can be taught, but rather they are a byproduct of a mind that is capable of clear and independent thought. The lyrics reject the idea of fear, force, and religion as guiding principles for morality, and instead embrace the idea of personal accountability and mutual respect.
The song's central message is summed up in the lines, "I don't fuck with you, don't fuck with me." This line represents the idea that if we all take responsibility for our own lives and actions, the world can be a better place. The song also touches on the idea that there is a "plan" for a better world, but it is often overlooked or ignored by those who are unwilling to think for themselves.
Overall, "The Plan" is a call to action for those who believe in personal freedom and individual responsibility. It rejects the idea of a one-size-fits-all morality and encourages people to think for themselves and make responsible choices.
Line by Line Meaning
Call it libertarian cause we do as we please
We label our behavior as libertarian because it aligns with our personal desires and preferences.
Don't need fear or force or farce to know morality
We don't believe that morality can only be instilled through threats or manipulation, nor do we think it's something fake or deceptive.
'Cause morals aren't a substance you can shove in someone's ear
Morals aren't tangible and can't be forced onto someone, they are inherently subjective and arise from clear thinking.
They're basically a bi-product of a mind thinking clear
Clear and rational thinking leads to the formation of morals and principles that guide our behavior.
It's nothing like the Bible there's no lesson to be learned
Our approach to morality isn't similar to that of the Bible, there's no particular message or moral lesson that we want to convey.
It's not the 10 commandments cause nothing's written in stone
We don't believe in having a fixed set of rules or commandments that everyone must follow regardless of the situation.
It has to do with freedom + personal liberty
Our approach to morality centers around the idea of individual freedom and liberty as long as it doesn't harm others.
I don't fuck wit you don't fuck wit me
We subscribe to the idea of mutual respect, as long as you don't interfere with our way of life, we won't interfere with yours.
The blueprints of a better world
The idea of creating a better world.
Were written on a postage stamp
The blueprint or plan to create a better world is small, subtle and often ignored or overlooked.
No-one bothered to read the front
Nobody paid attention to the plan or bothered to understand its underlying value or message.
Stick out their tongue to lick the back
People ignore the front of the plan and are only interested in the immediate or superficial benefit they can gain from it.
If you're not part of the cure you're part of the disease
Everyone has a role to play in making the world a better place, if you're not helping, you are part of the problem.
Father time will tell us who concedes
The eventual outcome or success of our plan to create a better world will be revealed with time.
The blueprints of a better world
The same idea of creating a better world is revisited.
Disguised and reveled as fortunes 10 000 Chinese restaurants customers prefer not to read it
The plan to create a better world is often hidden or disguised as something else, but still goes unnoticed by most people.
When they're taught don't think just eat it
People are encouraged to not question or think about what they consume, to simply follow orders and consume as instructed.
A turning point we call the plan
The plan to create a better world is seen as a crucial turning point in the way people see and interact with each other, and with the world at large.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mathews Silva
LOVE THIS SONG! I MEET NOFX BECAUSE HER!🌏🇧🇷❤❤❤
Hesterfu
One of the MOST UNDERATED Nofx song, and they never fucking play it live.
Satanic Existentialist
I wrote the lyrics to this song on my cell wall when I was in prison. That was back in 2007. Wonder how many have read that not understanding whatit meant.
pennywise RJ
@laustcoz are you on parole??? or leaving in halfway house/??
laustcoz
Singing "All Outta Angst" helps.
Learning "The Decline", and reciting takes a good chunk outta the day.
Alessandro Rizzi
Capolavoro assoluto.
Maxwell Murmur
Liberty and Moral Relativism and do People even understand their own belief systems? That's what I took from this song. It's brilliant!
GrandmasDay32
Back when they wrote fast songs... I know they cant keep writing the same shit over and over but, make a fast album again.
NexterZulu
I'm sure they'll have plenty enough of fast songs in their future albums. First Ditch Effort was a bit of a disappointment for me, partly because it was a slower paced album. However Self-Entitled had a bunch of fast killer songs.
Hybrid Decline
This has been stuck in my head all day