Their debut album, "Everything Sucks" (1995), was an underground hit and led to a deal with Mojo Records (see also Mojo), an indie label. "Turn the Radio Off" (1996) established the band in the underground music scene, and they began touring throughout the USA. After the single "Sell Out" began breaking into the mainstream, including MTV, the album made an appearance on the charts. The ska revival was short-lived, however, and "Why Do They Rock So Hard?" (1998) did not lead the group to the mainstream.
Reel Big Fish released "Cheer Up" (2002) which began a movement into harder rock and pop sounds, with much less ska than the previous albums. The song "Where Have You Been?" was aimed at a wider audience, trying to drop the less popular ska sound, but was met with little mainstream success, despite the video. Their second most recent studio album was "We're Not Happy Until You're Not Happy" (2005).
They recently released "Our Live Album is Better Than Your Live Album" (2006) which includes 2 discs worth or their own tunes and a few covers of popular songs along with a DVD. They have worked on the soundtrack to BASEketball, which included a cover of A-Ha's Take On Me.
In 2006, they split from Jive records, who produced a "Best of" album against the will of the band, who could not prevent the release. The band has made a campaign to try and stop people buying the album.
Their 7th album "Monkeys For Nothing and the Chimps For Free" (2007) includes some songs that were previously recorded and released on other albums. It was also the first album with the band's new label, Rock Ridge Records.
In 2009, they released "Fame, Fortune, and Fornication" an album composed of covers of older songs, including "Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty, and "Nothin' But a Good Time" by Poison.
In 2012, Reel Big Fish released "Candy Coated Fury", which is their second album on Rock Ridge Records. This album was met with heavy amounts of criticism from fans and reviewers alike. PunkNews.org gave the album a 2/10.
in 2014, they released "Happy Skalidays", a holiday themed EP.
Their current release is 2018's "Life Sucks... Let's Dance!", which gained generally positive reviews from fans and critics.
Current members:
Aaron Barrett - guitar, lead vocals (1992–present)
Dan Regan - trombone, backing vocals (1994–present)
John Christianson - trumpet, backing vocals (2004–present)
Ryland Steen - drums (2005–present)
Derek Gibbs - bass guitar (2007–present)
Past members:
Ben Guzman - vocals (1992–1994)
Zach Gilltrap - keyboards/synthesizers (1992–1994)
Lisa Smith - guitar (1992–1994)
Eric Vismantes - trumpet (1994)
Stephan Reed - saxophone (1994)
Robert Quimby - trombone (1994–1995)
Adam Polakoff - saxophone (1994–1995)
Grant Barry - trombone (1995–1998)
Andrew Gonzales - drums (1992–1998)
Tavis Werts - trumpet (1994–2001)
Carlos de la Garza - drums (1999–2003)
Tyler Jones - trumpet (2001–2004)
Justin Ferreira - drums (2003–2005)
Matt Wong - bass, backing vocals (1992–2007)
Scott Klopfenstein - trumpet, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1995–2011)
Alternative Baby
Reel Big Fish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I don't know just what you're sayin',
But you're my hero... whoa
And a guy just kicked me in the head,
A little girl just passed out dead,
I'm in between a big jock and a sweaty skinhead
But I love you whatever that means...
But I don't want to talk to you,
And I know you've got better things to do
Hey, little alternative girl
Don't you want to be my friend?
You know I'm singin' all my songs to you
It's all right if you don't understand
Maybe I shouldn't be so serious,
Tellin' you that everything sucks
'Cause I don't want to bring you down
But it never ever works out right,
I'm gonna lose, give up the fight,
I won't get what I want won't get anything
But I love you...whatever that means
And they don't want to talk to me
'Cause they know what I'll turn out to be,
I said I was cool but I can't lie to you (but I do)
Hey, little alternative girl
Don't you want to be my friend?
You know I'm singin' all my songs to you
It's all right if you don't understand
And I don't want to start again cause I know
It'll be the same in the end
I didn't like it the first time anyway
Reel Big Fish's Alternative Baby is a song about the band's admiration for a punk rock vocalist who they see performing on stage. However, the song is not a love song but rather a tribute to the idea of punk rock music and culture that the band and the vocalist embody. Throughout the song, the lead singer expresses his feelings of being an outsider among the jocks, skinheads, and general chaos of the punk rock concert, but feels a connection to the alternative girl who he believes is his friend. Despite his imperfect attempt to express himself and his love for the genre, he acknowledges that he can't bring the alternative girl down by expressing his negative feelings of life.
The lyrics of the song capture the punk rock spirit and anti-establishment attitude, with lines such as "I said I was cool but I can't lie to you" and "Maybe I shouldn't be so serious, Tellin' you that everything sucks." It also demonstrates the passion and dedication required to be part of the punk rock scene, with a willingness to endure physical harm and chaos to see their heroes perform. Ultimately, the lyrics convey the idea that even though the lead singer cannot express himself perfectly, he will always have a deep appreciation for the genre and the individuals that represent it.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I see you up on stage
I'm watching you perform on stage
And I don't know just what you're sayin',
I don't understand the words you're singing
But you're my hero... whoa
But to me, you're a hero
And a guy just kicked me in the head,
Someone just kicked me in the head
A little girl just passed out dead,
A young girl fainted and fell to the ground
I'm in between a big jock and a sweaty skinhead
I'm stuck between a muscular athlete and a sweaty skinhead
But I love you whatever that means...
But I still love you, even if I don't completely understand what that means
But I don't want to talk to you,
But I don't want to start a conversation with you
'Cause I know I'd just say some thing stupid
Because I know I would say something foolish
And I know you've got better things to do
And I know you have more important things to be doing
Hey, little alternative girl
Hello, young girl who prefers alternative things
Don't you want to be my friend?
Do you want to become my friend?
You know I'm singin' all my songs to you
I'm performing all my music for you
It's all right if you don't understand
It's okay if you don't quite comprehend it
Maybe I shouldn't be so serious,
Maybe I need to stop taking myself so seriously
Tellin' you that everything sucks
In my songs, I often lament about how everything is terrible
'Cause I don't want to bring you down
Because I don't want to make you feel worse by singing about sad things
But it never ever works out right,
But things never seem to go my way
I'm gonna lose, give up the fight,
I will surely be defeated and give up the struggle
I won't get what I want won't get anything
I won't achieve what I desire; I won't receive anything at all
But I love you...whatever that means
But I still love you, even though I'm not sure what that truly means
And they don't want to talk to me
The others around me don't want to engage in conversation with me
'Cause they know what I'll turn out to be,
They understand what kind of person I'm going to become
I said I was cool but I can't lie to you (but I do)
I claimed to be cool, but I can't conceal the truth from you (even if I try to)
And I don't want to start again cause I know
I don't want to begin anew because I'm certain
It'll be the same in the end
The outcome will be identical in the end
I didn't like it the first time anyway
To begin with, I didn't even like it
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: AARON BARRETT, ADAM POLAKOFF, ANDREW ERNEST GONZALES, ROBERT QUIMBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Richard Desjardin
"Maybe I Shouldn't Be So Serious, Telling You That Everything Sucks - Cause I don't Wanna Bring You Down." - This is the most amazing definition of ska in my mind.
Yeah, the world sucks, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun with it.
Floppy Rodrigo
this dude gets it
adam schipper
I've seen them live in Winnipeg twice, and they're consummate professionals. Some of the best shows I've ever been to.
oop007
I've seen them 5-6 times. They're one of the best live bands ever.
jessimae22
I had this album on cassette, my middle school soundtrack. I thought I was cool blaring this on my Walkman 😂
MrNeekappa
You were cool
Nathan Cornwell
going to see them live tonight! this album in its entirety!
matthew8456
god this brings back memories this was my first ska album
Heather Dubrow's Leftover Sushi
Searched for this song in 2021, never gets old ❤️
Adam White
this brings back memories for me too man....i forgot about these guys for like 8 years....now they are back in my life!!!