Reel Big Fish ("RBF") is a ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California,… Read Full Bio ↴Reel Big Fish ("RBF") is a ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, United States who broke into the mainstream in the mid to late 1990s, formed in 1992.

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)

Boys Don't Cry
Reel Big Fish Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I would say I'm sorry if I thought
That it would change your mind
But I know that this time I have said
Too much, been too unkind

So I try to laugh about it
Cover it all up with lies
I try to laugh about it

Hiding the tears in my eyes
'Cause boys don't cry
Boys don't cry

I would break down at your feet
And beg forgiveness, plead with you
But I know that it's too late
And now there's nothing I can do

So I try to laugh about it
Cover it all up with lies
I try to laugh about it
Hiding the tears in my eyes
'Cause boys don't cry
Boys don't cry

I would tell you that I loved you
If I thought that you would stay
But I know that it's no use
That you've already gone away

Misjudged your limits
Pushed you too far
Took you for granted
I thought that you needed me more

Now I would do most anything
To get you back by my side
But I just keep on laughing
Hiding the tears in my eyes

'Cause boys don't cry
Boys don't cry, boys don't cry

Overall Meaning

Reel Big Fish’s song “Don’t Start a Band” speaks about a crumbling relationship, and the singer’s wish to make amends. The lyrics talk about how he’s said too much and been too unkind, and he knows it’s too late to make things right. The singer wishes that he could break down at her feet and beg her to forgive him, but he knows it would be of no use.

The chorus which repeats twice in the song says, “So I try to laugh about it, cover it all up with lies. I try to laugh about it, hiding the tears in my eyes. ‘Cause boys don’t cry. Boys don’t cry.” This chorus is a reference to the well-known song by The Cure. The lyrics contain an ironic allusion to the title of that song, as the singer weeps internally and tries to put on a brave face.

The song talks about how the singer misjudged his partner's limits, pushed her too far, and took her for granted. He thought that she needed him more, but now that she’s gone, he’d do almost anything to have her back by his side. The song suggests that although the relationship is over, the singer is not yet ready to come to terms with it, and he tries to mask his sadness by telling himself that boys don’t cry.

Line by Line Meaning

I would say I'm sorry if I thought That it would change your mind But I know that this time I have said Too much, been too unkind
I would apologize if I believed it would alter your decision, but I'm aware that my actions have caused irreversible harm and it's now too late.

So I try to laugh about it Cover it all up with lies I try to laugh about it Hiding the tears in my eyes 'Cause boys don't cry Boys don't cry
I attempt to make it appear humorous by concealing the truth with dishonesty, I try to keep my emotions hidden behind my laughter; as expressing sadness isn't considered socially acceptable for a man.

I would break down at your feet And beg forgiveness, plead with you But I know that it's too late And now there's nothing I can do
I wish I could make amends with you by prostrating myself in front of you and begging for your forgiveness, but the time for that has already passed and there's no way to correct what I've done.

I would tell you that I loved you If I thought that you would stay But I know that it's no use That you've already gone away
I would have revealed my love for you if I thought it would have made you remain with me, but now it's pointless as you've already left.

Misjudged your limits Pushed you too far Took you for granted I thought that you needed me more
I didn't comprehend your boundaries and pushed them past their limits, I didn't value you, and instead believed that you were dependent on me.

Now I would do most anything To get you back by my side But I just keep on laughing Hiding the tears in my eyes 'Cause boys don't cry Boys don't cry, boys don't cry
I'll do anything to bring you back into my life, but I'm unable to express it openly, so I fake my happiness by laughing and hiding my true emotions because men are taught to conceal their feelings and be strong at all times.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Laurence Andrew Tolhurst, Michael Stephen Dempsey, Robert James Smith

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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