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)

Drinkin
Reel Big Fish Lyrics

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She told me
That I was lame
With her middle finger in my face
Won't waste her time with such a loser
So now I wallow in regret
Wanna do something right but I haven't yet
Why do my endeavors end up in failure

I think I'll go out drinkin'
Drinkin' all night long
'Cause if I go out drinkin'
Then I can stop thinkin'
Bout how the world done me wrong

I guess I shouldn't feel so bad
Ain't got much reason to feel so sad
'Cept that I'm poor untalented and ugly
I know its like they always say
Good times and bad will come our way
But there's only one thing that'll make this easier

I think I'll go out drinkin'
Drinkin' all night long
'Cause if I go out drinkin'
Then I can stop thinkin'
Bout how the world done me wrong

So wrong
I sing this song and nobody sings along
I've got a friend
He's in my hand
He understands
He said to me everything won't be so bad!

I think I'll go out drinkin'
Drinkin' all night long
'Cause if I go out drinkin'
Then I can stop thinkin'
Bout how the world done me wrong

I think I'll go out drinkin' (think I'll go out drinkin')
Drinkin' all night long (drinkin' all night long)
'Cause if I go out drinkin'
Then I can stop thinkin'

About how the worlds done me
How the worlds done me wrong (so wrong)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Reel Big Fish’s “Drinkin” speak about feeling like a failure and trying to find a way to escape from that feeling. The song starts with the persona being told that they are lame by someone, and they now are filled with regret for everything that they have done. They want to do something right, but they feel like they always end up failing. To escape from this feeling of failure, the persona decides to go out drinking. They believe that drinking will help them forget all that has happened and all the wrongs that the world has done to them. The persona is also aware that they are not the only one who has gone through tough times, but they believe that drinking will make it easier to deal with the problems.

The lyrics show that the persona is not in a good place mentally and emotionally. They feel like they lack talent, are poor, and not physically attractive. Despite all this, the persona believes that going out drinking will make everything better. They find comfort in their friend, who happens to be the drink in their hand. The persona is aware that their situation is not unique but believes that drinking is the only way to escape from their problems.

Furthermore, the lyrics showcase that the persona is struggling to find meaning in their life. They feel like a failure and are looking for something to help them find purpose. In this case, the persona believes that getting drunk is the answer to their problems. The lyrics remind us that sometimes people resort to extreme measures to remedy their situations, but it is essential to seek help and guidance from others in dealing with hardships.

Line by Line Meaning

She told me
A girl said something to me

That I was lame
She insulted me

With her middle finger in my face
She was rude and offensive

Won't waste her time with such a loser
She thinks I'm not worth her time

So now I wallow in regret
I feel bad about the situation

Wanna do something right but I haven't yet
I want to make things better, but I haven't found a way yet

Why do my endeavors end up in failure
I wonder why my efforts never seem to work out

I think I'll go out drinkin'
I'm going to go out and drink

Drinkin' all night long
I'm going to drink for a long time

'Cause if I go out drinkin'
Drinking will help me forget my problems

Then I can stop thinkin'
I won't have to think about my troubles