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)
Everything Sucks
Reel Big Fish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody thinks they're so fuckin' neat
There was nothin' on the radio
Was gonna make my own band play my own shows
But that don't work so I'm givin' up again
She said she loved me cause I played guitar
That's ok I didn't love her at all and I say
I know everything sucks and this is gonna be the last
Time you hear me complain
Well, I went down to the show
Everybody was there, I didn't want to go
Cause everything they do is so fuckin' cool, every song is a hit and the
Girls like 'em too, I can't do that so
I'm givin' up again, I don't know why I learned
To play guitar, nobody's gonna know who we are and I say
I'm givin' up
I know everything sucks and this is gonna be
The last time you hear me complain
She said, some day, we'll get back together maybe
She said, some day, things'll be much better baby
But I don't believe her
And I don't think I need her anymore
I know everything sucks
And this won't be the last time you hear me complain.
The lyrics of the song "Everything Sucks" by Reel Big Fish portrays a feeling of hopelessness and inadequacy. The singer seems to be suffering from musical jealousy and feelings of inferiority. The song starts with the singer's resentment toward a local ska band that everyone seems to love. As a result, the singer decides to form his own band, but when that doesn't work out, he gives up trying altogether.
The second verse of the song reveals more about the singer's low self-esteem. He attends one of the local band's shows and feels inferior because he is unable to play like them or make great songs like them. It is at this point that the singer decides to give up playing guitar entirely. The chorus of the song drives home the message of the singer's hopelessness, as he declares that everything sucks, and he's giving up.
The last verse of the song reveals the very reason why the singer learned to play guitar in the first place. He did it to impress a girl. However, despite his efforts, the girl left him anyway.
Overall, the song "Everything Sucks" tells a story of hopelessness and self-doubt. The singer feels inferior and ultimately gives up pursuing his passion. The message behind the lyrics is one that many people can relate to and serves as a reminder to not let feelings of inadequacy and jealousy get in the way of one's goals.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a ska band on my street
There is a small ska band on my street.
Everybody thinks they're so fuckin' neat
Everyone seems to think that they're pretty cool.
There was nothin' on the radio
There was nothing good on the radio.
Was gonna make my own band play my own shows
I decided to make my own band and play my own gigs.
But that don't work so I'm givin' up again
Unfortunately, that didn't work out, so I'm quitting again.
She said she loved me cause I played guitar
She said she loved me because I could play guitar.
That's ok I didn't love her at all and I say
But honestly, I didn't love her back.
I'm givin' up
I'm quitting.
I know everything sucks and this is gonna be the last Time you hear me complain
I know everything is terrible, and I promise this is the last time I'll complain.
Well, I went down to the show
So, I went to a concert.
Everybody was there, I didn't want to go
Everyone I knew was there, but I didn't really want to attend.
Cause everything they do is so fuckin' cool, every song is a hit and the Girls like 'em too, I can't do that so
Because they're all so cool, every song is a hit, and the girls all like them. I can't compete with that.
I'm givin' up again, I don't know why I learned To play guitar, nobody's gonna know who we are and I say
I'm going to quit again. I don't know why I even bothered to learn how to play guitar. No one will ever know who we are.
I know everything sucks and this is gonna be The last time you hear me complain
I know everything is terrible, and I promise this is the last time I'll complain.
She said, some day, we'll get back together maybe
She said that maybe someday, we could get back together.
She said, some day, things'll be much better baby
She said that maybe someday, things would be better.
But I don't believe her
But I don't really believe her.
And I don't think I need her anymore
And I don't think I need her in my life anymore.
I know everything sucks
I know everything is terrible.
And this won't be the last time you hear me complain.
And I know this won't be the last time I'll complain.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave
Written by: AARON BARRETT, JESSE NATHANIEL WILDER, SCOTT ALLEN KLOPFENSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nflfanatic4life
It's 2021 and RBF still kicks as much ass today as they did 25 years ago. 🎺
@leekhan8948
But of course
@ZacharyWaxman
2022 and still skanking
@uberhandle42
At times, I wondered if this was the background music to me and my friends 8th grade life. 22 years later and it brings me right back to an awkward but fun time
@SuperSuck64
Aged like a fine wine.
@TheAaronFreeze
looking forward to seeing these dudes again on Saturday
@itzfortuna9672
TheAaronFreeze I just saw them two days ago, they were amazing
@johnconnor4713
I came here because I listened to this song when I was 16, now 32 and feel like Everything sucks.
@Tinkster75
wait until you are 48, you'll look back fondly on the great times you had at 32.
@GunInYourHand
i’m almost 17 listening to this right now