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)
Fuck Off Song
Reel Big Fish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
*holy shit we're rollin*
(ready)
well first of all i'd like to say "fuck off!"
(fuck off!) fuck off
(FUCK OFF!)
if you don't get it why don't you
go shove your head back up your ass?
and don't waste my time
I don't need your opinion
noo..
(hah hah hah)
cuz you don't know what it's like
no you don't know what it's like
and you don't know what it's like to be like me
you don't know
so keep your mouth shut
yeah...
well this may come as kind of a surprise
(surprise) surprise
(SURPRISE!)
I don't like you and I don't care
what you think about what I do
and most of all, I don't need your opinion
no whoa
(wah wah wah)
and you don't know what it's like
you don't know what it's like
you don't know what it's like to be like me
you don't know
so keep your mouth shut
well finally that's the way it is
I like somethin' you don't
and your tellin me its (heh heh) SHIT!
but it's a waste of time
we can't change our opinions
(and we don't wanna be mean)
ya know what else?
oh oh oh
I don't know what it's like
I don't know what it's like
I don't know what it's like to be like you
I don't know so i'll keep my mouth....
The lyrics to Reel Big Fish's song "Fuck Off Song" speak to the frustration and annoyance that comes with dealing with negative opinions and criticism from others. The song opens with a declaration of "fuck off" to anyone who doesn't understand or appreciate the band's music. The lyrics then go on to say that people who don't get it should "shove [their] head back up [their] ass" and not waste the band's time with their opinions.
The song emphasizes the idea that no one really knows what it's like to be someone else and experience the world from their perspective. The chorus repeats the phrase "you don't know what it's like, so keep your mouth shut" to emphasize this point. The lyrics also mention that the band does not care about the opinions of others and that they have their own preferences when it comes to what they enjoy listening to.
Overall, the song is a bold, unapologetic statement about being true to oneself and not letting the negativity and opinions of others bring one down.
Line by Line Meaning
well first of all i'd like to say "fuck off!"
I want you to leave me alone
if you don't get it why don't you
go shove your head back up your ass?
If you don't understand, go away and stop bothering me
and don't waste my time
I don't need your opinion
I don't have time for you or your opinions
cuz you don't know what it's like
no you don't know what it's like
and you don't know what it's like to be like me
you don't know
so keep your mouth shut
You can't understand how I feel, so don't talk to me about it
well this may come as kind of a surprise
I don't like you and I don't care
what you think about what I do
and most of all, I don't need your opinion
I don't like you or your opinions about me
and you don't know what it's like
you don't know what it's like
you don't know what it's like to be like me
you don't know
so keep your mouth shut
You can't understand how I feel, so don't talk to me about it
well finally that's the way it is
I like somethin' you don't
and your tellin me its (heh heh) SHIT!
but it's a waste of time
we can't change our opinions
(and we don't wanna be mean)
We have different preferences, and that's okay. We don't want to argue or insult each other over it.
ya know what else?
Do you want to hear something else?
I don't know what it's like
I don't know what it's like
I don't know what it's like to be like you
I don't know so i'll keep my mouth....
I can't understand your perspective, so I won't comment on it.
Contributed by Emma P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
F0wlPlay
First comment is a clown. I'm liking and favouriting this as the best version I've found on youtube.