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 Yourself
Reel Big Fish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm just sittin' here wastin' so much time
I know it's my fault but it's not my problem anymore...
Some day, maybe she'll come back to me and
I'll say, "why don't you go fuck yourself"
But everybody's talkin', they know that I'm lyin'
She gave me everything... all I want is more...
I wrote this song for her. but it won't
Make up for anything. I know it's too late
So why do I wait? it's not my problem
Anymore...
Some day, maybe she'll come back to me and
I'll say, "why don't you go fuck yourself"
But everybody's talkin', they know that I'm lyin'
She won't do anything and I'll always wait for her...
Some day, maybe she'll come back to me and
I'll say, "why don't you go fuck yourself"
Everybody's talkin', they know that I'm lyin'
She gave me everything
But all I want is more
All I want is more
All I want is more
The lyrics to Reel Big Fish's song "Fuck Yourself" are about a dysfunctional relationship where the singer is being strung along by his partner who can't make up her mind. He knows it's his fault for wasting so much time, but he's reached the point where it's not his problem anymore. He's holding onto hope that she will come back to him, but he's also resentful of her and wants nothing more than to tell her to go fuck herself. Despite all of this, he still wants more from their relationship.
The song speaks to the frustration and anger that can come with being in a relationship that is not fulfilling, where one person is taking more than they are giving. The singer is tired of waiting for his partner to make a decision and is ready to move on, but he's still holding onto the hope that she will change her ways. He knows that he's lying to himself and others about the situation, but he can't help but want more.
Overall, "Fuck Yourself" is a brutally honest and relatable song about the complexities of relationships and the desire for something more.
Line by Line Meaning
Why can't she make up her fuckin' mind
I don't understand why she can't decide what she wants.
I'm just sittin' here wastin' so much time
I'm spending too much time waiting for her.
I know it's my fault but it's not my problem anymore...
I'm sorry I messed things up, but I'm done dealing with the consequences.
Some day, maybe she'll come back to me and
I still hold out hope that she'll return to me.
I'll say, "why don't you go fuck yourself"
I'll tell her to leave me alone because I don't want her back.
But everybody's talkin', they know that I'm lyin'
People can tell that I'm not really over her and I'm lying to myself.
She gave me everything... all I want is more...
She gave me everything I needed, but I still wanted more.
I wrote this song for her but it won't
This song was meant for her, but it won't change anything.
Make up for anything. I know it's too late
I realize it's too late to fix things.
So why do I wait? it's not my problem
I shouldn't keep waiting for something that's not my responsibility.
Anymore...
I'm done with this situation.
She won't do anything and I'll always wait for her...
Even though she won't do anything, I'll keep waiting for her.
All I want is more
I still want more, even though I know it's not realistic.
Contributed by Cooper W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Krish Shanmugam
on Everyone Else is an Asshole
dont