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)

One Hit Wonderful
Reel Big Fish Lyrics

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Fourteen minutes and fifty-nine seconds into our fifteen minutes of fame
When the luck runs out, I won't wonder who's to blame
Because nobody said they had a guaranteed way
To win the hearts of the public who are easily swayed
And just this time last year, I thought we had it made

We were one hit wonderful
Livin' the life, playin' the role

We were one hit wonderful
Well, it can't last long
They don't love you
They just love that one song

Well, things don't last long in life; that's how it goes
They'll smile and applaud, then turn up their nose
Things will shrink as quickly as they've grown
But it's perfectly normal for us to ask why
The company wasn't untrue, they just didn't try
And a new career is born. it will eventually die

We were one hit wonderful
Livin' the life, playin' the role
We were one hit wonderful
Well, it can't last long
They don't love you
They just love that one song
That one song...
That one song

So many lovely melodies
So many messages to convey
But they don't care about any of these
"play that one damn song!" is what they say

We were one hit wonderful
Livin' the life, playin' the role
We were one hit wonderful
Well, it can't last long
They don't love you
Oh, no!
We were one hit wonderful
Livin' the life, playin' the role
We were one hit wonderful
Well, it can't last long

They don't love you
They just love that one song

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Reel Big Fish's "One Hit Wonderful" bemoan the fleeting nature of fame and popularity in the music industry. The song speaks to the experience of being a one-hit wonder, someone who achieves great success with a single song but struggles to replicate that success with subsequent releases. The opening line of the song, "Fourteen minutes and fifty-nine seconds into our fifteen minutes of fame," is a reference to Andy Warhol's famous quote about the transience of fame in the modern world.

The lyrics suggest that the public is fickle and easily swayed by trends and fads, making it difficult for artists to sustain their careers beyond a single hit. The line, "They don't love you, they just love that one song," sums up the central theme of the song. The verses also suggest that the record company, rather than the artists themselves, may be responsible for the short shelf-life of their music careers. The song ultimately suggests that being a one-hit wonder is a mixed bag: it's great to experience fame and success, but it's also fleeting and can leave an artist feeling disillusioned and forgotten.

One Hit WonderfulReel Big Fish Lyrics

Krish Shanmugam

on Everyone Else is an Asshole

One Hit Wonderful
Reel Big Fish Lyrics