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)
The Fire
Reel Big Fish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We've let this go on to long.
You know I'm starting to believe it
That all together we could be strong
I won't name who's to blame for the misery and pain
It's a shame all the same that we
Lay down and play their game.
It's not alright
We've got the fire, but does it mean anything
We've got the fire tonight.
We want to fight but will that change anything?
Will it make it alright?
I know it's vague but I'll say it
There's something wrong everywhere
And you're ashamed to admit it
But if it's not then you don't care
Well they will put you away
For the things that you say
And you're not buying in,
But their still gonna make you pay
You've got it wrong,
It's not alright
We've got the fire, but does it mean anything
We've got the fire tonight
We want to fight but will it change anything?
Will that make it alright?
The lyrics of Reel Big Fish's song The Fire seem to be a call to action, urging people to stand up and speak out against injustices in society. The song starts by saying that they have been letting things go on for too long, and that they should come together to be strong. The lyrics suggest that there is someone to blame for the misery and pain felt by people, but the song does not call out the individual or group. Instead, the lyrics say that we have all played their game by laying down and not fighting back.
The chorus of the song talks about having the fire, but not knowing if it means anything. They question whether fighting back and standing up for what is right will actually change anything or make it alright. The lyrics suggest that people are aware that something is wrong, but many are ashamed to admit it. They say that those who speak out against injustices may be punished for it, but not speaking out is still going to make you pay.
Overall, the lyrics of The Fire seem to be a call to action, urging people to stand up and speak out against injustices in society, even though it may be difficult and result in punishment. The lyrics suggest that change may not happen overnight, but that it is important to fight for what is right.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gonna say it like I mean it,
I'm going to be honest and straightforward in what I'm about to say.
We've let this go on to long.
We've allowed this situation to continue for too much time.
You know I'm starting to believe it
I'm starting to have faith in the idea that we could be strong if we work together.
That all together we could be strong
We can be powerful together as a united force.
I won't name who's to blame for the misery and pain
I won't point fingers at anyone for the negative experiences we've been having.
It's a shame all the same that we
It's regrettable that we
Lay down and play their game.
Are passively accepting the rules set by those in power.
You've got it wrong,
You've misunderstood something.
It's not alright
The situation is not acceptable.
We've got the fire, but does it mean anything
We have the passion and motivation, but is it enough to make a difference?
We've got the fire tonight.
We are particularly motivated at the moment.
We want to fight but will that change anything?
We are eager to take action, but will it have any impact?
Will it make it alright?
Will it solve the problem?
I know it's vague but I'll say it
I acknowledge that what I'm about to say is unclear, but I'm saying it anyway.
There's something wrong everywhere
There are problems and issues in every corner.
And you're ashamed to admit it
You feel embarrassed to acknowledge it.
But if it's not then you don't care
If it doesn't personally affect you, you don't care about it.
Well they will put you away
They will incarcerate you.
For the things that you say
For speaking out.
And you're not buying in,
You're not accepting the status quo.
But their still gonna make you pay
However, there will be consequences for opposing those in power.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOSEPH ANTHONY BUDDEN, JUSTIN GREGORY SMITH, TREVOR SMITH, MELVIN GLOVER, NATHANIEL GLOVER, EDDIE MORRIS, GUY WILLIAMS, ROBERT KEITH WIGGINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dooget
ahh the dreadhawk!! awsome song, kick ass band, i will see them on the 11th
chubs54
good one ;) i like it ;)
Tony Moore
Like Scott's mum! Haha, Good stuff. I <3 RBF.
Rabsmith
best real big fish song!
Richey Productions
They got the fire tonight
Ryan Whitehead
WE GOT THE FIRE TONIGHT
MayContainWeasel
sorry i'm not dissing them at all i really love RBF so no offence to any1 :) i still like it.. i guess i had high expectations of this album because they made such a big deal of trying to get off their label, so they could control their musical direction with no major label influence..but i think after making a whole album about hating the label and making such a deal of getting out that this album would be back to their roots.. i guess i just like their old stuff more..(used 2 be darkzebra27)
Orthophobia
Another guitar for Aaron. :)
L B
is this pre-album? coz i vaguely remember hearing it was called song #1? or maybe im thinkin a diff song diff band :P
squirrelxk2
I'm not complaining. It actually looks sorta cool but I've just never seen him with hair like that.