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 Joke's On Me
Reel Big Fish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm not sorry that they're gone
I don't miss them and I won't miss them
and it was always wrong
Everything I've ever done
From the beginning and to the ending
and things never got better, it seems like forever
Since we had fun or maybe I never have fun
And this whole time! I've been around
One minute up!
and a hundred down uh oh
Keep on laughing, Keep attacking
I'll show you what it means
To keep on lying, Keep denying
That there's nothing good in me
I'm not worthless, I know you heard this
My life's a joke and the joke's on me
The joke's on me
You were always lame, a headache and a pain
I don't miss you and I won't miss you
I tried not to get bitter but I was such a quitter
Oh yeah I had dreams but they were only ever bad dreams
And this whole time! I've been around
One minute up!
and a hundred down uhhh ohhh
Keep on laughing, Keep attacking
I'll show you what it means
To keep on lying, Keep denying
That there's nothing good in me
I'm not worthless, I know you heard this
My life's a joke and the joke's on me
The joke's on me, The joke's on me...
Well there never were any good old days
Looking back I'm still amazed
How everything went wrong in every way
There were no good old days
Well there never were any good old days
Looking back I'm still amazed
That everything went wrong in every way
There were no good old days
There were no good old days
And this whole time! I've been around
One minute up!
and a hundred down uh oh
Keep on laughing, Keep attacking
I'll show you what it means
To keep on lying, Keep denying
That there's nothing good in me
I'm not worthless, I know you heard this
My life's a joke and the joke's on me
The lyrics of "The Joke's On Me" by Reel Big Fish talks about the singer's dissatisfaction with their past and present life. The first verse conveys a sense of nostalgic longing for a time in the past that never really existed. The singer does not miss the past and believes that everything they have ever done has been wrong from beginning to end. They never had fun in the past, or maybe they have never had fun at all. The chorus talks about how the singer has been around for a long time, experienced many failures and lows, and has been the butt of every joke.
In the second verse, the singer addresses someone else, possibly an ex-friend or a former love interest. The singer describes this person as "always lame, a headache and a pain," and confesses that they do not miss them either. The singer acknowledges that they tried not to get bitter towards this person but couldn't help it, and their dreams were consistently bad.
The repetition of the line "there were no good old days" in the bridge reinforces the singer's belief that nostalgia for the past is futile. They also appear to acknowledge that their life has not gone in the direction that they hoped it would.
Overall, this song seems to be about the singer's realization that their life has not turned out the way they hoped it would and their attempt to come to terms with it. Rather than dwelling in the past or blaming others, they acknowledge their own shortcomings and their ability to laugh at themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
The old days were no fun
I didn't enjoy my past experiences
I'm not sorry that they're gone
I don't regret moving on from the past
I don't miss them and I won't miss them
I don't feel nostalgia for the old days
and it was always wrong
My past decisions were always mistakes
Everything I've ever done
All of my past actions and choices
From the beginning and to the ending
Throughout my entire life
and things never got better, it seems like forever
My life has been consistently bad
Since we had fun or maybe I never have fun
I haven't experienced fun in a long time or maybe ever
Keep on laughing, Keep attacking
Despite criticism, I won't change my behavior
I'll show you what it means
You'll see the reality of my situation
To keep on lying, Keep denying
To continue pretending that things are okay
That there's nothing good in me
I don't believe I have any positive qualities
I'm not worthless, I know you heard this
Despite my negative outlook, I do have self-worth
My life's a joke and the joke's on me
My current situation is a source of amusement for others and myself
You were always lame, a headache and a pain
You were not enjoyable to be around
I don't miss you and I won't miss you
I don't feel nostalgia for our past relationship
I tried not to get bitter but I was such a quitter
I attempted to remain optimistic, but ultimately gave up
Oh yeah I had dreams but they were only ever bad dreams
My aspirations for the future were pessimistic
Well there never were any good old days
I realize that the past was never as positive as I remember it
Looking back I'm still amazed
I am surprised by how negative my past was
How everything went wrong in every way
I feel like everything in my life has been a failure
There were no good old days
I now recognize that the past was never as great as I remember
and a hundred down uh oh
Despite occasional good moments, my life is mostly negative
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Krish Shanmugam
on Everyone Else is an Asshole
dont