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)

We Care
Reel Big Fish Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Thanks for the money
Thanks for dancin'
And singin' along
And everything you do
We just want you to know we care
(We care)

Thanks for callin' us sellouts

And not taking a joke
Talkin' shit
Covering us with spit
We're so glad to know you care
(We care)

And we're sorry that so many people
Got to enjoy our music
By hearing us on the radio

We love you
We love you
Because you really understand

We love
(we love you)We love you a lot
How could we not
Say it again

We love you
We love you
Because you really understand

We love you
We love you a lot
(We love you)We always thought
Lines are thin

Oooooh

We care(we care)(we care)

I'm not talkin' about
Everybody
Sorry to waste
Sung any time like this
We're so lucky to have you there

We care

And I know that some of you get it
And you're not ashamed to admit it
'Cause you're still with us after all

We love you
We love you
Because you really understand

We love you
(We love you)Love you a lot
How could we not
Say it again

We love you
We love you
Because you really understand

We love you
We love you a lot
(We love you)We always thought
Lines are thin

We love you
We love you
We love you(ooh ooh)

We love you
We love you
Weyo weyo(ooh ooh)

We love you
We love you
We love you(ooh ooh)

We love you
We love you
We love you(ooh ooh)

We love you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Reel Big Fish's "We Care" are a sarcastic take on the band's relationship with their fans. The opening lines, "Thanks for the money, thanks for dancin', and singin' along," highlight the idea that the band is grateful for their fans' support but also acknowledges the transactional nature of the relationship. The chorus, "We love you because you really understand," is another example of this sarcasm, presenting the idea that the band's fans "get it" while also poking fun at the stereotypical idea of a band's fanbase. The line "We're so lucky to have you there" also continues this theme, implying a sense of condescension on the part of the band towards their fans.

The second verse, "Thanks for callin' us sellouts and not taking a joke," is perhaps the most sarcastic part of the song. It touches on the idea that the band has been accused of "selling out" by their fans while also mocking the idea that their critics "just don't get it." The line "Talking shit, covering us with spit, we're so glad to know you care" is another example of this sarcasm, taking something that would traditionally be seen as a negative (fans throwing things at the band) and reframing it as a positive.

Overall, "We Care" is a commentary on the relationship between a band and their fans. The sarcastic tone of the lyrics highlights the transactional nature of this relationship, and the song is both a thank you and a gentle ribbing at those who support the band.

Line by Line Meaning

Thanks for the money
We appreciate the financial support that you give us by buying our music and attending our shows.

Thanks for dancin'
We appreciate the way that you enjoy and interact with our music by dancing and having a good time.

And singin' along
We appreciate the way that you connect with our music by learning the lyrics and singing along with us.

And everything you do
We appreciate all the ways that you engage with and support our music, including sharing it with others.

We just want you to know we care
We want you to know that we appreciate and value your support, and that your enjoyment of our music means a lot to us.

Thanks for callin' us sellouts
We appreciate that even when people criticize us or question our authenticity, they are still engaging with our music and expressing their opinions.

And not taking a joke
We appreciate that some people may not find our music or humor to be to their taste, and we respect their opinions and right to critique us.

Talkin' shit
We appreciate that even people who don't like our music still feel passionately enough about it to express their negative opinions.

Covering us with spit
We appreciate that people who may not like our music still engage with it by attending our shows, and that sometimes that engagement can be physical in the form of moshing or other rowdy behavior.

We're so glad to know you care
We want people to know that even if they don't like our music, their engagement with it still means a lot to us, and we care about their opinions and perspectives.

And we're sorry that so many people
We understand that some people may be critical of us due to our success and popularity, and we regret that this may cause them to view us negatively.

Got to enjoy our music
We are grateful that many people have found enjoyment in our music and that it has touched people's lives in a positive way.

By hearing us on the radio
We appreciate that being played on the radio has helped spread our music to a wider audience, even if some people question our authenticity or artistic merit as a result.

We love you
We feel a deep sense of appreciation and gratitude towards our fans, and we want them to know how much we value and care about them.

Because you really understand
We feel that our fans have a deep appreciation and understanding of our music and what we're trying to express, and we value their insights and opinions.

(We love you)Love you a lot
We feel a deep sense of connection and appreciation for our fans, and we want them to know just how much they mean to us.

How could we not
Given how much our fans engage with and support our music, we can't help but feel a deep sense of appreciation and love towards them.

Say it again
We want to emphasize to our fans just how much we love and appreciate them, and how important they are to us.

We always thought
We have long felt that our fans truly understand us and what we're trying to express through our music.

Lines are thin
We acknowledge that there may be disagreements or misunderstandings between ourselves and our fans at times, but ultimately we feel a deep sense of connection and shared understanding with them.

We care
We want our fans to know that we deeply care about them and appreciate their engagement and support of our music.

I'm not talkin' about
We want to clarify that our appreciation and love for our fans is not limited to any particular group or individual, and extends to all who engage with our music in a positive way.

Everybody
We want all of our fans to know how much we appreciate them and how important they are to us, regardless of any differences or disagreements that may exist.

Sorry to waste
We regret that some people may misunderstand or misinterpret our intentions or the meaning behind our music, but we still deeply appreciate their engagement and support.

Sung any time like this
We want to emphasize that our appreciation and love for our fans is a constant and enduring sentiment that we feel at all times, not just in the context of this particular song or performance.

We're so lucky to have you there
We feel incredibly fortunate to have such dedicated and engaged fans who support and appreciate our music, and we want them to know how grateful we are for their presence in our lives.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AARON BARRETT, TAVIS JEREMY WERTS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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