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 Close Our Eyes
Reel Big Fish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This one a tribute
Jump and shout
Jump with joy
We close our eyes
(C'mon baby)
We close our eyes and dream and the world has turned around again
Oh
And having a good time
Who am I to cast a shadow
Who am I?
I looked Death in the face last night
I saw him in a mirror
And he simply smiled
He told me not to worry
He told me just to take my time
Chorus:
We close our eyes and the world has turned around again
We close our eyes and dream and another year has come and gone
We close our eyes and the world has turned around again
We close our eyes and dream
And if you come to me
And if you touch my hand
I might just slip away
I might just disappear
Who am I?
And if you think I'm worth it
And if you think it's not too late
We might start falling
If we don't try to hard
We might start falling in love
(Chorus)
We're on the healing path
We're on a roller coaster ride
That could never turn back
And if you love me
And if you really try
To make the seconds count
Then we can close our eyes
(Chorus)
We close our eyes and the world has turned around again
"We Close Our Eyes" by Reel Big Fish is a song about life and how it moves forward. It encourages listeners to live in the moment, dream and always move forward. The opening lines of "This one a tribute/Jump and shout/Jump with joy" create a celebratory atmosphere which is reflective of the overall message of the song. It's about embracing life and appreciating every moment. The chorus "We close our eyes and the world has turned around again/We close our eyes and dream and another year has come and gone" implies that life is constantly moving and changing, but we have the power to close our eyes and dream and still feel like everything is okay.
The song also touches on the idea of mortality. The line "Who am I to cast a shadow/Who am I?" suggests that the singer feels small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The reference to Death and seeing him in a mirror creates a powerful image. However, Death smiling and telling the singer not to worry is a positive moment that suggests things will be okay even when we face our mortality.
The song is ultimately about living life to the fullest and not taking anything for granted. The lyrics are uplifting and inspiring, and the music is upbeat and catchy which makes it impossible not to sing and dance along to.
Line by Line Meaning
This one a tribute
This song is a tribute to something or someone
Jump and shout
Express your excitement with jumping and shouting
Jump with joy
Jump with happiness and excitement
We close our eyes
We close our eyes to forget our surroundings and be lost in a dream
(C'mon baby)
Encouragement to join in the fun
We close our eyes and dream and the world has turned around again
When we close our eyes and dream, the world seems different when we wake up
Oh
Expression of surprise or relief
When everybody is runnin' in the big race
When everyone is chasing something in life
And having a good time
Enjoying themselves while achieving their goals
Who am I to cast a shadow
Why should I be the one to hinder their happiness?
Who am I?
Questioning one's own significance and role in life
I looked Death in the face last night
I faced the possibility of death
I saw him in a mirror
I saw a reflection of my own mortality
And he simply smiled
Death doesn't necessarily bring fear or sadness
He told me not to worry
Death assured me that everything will be okay
He told me just to take my time
Enjoy life, it's not a race
Chorus:
Recurring part of the song
We close our eyes and dream and another year has come and gone
When we close our eyes and dream, time seems to pass quickly
And if you come to me
If you approach me
And if you touch my hand
If you make physical contact with me
I might just slip away
I might disappear or become caught up in the moment
I might just disappear
I might fade away from the current reality
Who am I?
Questioning one's own significance and role in love
And if you think I'm worth it
If you believe I'm valuable
And if you think it's not too late
If you think there's still time for us
We might start falling
We might start developing feelings for each other
If we don't try too hard
Don't force it, let it happen naturally
We're on the healing path
We're on a journey to recover from something
We're on a roller coaster ride
We're experiencing ups and downs in our relationship or life in general
That could never turn back
We can't go back or change things that have already happened
And if you love me
If you have feelings for me
And if you really try
If you make an effort
To make the seconds count
To cherish every moment we have together
Then we can close our eyes
Then we can forget about everything else and just be with each other
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANNY ELFMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Krish Shanmugam
on Everyone Else is an Asshole
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