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)

Why Do All Girls Think They're Fat
Reel Big Fish Lyrics

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There's a little girl
on my mind
all the time
there's always one,
look what she's done

She makes me look at her thighs
you know

I sure hate to lie
but what can I tell her you know it's so
beautiful
man how come all girls think there fat?

[Chorus]
Hey hey hey she's so pretty,
Hey hey hey my friend,
hey hey hey I feel stupid
again.

She said "It's all right,
come over tonight,
my moms not home,
I'm all alone!"
She took me back to her house,
she pushed me down
on the couch,
she said "now its all right,
were gonna be good friends
cause that kissin' only leads to the end."

[Chorus: x2]

Hey hey hey she's so pretty,

Hey hey hey my friend.
Hey hey hey I feel stupid

Overall Meaning

The song "Why Do All Girls Think They're Fat" by Reel Big Fish is a commentary on the societal pressure that girls face to live up to unrealistic beauty standards. The lyrics describe the singer’s preoccupation with a particular girl who he finds attractive, yet she believes she is not thin enough. This girl is always on his mind, and he cannot help but notice her perceived flaws, such as her thighs. However, he recognizes the absurdity of this pattern of thought, and wonders aloud why all girls seem to believe that they are overweight.

In the second verse of the song, the girl invites the singer over to her house, presumably for a romantic encounter. However, she quickly asserts that she only wants to be friends, as she does not want to risk jeopardizing the relationship by engaging in physical intimacy. This line of thought reinforces the notion that girls are expected to be “good girls” and resist sexual urges, lest they be branded as promiscuous or impure.

Overall, the song exposes the insidious effects of patriarchal beauty standards on young women’s self-esteem and relationships. It encourages listeners to question why society perpetuates these harmful ideals, and to celebrate people for who they truly are, rather than unrealistic standards of beauty.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a little girl
I can't stop obsessing over this one girl

on my mind
I'm always thinking about her

all the time
I can't shake her from my thoughts

there's always one,
There's always one girl who catches my eye

look what she's done
She's made me unable to focus on anything else

She makes me look at her thighs
She's so beautiful that I can't help but gaze at every inch of her body

you know
I'm sure you understand

I sure hate to lie
I don't want to be dishonest, but

but what can I tell her you know it's so
I can't help but compliment her beauty, even though she doesn't believe me

beautiful
Her body is a work of art

man how come all girls think they're fat?
It's frustrating how society has convinced so many girls that they are not beautiful enough