Focused at times playing "neo-ska" music, the band has adopted retro styles spanning several decades of popular music, as well as performing covers of popular songs such as The Monkees' "I'm a Believer" and War's "Why Can't We Be Friends" as well as cult favorites such as ? and the Mysterians' "Can't Get Enough of You Baby" (though their version owes more to The Colourfield's interpretation; in fact, the band at first believed it was a Colourfield original). Smash Mouth's first album Fush Yu Mang came out in June 1997. This album could be said to be "neo ska". Its top position in the charts was #19 (on Billboard). The promo for this album said that "While the twelve songs on Fush Yu Mang sound like they belong side by side, each has it's own feeling like the very '60's "Walkin' On The Sun," the surf 'n' turf of "Nervous In the Alley," the Buzzcocks like "Pet Names," the Mafia rock of "Padrino," and the fret rock of "Let's Rock"." Smash Mouth's second album Astro Lounge was released two years later, in June 1999. It is the band's most critically and commercially successful album to date. It reached #6 on the Billboard charts and it featured the massive hit All Star.
Smash Mouth released their third album Smash Mouth (Self-Titled) in November 2001. It has been said that this is the band's most experimental album to date. It reached #48 on Billboard charts. Smash Mouth's fourth album Get the Picture?, released in August 2003, wasn't as well-received by fans or the critics as previous albums (it only reached #100 on the Billboard charts). Smash Mouth released a Christmas cover album in November 2005 (The Gift of Rock). Their newest album is called Summer Girl, and, after being delayed for over a year, was released on September 19th, 2006. Smash Mouth's music was used in the film "Shrek" and they starred on-screen as themselves in the turbulent finale of the all-star-comedy "Rat Race", while performing "All Star" on stage during the showdown.
In May 2011 lead singer Steve Harwell agreed to eat two dozen eggs in one sitting for charity. That June, Harwell apparently backed out of the challenge -- with over ten thousand dollars for overseas children's hunger charities at stake -- potentially because he is afraid to eat the eggs. Fans continue to demand Harwell eat the eggs.
Two albums were released in 2012, The Gift Of Rock and Magic. A best-of compilation, Playlist: The Very Best of Smashmouth was released in 2016. A comeback single, Unity, was released in 2018.
In 2021, the band collaborated with Timmy Trumpet for the song "Camelot". This would be the band's last song with original lead vocalist Steve Harwell before his retirement later that year and his death 2 years later.
Steve Harwell retired in 2021 due to health issues and was replaced by Divided By Zero singer Zach Goode.
On September 4, 2023, original lead vocalist Steve Harwell died at age 56 at his home of liver failure.
Always Gets Her Way
Smash Mouth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And what they're wearing down in Hollywood
I know she wants green tea ice cream
And just for fun melting in the sun
She likes her jokes as long as they're bad
And I'll laugh anyway
But I'll never really know her
Is that she'll always get her way
And she'll always get away with it
She likes to take me out so I
Can watch her dance with her girlfriends
And the cool boys playin' pool stop and stare
At the way she moves
Dancin' Queen is blarin'
She likes to know that she will be driving me home
Because I'm too stoned
But I'll never really know her
She told me all I really need to know
Is that she'll always get her way
And she'll always get away with it
She likes her primetime TV shows
With a secret crush on David Letterman
But she could never let her friends know
She's pure punk rock at a ripe twenty-seven
I know these things
I've seen the presets on her car stereo
But I'll never really know her
She told me all I really need to know
Is that she'll always get her way
And she'll always get away with it
The song "Always Gets Her Way" by Smash Mouth is about a girl who is mysterious and enigmatic. The singer of the song knows certain things about her, such as her likes and dislikes, but ultimately he will never fully understand her. She has a dominant personality and is used to getting what she wants, with little regard for others. This is highlighted in the lyrics when the singer says, "She told me all I really need to know is that she'll always get her way, and she'll always get away with it."
Throughout the song, the girl's love for attention and desire to be the center of attention is portrayed. She takes the singer out to watch her dance with her friends, and enjoys the attention she receives from other men. The lyrics "And the cool boys playin' pool stop and stare, At the way she moves, Dancin' Queen is blarin'" drive this point home.
Despite her outgoing nature, the girl also has a hidden side. She secretly loves punk rock music but is afraid to show it to her friends. The singer knows this about her but acknowledges that there is so much he will never fully understand.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the facades that people put up and how we can never truly know someone else's innermost thoughts and desires.
Line by Line Meaning
I know she likes her magazines
I am aware of her fondness for reading magazines
And what they're wearing down in Hollywood
She has a keen interest in following fashion trends popular among Hollywood personalities
I know she wants green tea ice cream
She craves green tea flavored ice cream
And just for fun melting in the sun
She enjoys having green tea ice cream and watching it melt in the sun for fun
She likes her jokes as long as they're bad
She finds even bad jokes amusing and enjoys them regardless of their quality
And I'll laugh anyway
I will still laugh at her bad jokes to make her happy
But I'll never really know her
Despite knowing her likes and dislikes, I will never truly understand her
She told me all I really need to know
She revealed to me only the information she wants me to know
Is that she'll always get her way
She is used to getting what she wants, often at the expense of others
And she'll always get away with it
She is capable of manipulating situations to her advantage and escaping consequences for her actions
She likes to take me out so I
She enjoys taking me out to places
Can watch her dance with her girlfriends
She likes to dance with her female friends and wants me to watch her do so
And the cool boys playin' pool stop and stare
The boys playing pool stop their game to admire her dancing skills
At the way she moves Dancin' Queen is blarin'
The song Dancin' Queen is playing loudly while she dances and attracts attention
She likes to know that she will be driving me home
She enjoys the fact that she will be in control and driving me home
Because I'm too stoned
I am under the influence of drugs, making it difficult for me to drive myself home
She likes her primetime TV shows
She enjoys watching TV shows during prime time hours
With a secret crush on David Letterman
She has a deep infatuation with talk show host David Letterman but keeps it a secret from her friends
But she could never let her friends know
She does not want her friends to find out about her feelings for David Letterman
She's pure punk rock at a ripe twenty-seven
Despite being 27, she still enjoys and identifies with punk rock culture
I know these things
I am aware of these details about her
I've seen the presets on her car stereo
I have observed the settings on her car stereo, which reveal her musical preferences
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GREG CAMP, GREGORY D. CAMP, PAUL DELISLE, PAUL GERALD DELISLE, STEVEN HARWELL, STEVEN SCOTT HARWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind