Smash Mouth is an alternative rock band from San Jose, California, United S… Read Full Bio ↴Smash Mouth is an alternative rock band from San Jose, California, United States that formed in 1994, the band's lineup consists of founding bassist Paul De Lisle, keyboardist Michael Klooster (1997-present), drummer Randy Cooke (2010-present), guitarist Sean Hurwitz (2011-present), and lead singer Zach Goode (2021-present). Their hit songs include "Walkin' on the Sun" (1997) and "All Star" (1999).

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.

Story of My Life
Smash Mouth Lyrics

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I get to the party, but I'm too late
And I got stood up on my very first date
I listen to country and everybody goes rock
I get to the dance floor, that's when the music stops

It doesn't matter what I do, I just can't seem to win
But here I go again

And I say
Hey that's the story of my life
I had a good plan but it didn't go right
Oh no I'm overdrawn
I check my account and the money's all gone
Why me I don't know what to think
I finally get aboard and the whole boat sinks
Seems to be the story of my life

I pick a slot machine and lose it all again
But when I walk away, someone else always wins
When she finally calls me, I forget my phone
And when I'm starving, you know the kitchen's closed

It doesn't matter what I try, it all ends the same
And here I go again

Hey that's the story of my life
I had a good plan but it didn't go right
Oh no I'm overdrawn
I check my account and the money's all gone
Why me I don't know what to think
I finally get aboard and the whole boat sinks
Seems to be the story of my life

Just when it seems like it's turnin' 'round for me
There's always something that ends up happening
I found my car but I can't find my keys

I get to the party a little too late
And once again the music stops to play

Hey that's the story of my life
I had a good plan but it didn't go right
Oh no I'm overdrawn
I check my account and the money's all gone
Why me I don't know what to think

I finally get aboard and the whole boat sinks
Seems to be the story of my life

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Smash Mouth's Story of My Life describe a series of unfortunate events that seem to consistently occur to the singer. The song begins with the singer arriving at a party but realizing he was stood up on his first date despite having a good plan. He expresses his frustration that no matter what he does, he always seems to lose, stating "It doesn't matter what I do, I just can't seem to win." He then reflects on how he likes country music but constantly finds himself at events where the music is rock, and how the dance floor clears as soon as he steps on it.

The singer goes on to describe losing all his money at a slot machine and when he walks away, someone else always wins. The universe seems to conspire against him - when he finally gets the girl to call him, he forgets his phone, and when he's hungry, the kitchen is closed. The repetitive bad luck leads him to ask "Why me? I don't know what to think." The chorus repeats the phrase "Hey that's the story of my life" and he sings about how just when things seem to be turning around, something else happens, like finding his car but losing the keys. The song ends with him arriving late to another party where again he finds the music stops as soon as he gets there.

Overall, the song portrays a sense of frustration and resignation, as the singer feels like he is unable to catch a break and is constantly facing disappointment. Despite this, the song is upbeat and catchy, reflecting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

Line by Line Meaning

I get to the party, but I'm too late
I always seem to arrive at events too late, including my first date where I was even stood up.

And I got stood up on my very first date
I was left waiting by myself for someone who never arrived on my first date.

I listen to country and everybody goes rock
While everyone else seems to prefer a different music genre, I like listening to country music.

I get to the dance floor, that's when the music stops
Whenever I'm in the mood to dance, the music always seems to stop playing.

It doesn't matter what I do, I just can't seem to win
Regardless of the effort I put in, things never seem to go my way.

But here I go again
I'm about to attempt something new, despite my past failures.

Oh no I'm overdrawn
My bank account has a negative balance, and I'm in debt.

I check my account and the money's all gone
When I checked my account, I found out that my money has been depleted.

Why me I don't know what to think
I don't understand why bad things seem to happen frequently to me.

I finally get aboard and the whole boat sinks
Even when I think I'm finally making progress, things suddenly take a turn for the worse.

Seems to be the story of my life
These unfortunate events represent a recurring pattern in my life.

I pick a slot machine and lose it all again
Despite my attempts to win money, I end up losing more.

But when I walk away, someone else always wins
When I give up on a game, someone else always ends up succeeding.

When she finally calls me, I forget my phone
When someone I've been waiting to hear from finally contacts me, I realize I don't have my phone on me.

And when I'm starving, you know the kitchen's closed
Whenever I'm hungry, the only available food source is no longer open.

It doesn't matter what I try, it all ends the same
Regardless of the specific approach I take, the outcome is always unfavorable.

Just when it seems like it's turnin' 'round for me
When things finally appear to be improving for me, something unexpected happens to chase that progress away.

There's always something that ends up happening
No matter the situation, there's always an unpredictable factor that works against me.

I found my car but I can't find my keys
I successfully made it to my car, but I'm unable to locate the keys needed to operate it.

I get to the party a little too late
Once again, I arrive to the social gathering just after the best parts have already happened.

And once again the music stops to play
Coincidentally, as soon as I reach the dance floor, the music abruptly comes to an end.

Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MATTHEW GERRARD, MATTHEW R.T. GERRARD, ROBBIE NEVIL, STEVEN HARWELL, STEVEN SCOTT HARWELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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