The Caterer brothers were raised on rock 'n' roll and crooners like Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra. In 1980 Matt got a guitar, Josh a bass guitar and Eli a drum set and they began to play together. Soon after, their eyes were opened to the world of the Ramones and punk rock. Other early musical influences included Mel Tormé, Tom Waits, The Replacements, The Smiths, early AC/DC, The Cars, and Dinosaur Jr.
In 1990 Matt and Josh, calling themselves Speedstick, got a gig at a party and played approximately 10 original punk-style compositions. About this time, Matt switched to bass and Dave Martens joined as drummer. Josh became an Elvis Costello fan and his style, accordingly, became more pop influenced. Speedstick recorded 10 songs in their first studio session, including "Brand New Hairstyle," which would become a staple of the Smoking Popes repertoire.
They changed the band's name, taking "Smoking" from Matt and Josh's penchant for excessive cigarette smoking and "Popes" from the movie "The Pope of Greenwich Village." (The band's original name was simply the "Popes", but it was decided to add the adjective to distinguish the band from the Chicago gang The Popes.)
Martens, disenchanted with the band's musical direction, stopped attending rehearsals and the Caterers recruited Mike Felumlee of Article One to replace him.
In 1991, the band released five tracks recorded during their Speedstick days as the Innoculator EP, with local indie label Radius Records. With the proceeds and what other funding they could scratch together, the Smoking Popes bankrolled the recording of the Break Up EP in 1992. In February Eli Caterer joined as a second guitarist and in October Break Up was released. They played as often as possible in the Chicago area and ventured occasionally to small venues in Indiana and Tennessee.
In 1993 the band recorded their best-yet compositions on the 2 EP. They also recorded a split 7" single with Groovy Love Vibes. GLV vocalist Erik Pertl guested on the Popes' track "Leather and Lace" and Josh guested on the GLV track "Goodtime Music."
The band got a break when pop punk icon Ben Weasel of Screeching Weasel became a fan and used his connections to recruit Mass Giorgini of Squirtgun to produce the Smoking Popes' first LP, Get Fired. With their improved status, the band scored a three-week tour with The Bollweevils and played to bigger audiences.
That year also saw the release of two Popes tracks from the same sessions as the Break Up EP. "Run Away" and "Let's Hear It for Love" appeared on the "It's a Punk Thing... You Wouldn't Understand" compilation on Shakefork Records.
For the follow-up to Get Fired the band worked with producer Phil Bonnet, who also produced much of their early material. "Need you Around," which would later launch Smoking Popes to a huge audience via the soundtrack to the movie Clueless, was recorded in December.
In early 1994 the band opened for Green Day, who extended the invitation after hearing Get Fired. In mid-1994 the Popes finished their new album, Born to Quit. After "Need You Around" took off on alternative radio, they opened for Elastica and gained the attention of record label scouts. They signed with Capitol Records, which rereleased Born to Quit. In a promotional blitz, they toured America with the Goo Goo Dolls and Tripping Daisy.
In 1996 The Clueless soundtrack was released in the UK and "Need You Around" was dropped as a single to capitalize on their newfound popularity there. It was promptly designated "Single of the Week" by the New Musical Express. They toured England and Scotland for a couple of weeks, then crossed back over the Pond to tour with Jawbreaker.
Despite the touring, album sales didn't meet Capitol's expectations and it became clear that the band had to deliver a hit. Producer Jerry Finn, who had added gloss to the sound of Green Day and Rancid, was brought in to do the same for Smoking Popes. In September they toured with labelmates Jimmy Eat World.
The start of 1997 brought dissatisfied label execs who insisted they didn't hear a single among the tracks Smoking Popes submitted for the new album. The band spent six months writing and demoing songs until Capitol was finally determined that new song "I Know You Love Me" had commercial potential. However, the label fired the Popes' A&R representative and the new album was shelved.
After negotiations, Destination Failure was released in August. At this point Tom Counihan, a.k.a Tom Daily, joined the band as a touring guitarist. In October they began to tour with alternative icon Morrissey, who said of Born to Quit, "[it's] extraordinary, the most lovable thing I'd heard in years."
Album sales picked up and the band garnered new fans at every stop. Still, the label couldn't be convinced to devote significant resources to promotion.
In 1998 the band toured with Triple Fast Action and Menthol. Afterward, the band decided to record a covers album, which would fulfill their contract with Capitol.
Around this time Josh became very involved in Christianity and wanted to devote his work to his faith. The label rejected the new album but released Smoking Popes from their contract. The band played several large shows before Josh quit, effectively breaking up the band.
In a later interview, Josh commented about this time "I became a Christian in May 1998 and I quit the Popes in January 1999. I tried to incorporate my faith into what we were doing in the Popes, but it just didn't seem like a good fit."
In 2001, record label Double Zero finally released the covers album The Party's Over.
In November of 2005 the Smoking Popes reunited for a packed and much-anticipated show at the Chicago club The Metro with Rob Kellenberger replacing Mike Felumlee on drums. The tickets sold out in a mere 36 minutes. In that show — immortalized on a DVD called At Metro, bundled with a CD of the performance — Josh, Matt and Eli were conspicuously happy and energized. Eli remarked that he hadn't had that much fun in seven years, a reference to the time since the band's previous break-up. Josh has become somewhat more accepting of much of the music of his former band, and the Popes have decided to reunite on a permanent or semi-permanent basis. They embarked on a U.S. tour in early 2006 with the band Bayside. Several older, pre-1999 songs in the band's repertoire Josh retired from their set list, owing to their expression of views incongruent with his Christianity. During this time, the Popes have acquired a new drummer, Ryan Chavez, who replaced Kellenburger, who had prior commitments. Chavez now seems to be the permanent replacement. During August 5th of Lollapalooza 2006 in Chicago, Josh introduced and played two new songs which he announced would be on the forthcoming Popes album, though no release date or album title was given. The new songs, entitled "If You Don't Care" and "Stay Down", are now available to hear on the band's MySpace page.
I Was Wrong
Smoking Popes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the one with whom I was once won
Has now undone what came to be known as our love
Which could not contain all that which she'd become
I have been outgrown
And with both hands on a day gone by
Lying with my eyes wide open
The world is much too cold
Without someone there to hold me or to hold
That's the way it goes
And I always thought that I would die
If you ever told me goodbye
But it wasn't until tonight
Tonight, I found out I was right
I wasted almost all my life
Being so afraid to fail I hardly tried
I found a place to hide
I dove into you
I swam around, around inside
But I'm not the boy that you destroyed
I'm stronger than he was
I had to be to survive
I'm lucky to be alive
The me you left behind
Is still lying there
With his eyes froze open wide
And I always thought that I would die
If you ever told me goodbye
But it wasn't until tonight
Tonight, I found out I was right
In "I Was Right," Smoking Popes describes being heartbroken and abandoned by a former lover. The lyrics mourn the loss of a relationship and reflect on the time and effort that was wasted by investing so much into someone who has now left. The song is a blend of introspective lyrics and punk-rock inspired instrumentals that express a sense of frustration and sorrow.
The song highlights the artist's struggle with letting go of someone who has moved on, and the feelings of loneliness and despair that come with it. The lyrics suggest that the singer has been left behind and has been forced to face the world without a partner. It describes the pain and heartache of not being able to sleep, feeling cold and empty in the absence of the person they once loved.
Overall, the song's melancholic melody paints a picture of lost love and the aftermath of heartbreak. The lyrics emphasize the fact that sometimes, despite everything we do to try to hold on to someone, they will still leave us.
Line by Line Meaning
I wasted so much more than time
I lost more than just time in this relationship, it was a total waste.
And the one with whom I was once won
The person who used to love me and be with me is no longer by my side.
Has now undone what came to be known as our love
Our love fell apart and was destroyed by this person's actions.
Which could not contain all that which she'd become
Our love couldn't survive because it couldn't handle who this person had turned into.
I have been outgrown
This person has moved on and left me behind.
And with both hands on a day gone by
I can't stop dwelling on the past and what could have been.
Lying with my eyes wide open
I can't even sleep because I'm so consumed by my thoughts and feelings.
Because I can't sleep at night
My heart is broken and I can't find peace or comfort.
The world is much too cold
Life feels bleak and lonely without this person.
Without someone there to hold me or to hold
I crave human connection and intimacy to help me through this pain.
That's the way it goes
Life can be cruel and unfair sometimes, and I have to accept that.
And I always thought that I would die
I believed that losing this person would be the end of me.
If you ever told me goodbye
If this person left me, it would be the ultimate devastation.
But it wasn't until tonight
I just realized that my worst fears have come true, and this person really is gone.
I wasted almost all my life
I spent too much time trying to make this relationship work, and it was all for nothing.
Being so afraid to fail I hardly tried
I was too scared to take risks or put myself out there, so I never gave it my all.
I found a place to hide
I thought I could find refuge in this person, but it didn't turn out that way.
I dove into you
I completely immersed myself in this relationship, heart and soul.
I swam around, around inside
I hoped to find something meaningful and lasting in this relationship, but it never materialized.
But I'm not the boy that you destroyed
Even though this person hurt me deeply, I'm not going to let them break me for good.
I'm stronger than he was
I'm not the same person I was before this relationship, I've grown and become more resilient.
I had to be to survive
This heartbreak was so intense that I had to dig deep and find the strength to move on and keep going.
I'm lucky to be alive
This experience almost broke me, but I'm still here and I'm going to keep living and growing.
The me you left behind
Even though this person is gone, I'm still here and I'm going to keep living my life.
Is still lying there
Even though I've moved on, there's still a part of me that's hurting and trying to heal.
With his eyes froze open wide
I'm still haunted by the memories and pain of this relationship, and it's hard to escape them.
Tonight, I found out I was right
I always knew deep down that this person wasn't right for me, and now it's clear that I was right all along.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOSH CATERER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maria Stringer
Amazing song, Makes me nostalgic for the 90's...
pandaeyes42
The Smoking Popes should make a comeback right now! It would be pretty timely!!!
Rosie Rose Darling
Wish we could bring this generation's music back to this, nothing these days compares to the 90's Alternative music scene.
Josh Kennedy
one of my all time favorite songs!!!!!!! Thanks for posting!!!!
Christina Nelson
Still one of my faves! Heard about this from clueless back in good old 95'
Jimmy The Clown
That Morrissey type voice 😁💕
auk5026
damn fine taste in tunes!!
Cain Marco
i miss the 90's. oh well.
Jaidoprism7
I hope this band comes back....the music kicks every bit of ass and the lyrics drip like honey....what a sweet way to go to Hell.....awesome.....
Rommel Victoria
Amazing. Band