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.
down the street
Smoking Popes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel much taller then I ever thought I'd be
You don't have to cry
Just tell me that I'm the only guy who can
Touch you, touch you
Writing your name on the overpass
Baby I want things to move much too fast
Just tell me that I'm the only person who can
Touch you, touch you
Everything good comes to an end
I know you'll say that we still can be friends
I will understand
Just tell me that I'm the only man who can
Touch you, touch you
Touch you, touch you
"Down The Street" by the Smoking Popes is a song about a man who is walking down the street with his girlfriend and feeling empowered by their relationship. He feels taller and more confident than he ever has before because of her. He wants to move quickly in their relationship, writing her name on an overpass and wanting things to move too fast, but acknowledges that everything good comes to an end. Despite that, he just wants to be the only one who can touch her and wants her to tell him that. The song ends with him expressing that he understands that everything has an end, but just wants her to know that he wants to be the only man who can touch her.
The song's lyrics are simple and straightforward, but there is a lot of raw emotion behind each line. The singer's desire to be the only one who can touch his girlfriend is both sweet and possessive, which creates a more complex dynamic between the two characters. Additionally, the mention of their relationship coming to an end foreshadows a potential break-up and shows the singer's vulnerability in wanting to hold onto their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Walking with you down the street
When I'm with you, I feel like I'm on top of the world
I feel much taller then I ever thought I'd be
Being with you makes me feel more confident than I ever thought possible
You don't have to cry
You don't have to be sad or upset because I'm here for you
Just tell me that I'm the only guy who can
I want you to let me know that I'm the only person you want in your life
Touch you, touch you
I want to be physically close to you and show you how much I care
Writing your name on the overpass
I want to publicly display my affection for you
Baby I want things to move much too fast
I'm so in love with you that I want us to speed things up and be together forever
You don't have to run
You don't have to be scared or feel like you need to escape, I'll be patient and respectful of your feelings
Just tell me that I'm the only person who can
I want you to make it clear to me that I'm the only one you want to be with
Everything good comes to an end
I'm aware that things may not always be perfect and our relationship may not last forever
I know you'll say that we still can be friends
Even if we don't end up together, I hope we can still maintain the special bond we share
I will understand
I'll accept whatever outcome comes our way and won't try to force things to happen
Just tell me that I'm the only man who can
Regardless of what happens, I want you to know that I'll always love you and think of you as the one for me
Touch you, touch you
I want to be there for you and show you my affection in every way possible
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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