Sponge grew out of a Detroit-based hard rock act called Loudhouse, which released an album on the Virgin label in 1988 before losing its record contract and disbanding shortly thereafter. Drummer-turned-vocalist Vinnie Dombrowski (born Mark Dombrowski) and guitarists Mike Cross and Joey Mazzola regrouped as Sponge in 1992, adding Mike's brother Tim Cross on bass and Jimmy Paluzzi on drums. Adapting their '70s hard rock influences to fit the grunge zeitgeist, the bandmates earned a major-label deal with Columbia and released their debut album, Rotting Pinata, in late 1994.
Initially, critics compared Sponge to Stone Temple Pilots, but alternative radio embraced the band's first two singles: the driving rocker "Plowed" and the jangly, introspective "Molly (Sixteen Candles)." A third single, "Rainin'," also earned airplay, and Rotting Pinata went gold; meanwhile, Sponge went on tour as Live's opening act. With new drummer Charlie Grover in tow, their 1996 follow-up album, Wax Ecstatic, was a more diverse affair, rediscovering some of the band's roots in arena rock, British glam, and jangle pop. Even though singles like "Wax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina)," "I Am Anastasia," and "Have You Seen Mary" enjoyed radio airplay, Columbia was dissatisfied with the sales figures and dropped Sponge once the album left the charts.
Undaunted, Sponge signed a new deal with the Beyond label, which released the more classicist New Pop Sunday in 1999. It attracted little commercial attention, and more personnel shifts ensued. Tired of touring, the Cross brothers both left and were replaced by guitarist Kurt Marschke and bassist Tim Krukowski; Billy Adams also came on board as the new drummer. After several years of recharging -- during which time Dombrowski played in several Detroit-area side projects -- Sponge returned with For All the Drugs in the World in 2003 and The Man in 2005. Dombrowski reworked the lineup once again, this time adding guitarists Kyle Neely and Andy Patalan, before returning again to the studio in 2007 to record Galore Galore for Bellum Records.
Two years later, there was another lineup shift -- Tim Patalan became the group's bassist -- and they released an EP called Destroy the Boy. A full-length called Stop the Bleeding arrived four years later on Three One Three Records; the LP contained all of the 2009 EP plus new songs, including a twisted cover of Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle." In 2017, the band partnered with Michigan Brewers and PledgeMusic for their eighth full-length outing, The Beer Sessions, which Dombrowski called "a celebration of independent music and incredible Michigan beer." In 2021 the band issued their ninth full-length effort, Lavatorium, which included the fiery single "Stitch," the well-timed ballad "Socially Distant," and an all-new recording of their signature hit "Plowed." Original guitarist Mike Cross died on March 6, 2022 at the age of 57.
Biography by Steve Huey
There are other artists with the same name:
ii) Sponge is also a 90's Japanese noise supergroup. Though the members are credited anonymously, the group reportedly includes:
Jojo Hiroshige (of Hijokaidan)
Junko Hiroshige (also of Hijokaidan)
Masami Akita (better known as Merzbow)
Yamazaki Takushi (better known as Masonna)
The Japanese Sponge have released at least two official albums, a 7" and a CD on T.E.C. Tones.
iii) Alias for James Hoyte, owner of the drum n bass label IQ Records. He has released one 12" record, The Crash, on Suburban Base Records in 1994.
Rotting Piñata
Sponge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your life
Beat on me
Spill my insides out on
The ground
Cut on me
I will go when i say die
I will rot away
See my soul
It cuts a hole in the sky
Standing near
Watch the birds eat out my
Eyes
It will rot away
Like a rotting pinata
Here lies this junk of me
Here lies this wreck that
Was me
Oh God help me rot
I don't look quite the
Same
Grab my beating heart
Tear it from this broken
Cage today
I'm rotting
I'm coloring
I'm red and black
I'm twice my size
Don't cry for me
Just pull the plug
And let me fly
I will rot away
Like a rotting pinata
The song "Rotting Pinata" by Sponge is imbued with dark and somewhat gory imagery that serves as a powerful metaphor for physical and emotional decay. The first verse talks about life being like a rodeo, a chaotic and unpredictable event that can leave a person feeling beaten and battered. The line "beat on me, spill my insides out on the ground, cut on me" suggests a deep sense of pain, as though the singer is being brutally attacked from all sides. Despite this, the singer asserts that they will only die on their own terms, and that they will "rot away like a rotting pinata" – particularly evocative imagery considering a pinata is something that is meant to be destroyed and consumed.
The second verse continues this theme of decay and destruction, with the singer comparing their soul to a gaping hole in the sky. They describe being picked apart by birds, a graphic representation of their gradual physical ruin. The repeated phrase "it will rot away like a rotting pinata" reinforces the sense of slow but inevitable decline. In the final verse, the focus shifts to a more emotional decay, with the singer feeling as though their former self is nothing but a "junk" or a "wreck". The line "Oh God help me rot" is particularly bleak, suggesting a profound hopelessness about the singer's ability to escape their own decline.
Overall, "Rotting Pinata" is a song that is simultaneously haunting and powerful, using vivid imagery to explore themes of decay and destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
Get on the rodeo that is
Your life
Embrace the rollercoaster of experiences that is your life
Beat on me
Use me as a punching bag
Spill my insides out on
The ground
Expose my vulnerability and emotions for everyone to see
Cut on me
Inflict physical wounds on me
I will go when i say die
I'll only quit when I'm ready to give up
I will rot away
Like a rotting pinata
I'll eventually decay and lose my value, like a broken piñata
See my soul
It cuts a hole in the sky
My essence is so powerful it can pierce the heavens
Standing near
Watch the birds eat out my
Eyes
Witness my slow and painful death, symbolized by birds pecking at my eyes
It will rot away
Like a rotting pinata
My physical body will eventually decompose, like a spoiled piñata
Here lies this junk of me
My remains are nothing but garbage
Here lies this wreck that
Was me
My dead body is a shell of who I used to be
Oh God help me rot
I welcome the inevitability of decay
I don't look quite the
Same
My physical appearance has changed due to decay
Grab my beating heart
Tear it from this broken
Cage today
End my suffering by taking my heart out of my damaged body
I'm rotting
I'm coloring
I'm red and black
I'm twice my size
I'm decaying, changing colors, taking up more space, and losing my former self
Don't cry for me
Just pull the plug
And let me fly
Don't mourn for me, just let me go and transcend into death
I will rot away
Like a rotting pinata
My physical body will eventually disintegrate, like a destroyed piñata
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MIKE CROSS, TIM CROSS, MARK DOMBROSKI, JOEY MAZZOLA, JIMMY PALUZZI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Milquetoast & Cereal
0:00 Pennywheels
4:35 Rotting Piñata
8:36 Giants
13:56 Neenah Menasha
19:59 Miles
24:11 Plowed
27:27 Drownin'
32:07 Molly (Sixteen Candles Down The Drain)
35:44 Fields
40:40 Rainin'
47:43 Candy Corn (Hidden Track)
Milquetoast & Cereal
0:00 Pennywheels
4:35 Rotting Piñata
8:36 Giants
13:56 Neenah Menasha
19:59 Miles
24:11 Plowed
27:27 Drownin'
32:07 Molly (Sixteen Candles Down The Drain)
35:44 Fields
40:40 Rainin'
47:43 Candy Corn (Hidden Track)
Brendan Black
Thank you, Milquetoast.
Ernesto Corredoira
What an criminally underrated gem..
Dman
Yeah...
Brendan Black
It really is. Such an incredible LP.
TWENTY
The most overlooked aspect of this album is the guitarwork. Hope this guy is still playing somewhere.
Reading Area Railfan
TWENTY just saw them in Sunday. The only original member left in the band is Vinnie, the lead singer. The other guys are all alive, accept for Mike Cross, one of the guitarists, who died earlier this year. It was Mike and Joey who did all the guitar work, I think for most of the guitar solos was Joey, but Mike would help out every now and then in one of the solos Other than that he just primary rythem guitarist. Their still great, despite having a new lineup. When I saw them they sounded just like they did with the original members, aside from plowed which they play differently. It was a tiny theater and someone hadn't shown up to the front so i got front row Seats. Even got to talk to Vinnie after the show, one of the nicest musicians out there, never met someone more down to earth than this guy.
FlyLow
Most underrated grunge album !
Chris Bondurant
I agree. Love this album. Rocked out to Plowed, Rotting Pinata, and Rainin' a lot back in the day.
Ashwin V H
Yep, this one and Wax Ecstatic are their best albums!