Sublime released three studio albums, one live album, five compilation albums (one of which also contains never-before released material), three EPs, and one box set. Although their first two albums—40oz. to Freedom (1992) and Robbin' the Hood (1994)—were quite popular in the United States, Sublime did not experience major commercial success until 1996 with their self-titled third album, released two months after Nowell's death, which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200, and spawned the single "What I Got", which remains the band's only No. 1 hit single (on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart) in their musical career. As of 2009, the band has sold over 17 million albums worldwide, including about ten million in the U.S. alone. Michael "Miguel" Happoldt and Marshall "Ras MG" Goodman contributed to several Sublime songs.
Following Sublime's dissolution, former members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh founded the Long Beach Dub Allstars in 1997, which also included many frequent Sublime contributors such as Michael "Miguel" Happoldt (former member of The Ziggens), Marshall Goodman "Ras MG" (former Sublime member), and Todd Forman (3rd Alley). LBDAS disbanded in 2002, due to several members of the band breaking a no-drug vow they had taken. In 2009, the surviving members attempted to reform the band with Rome Ramirez, a young guitarist and admitted Sublime fan from California. However, not long after performing at Cypress Hill's Smokeout Festival, a Los Angeles judge banned the new lineup from using the Sublime name as they needed permission from Nowell's estate, which owns the rights to the Sublime name. This prompted the lineup of Wilson, Gaugh and Ramirez to change their name to Sublime with Rome, which has since released three albums, although Gaugh left the group shortly after the release of their 2011 debut Yours Truly.
With the mainstream success of their self-titled album, going five times platinum and earning worldwide airplay, Sublime's influence persists to this day. Sublime was one of the most popular bands of the third wave of ska, specifically characterized as ska punk. Sublime often combined punk rock and hardcore punk with hip hop, heavy metal, dancehall, reggae, ska, funk, and (21st century) surf music. Sublime also has been described as 'reggae rock'.
Their signature sound and their songs are often associated with the beach and coastal areas of Southern California, such as San Diego, Orange County, Venice Beach and Long Beach as well as areas of Northern California like Eureka. Over two decades after Nowell's death and the band's breakup, Sublime remains immensely popular throughout North America, especially in its state of origin, California.
Sublime's songs have been featured via soundtrack in a variety of media. Los Angeles alternative rock radio station KROQ has listed Sublime at No. 3 in their annual "Top 106.7 biggest KROQ bands of all time" list for the past six years in a row, behind Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana, and No. 81 at the "Top 166 Artists of 1980–2008" list.
With over 17 million units sold worldwide, Sublime is one of the most successful, and "powerfully moving" ska-punk acts of all time influencing many modern reggae and ska acts.
Wilson and Gaugh reunited the group officially in 2023 after Sublime With Rome's disbanding, with Nowell's son Jakob Nowell (LAW, Jakob's Castle) taking over as lead vocalist.
Garden Grove
Sublime Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It smelled like Lou-dog inside the van, oh yeah
This ain't no funky reggae party, $5 at the door
It gets so real sometimes, who wrote my rhyme
I've got the microwave, got the VCR
I got the deuce-deuce in the trunk of my car, oh yeah
If you only knew all the love that I foundIt's hard to keep my soul on the ground
You're a fool, don't fuck around with my dog
All that I can see I steal, I fill up my garage
'Cause in my mind
Music from Jamaica, all the love that I found
Pull over there's a reason why my soul's unsound
It's you
It's that shit stuck under my shoe
It's that smell inside the van
It's my bed sheet covered with sand
Sitting through a shitty band
Getting dog shit on my hands
Getting hassled by the man
Waking up to an alarm
Sticking needles in your arm
Picking up trash on a freeway
Feeling depressed everyday
Leaving without making a sound
Picking my dog up at the pound
Living in a tweaker pad
Getting yelled at by my dad
Saying I'm happy when I'm notFinding roaches in the pot
All these things I do
They're waiting for you
The song “Garden Grove” by Sublime is about the band’s experience traveling to Garden Grove, a neighborhood in Orange County, California. The song starts off by describing the odor of their dog, Lou-Dog, inside their van. They then describe their destination as not a “funky reggae party,” but a place where “it gets so real sometimes.” The band members go on to describe the possessions they have in their van, including a microwave, VCR, and a gun in the trunk.
The lyrics then shift to the love that the singer has found. They describe the difficulties in keeping their soul grounded and the warning not to mess around with their dog. The next verse goes on to describe the negative experiences they’ve been having, such as waking up to an alarm and injecting needles into their arm. They describe picking up trash on the freeway, feeling depressed everyday and getting yelled at by their dad for living in a tweaker pad.
The song then ends with the singer stating that all these things they do are “waiting for you.” The meaning behind this line is open to interpretation, as it could be directed towards the listener, the band members themselves, or society in general.
Line by Line Meaning
We took this trip to Garden Grove
We went on a trip to Garden Grove
It smelled like Lou-dog inside the van, oh yeah
The van smelled like marijuana, which the singer calls 'Lou-dog'
This ain't no funky reggae party, $5 at the door
This is not a traditional reggae party; there is an admission fee of $5
It gets so real sometimes, who wrote my rhyme
Sometimes things get intense, and the artist questions who wrote his lyrics
I've got the microwave, got the VCR
The artist owns a microwave and a VCR
I got the deuce-deuce in the trunk of my car, oh yeah
The singer has a .22 caliber gun in his car's trunk
If you only knew all the love that I found
If you only knew how much the singer loves the things he has
It's hard to keep my soul on the ground
The artist struggles to maintain emotional stability
You're a fool, don't fuck around with my dog
Don't mess with the artist's dog, or he'll consider you a fool
All that I can see I steal, I fill up my garage
The artist steals anything he wants and stores it in his garage
'Cause in my mind
Because in the singer's mind
Music from Jamaica, all the love that I found
The artist's mind is filled with Jamaican music and memories of things he loves
Pull over there's a reason why my soul's unsound
Stop the car; there's a reason why the singer's spirit is disturbed
It's you
You are the cause of my turmoil
It's that shit stuck under my shoe
The singer is bothered by something unpleasant stuck to his shoe
It's that smell inside the van
The van's marijuana aroma is a problem for the artist
It's my bed sheet covered with sand
The artist's bed sheets are dirty with sand
Sitting through a shitty band
The singer is enduring a terrible band performance
Getting dog shit on my hands
The singer accidentally comes into contact with dog feces
Getting hassled by the man
The artist is being harassed by authorities
Waking up to an alarm
The artist wakes up to the sound of an alarm clock
Sticking needles in your arm
The artist is injecting drugs
Picking up trash on a freeway
The singer is cleaning up litter on a highway
Feeling depressed everyday
The artist experiences sadness constantly
Leaving without making a sound
The singer wants to leave without anyone noticing
Picking my dog up at the pound
The singer has to retrieve his dog from the animal shelter
Living in a tweaker pad
The singer resides in a home shared by drug users
Getting yelled at by my dad
The artist's father is angry and yelling at him
Saying I'm happy when I'm not
The artist pretends to be happy when he is not
Finding roaches in the pot
The singer discovers cockroaches in his marijuana
All these things I do
All of these actions are things that the singer does
They're waiting for you
These experiences are what the listener can expect to encounter
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Eric Wilson, Floyd Gaugh, Linton Johnson, Bradley Nowell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BCBtheBeastlyBeast
I memorized the lyrics of this whole album as a teen. My dad would play it in the house when I was really young. How young? My dad got a call one day from my kindergarten that I was singing "pop a cap in Sancho and slap her down" in class. Was kicked out for the day. Dad was great about it, but worried about me singing it again, so he simply didn't play them again for about 5 years... but yeah, one of my earliest memories is hearing Sublime on our sound system :)
@derangedtortoise909
lol
@plotnonyo
Me too I'm 33 now. My favorite album as a young man
@VivaldHe
Dude me too I’m 20 and I grew up in a household of awesome music (three 6, Pantera, Sublime, Alice In Chains, and so much more) and sublime was my dads favorite band and I got suspended for singing smoke two joints 😂😂 my dad would listen to it in the morning while he smoked before work and I’d be waiting for the bus lmao. I took a Tenacious D album to school and wanted my teacher to play a song 😂😂
@myothernameisnana7188
When my boys were little and going to a private Christian School, they got in trouble for singing Offspring lyrics . .. "Give it to me baby ..." I had to stop playing it in the car. ;(
@ScottChicago
That's fucking awesome! What a great memory
@bmjv77
I lived in southern California in the 90s. I can't think of any other band who's sound can immediately take me back to that magical place and time like Sublime.
@MB34756
i grew up on the east coast and never got out west till the late 2000s and this brings me to socal in the 90s to this day. :D
@doxholiday1372
Where in So Cal? I had the amazingly good fortune of going to high school in Huntington Beach - so just a hop, skip, and jump to Garden Grove, and Long Beach where Sublime is from.
@bmjv77
@@doxholiday1372 I was up in Santa Barbara.