Starting as a parody of the booming third-wave ska scene in Southern California (their first show, reportedly, was played with fourteen members, at least half of which were wielding horns), The Aquabats played third-wave ska with surf guitar sounds and b-movie inspired lyrics. Over time, their sound became even more eclectic, dropping much of the surf guitar leads and ska rhythms for more varied influences.
Their current sound blends upbeat rock and roll, new wave, punk, and ska/rocksteady with synth largely replacing their horn and woodwind section. Notable influences upon The Aquabats are Devo, Oingo Boingo, Madness, and Toy Dolls.
The Aquabatsβ current lineup is The MC Bat Commander (vocals), Ricky Fitness (drums), Crash McLarson (bass), Eagle "Bones" Falconhawk (guitar) & Jimmy the Robot (keyboards/tenor sax). Former members like Chainsaw, The Prince of Karate; Prince Adam; and Catboy have been known to come back into the fold for the occasional show.
The Aquabats's most recent album is Kooky Spooky... In Stereo!, released on August 21, 2020. via Gloopy Records.
Super Rad
The Aquabats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who had a fat friend
Who had a big friend
Who gave birth to many friends
With our flashlights to the sky
We waited for them to land.
I got two tall friends
Who seem to have a problem with you
They got roman candles
Bottle rockets for the vandals
Who covered our lockers in glue.
We're on our way here we go
We're gonna take over
Set it off one last time
Here we come again.
[Bridge]
We were strangers
And we were pilgrims
Role models of the family man
Pioneers and patriarchs
Patriots and matriarchs
Staking out the promised land
Our little army
We were commandos
Gorillas with decoder rings
We felt some opposition
From some villains
Who were wishin'
They could be cadets and kings.
[Bridge]
[Chorus]
All systems go!
Soon the world will know
The fury of attack
Feel the wrath of
The super rad
The super rad
Super rad!
And if we die
before the battle's through
tell our mom's, tell our dads
That we were super rad!
[Chorus: x2]
All systems go
As we step into the Octagon
Feel the wrath of mission code name:
Applesauce applesauce applesauce
Super Rad!
The lyrics of The Aquabats's song 'Super Rad' are full of interesting metaphors and symbolism. The song tells a story of a group of friends, some fat, some big, some small, who come together to take on their adversaries. The group uses flashlights to signal their friends to join in, and soon they become an army or commandos. They are determined to take over and feel invincible, with a strong sense of camaraderie among themselves. The bridge of the song references their journey and how they have become role models, pioneers, and patriarchs, and how they are staking out their promised land. They are also faced with opposition from villains who are envious of their success and who want to be like them.
The chorus of the song is particularly catchy and emphasizes the group's determination. They are ready to take on the world and show their fury to their enemies. The final lines of the chorus are particularly poignant, as the group tells their parents that they were "super rad" if they die in battle.
Overall, the song seems to be about finding your own tribe and standing up to those who would try to bring you down. It celebrates the power of friendship and the sense of unity that comes from being part of a group.
Line by Line Meaning
I had a small friend,
I knew someone small
Who had a fat friend
Who knew someone fat
Who had a big friend
Who knew someone big
Who gave birth to many friends
Who knew many people and introduced them to me
With our flashlights to the sky
We held up our lights and looked up to the sky
We waited for them to land.
We waited for our friends to arrive
I got two tall friends
I have two friends who are tall
Who know my small friend
Who also know the small friend I mentioned earlier
Who seem to have a problem with you
Who don't seem to like you
They got roman candles
They have fireworks called roman candles
Bottle rockets for the vandals
They have bottle rockets to use against vandals
Who covered our lockers in glue.
Who ruined our lockers with glue
We're on our way here we go
We're ready and heading out
We're gonna take over
We're going to become successful
Set it off one last time
We're going to do it one more time
Here we come again.
We're back and ready to go
We were strangers
We didn't know each other before
And we were pilgrims
We were on a journey together
Role models of the family man
We were good examples for families to follow
Pioneers and patriarchs
We were explorers and leaders
Patriots and matriarchs
We were loyal to our country and families
Staking out the promised land
We were working towards our goals
Our little army
Our small group of friends
We were commandos
We were like military forces
Gorillas with decoder rings
We were strong and had secret codes
We felt some opposition
We faced challenges and resistance
From some villains
From people who were against us
Who were wishin'
Who were hoping
They could be cadets and kings.
They wanted to be leaders like us
All systems go!
We're ready to begin
Soon the world will know
People will hear about us
The fury of attack
The strength of our efforts
Feel the wrath of
Experience the power of
The super rad
Our awesome group
The super rad
Our awesome group
Super rad!
Really cool!
And if we die
If we don't make it
before the battle's through
Before we achieve our goals
tell our mom's, tell our dads
Let our parents know
That we were super rad!
That we were an awesome group of friends
All systems go
We're ready to begin
As we step into the Octagon
As we enter the arena
Feel the wrath of mission code name:
Experience the power of our mission
Applesauce applesauce applesauce
A code name for our mission
Super Rad!
Really cool!
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@loserscorner6746
Fun fact: in the Guardians of The Galaxy comics this is one of Peter Quill's favourite songs
@tinzll
Nightshade that is true my guy
@6Skate6Locc6
G.O.T.G. and Aquabats?! It's like my two favorite things (aside from Spider-Man) making love with my two favorite things! I'm like, 3/4ths chub dudes!
@AaidenMiller54
Where did u find it
@SoupVT
Alexander machine
@bodhiblack731
@xGodzillax666 ! its in Legendary StarLord: Face it, I rule
@DemonWarp65
I was born in 72, and I just loved the 90s alternative scene. Ska, punk, grunge, industrial, I just ate all of it up. Then, about a week ago, I discovered this band. HOW DID IT TAKE ME THIS LONG!?
@Didi_Meow_AND_theMEWS
GWAR vs. the Aquabats was what introduced me to the Aquabats
@DemonWarp65
@@Didi_Meow_AND_theMEWS And I discovered that about a week after finding this. I am a raging GWAR fanatic. That only makes me madder. How did I go all this time without ever knowing about this Super Rad band?
@Cheesykid
@@Didi_Meow_AND_theMEWSI remember being like 6 or 7 and i was in my room and I saw some dudes dressed in blue fighting what looked like a giant Cobra, little did I know that was the Aquabats and I was hooked now I am 11 and I watch it with my brother