Early years
The Casualties were formed in 1990, with original members Jorge Herrera (vocals) Hank (guitar), Colin Wolf (vocals), Mark Yoshitomi (bass) and Yureesh Hooker (drums). The members aimed to return to what they viewed as the "golden era" of street punk, embodied by bands such as The Exploited and Charged GBH which they believed had disappeared by 1985.[3] During the early years, the lineup was fluid, with several changes. That first year, Colin stepped out for several months to finish his education while Rachel, TheRivits' singer, took his place.[3]
In 1991, Hank left the band, to be replaced by Fred (last name unknown) on guitar. Colin, Jorge, Yureesh, Hank and Mark put together a demo, titled Political Sin, for the Benefit for Beer compilation.[4] After making this recording, Fred left to go to school and Steve, from Distraught, fills in for a short time, until Fred returns to the band full-time. The 4 song EP, 40 Oz. Casualty was recorded at the end of 1991 and self-released.[3] 1992 saw the band touring and building up a fan base in NYC. In 1993, Mark and Fred left the band and were replaced by Mike (last name unknown) on bass and Jake Kolatis on the guitar, followed by the departure of Yureesh and Colin in 1994, to be replaced on drums by Shawn, while the band went down to a single vocalist.[3][4] 1994 sees the recording of the 4 song EP, Drinking Is Our Way Of Life, however it would not be released. The songs would later appear on the Casualties "early years 1990-1995" CD in 1999.[4] In 1995, the band's second release, the 4 track A Fuckin' Way Of Life E.P. was released on Eyeball Records. After recording A Fuckin' Way of Life, Shawn left the band, and Marc Eggers (nicknamed Meggers) of the Rivits became the regular drummer. The line-up of Jorge, Jake, Mike and Meggers continued until 1997.
In 1996 the Casualties became the first American band to appear at the "Holidays in the Sun" Festival in London. 1997 saw the release of the band's debut album, For the Pun is released on Tribal War Records, and the band embarks on its first American tour with The Varukers. Mike (the bassist) left the band in 1998, to be replaced with Johnny Rosado, from The Krays.[4][5] They released their second LP that year, Underground Army, and begin a world tour. Jon leaves the band during the European leg of the tour, to be temporarily replaced by Dave Punk Core.
Present lineup
After the world tour, Dave would be replaced by Rick Lopez from the band, Manix. The line-up was now solidified for the band and would continue to the present day.[6] The end of the millennium, 1999, saw the band produce a compilation album, Early Years 1990-1995, which included tracks which appeared on earlier ED's, as well as never before released songs, such as the four songs they had recorded on the never released EP Drinking is Our Way of Life back in 1994.
The 2000s have seen the band continue to tour[3][6] and produce albums (an album list can be seen below). They have toured with several other bands, such as The Exploited, GBH, Cockney Rejects, Slaughter & the Dogs,[4] and the English Dogs.[6] In December 2009, The Casualties toured alongside Hatebreed, The Acacia Strain, Crowbar, and Thy Will Be Done as part of the Stillborn Fest.[3] In the summer of 2012, The Casualties co-headlined the Tonight We Unite tour along with Nekromantix, where they played For The Punx in its entirety, the first time they had played the album through since its release in 1997.[3] Later that year, The Casualties released their new album titled Resistance through Season of Mist.[7][8] In 2013, The Casualties played at the largest Punk Rock festival in the world,[9] the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, England, where they shared the stage with The Exploited, Special Duties, Chron Gen and Anti-Establishment, and others
Oi! Song
The Casualties Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Born in glory,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Born in England,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Bomb these Hippies,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Women have rights,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Born in England,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Born in England,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Bomb these Hippies,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Women have rights,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
1 2 3 4
Born in glory,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Born in England,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Bomb these Hippies,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Women have rights,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
Oi!
The Casualties's song "Oi! Song" is a 23-second anthem that highlights the punk rock subgenre Oi!. The lyrics are straight to the point, conveying the pride of being born in England and the rejection of hippies while supporting women's rights. The song's repetition of "Oi!, Oi!, Oi!" serves as a unifying chant for the Oi! movement and its anti-establishment nature.
The lyrics "Bomb these Hippies" can be seen as controversial due to the violent language. However, it can be interpreted as a message to rebel against those who want to restrain the freedom of expression and society's norms. It can also be viewed as a response to the hippie movement's peaceful protests, advocating for more aggressive action towards social justice.
Line by Line Meaning
Born in glory,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
The singer was born with great potential and hopes to achieve greatness. The repeated chants of 'Oi!' signify the punk rock subculture of the UK and the singer's alignment to it.
Born in England,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
The singer hails from England and is proud of his heritage. The repeated chants of 'Oi!' are a form of unity and solidarity with other punk rockers from the country.
Bomb these Hippies,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
The singer expresses his disdain for the hippie counterculture and its ideals. The repeated chants of 'Oi!' serve as a call to action against this group of people.
Women have rights,
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
The singer acknowledges and supports women's rights. The inclusion of 'Oi!' is used to reinforce the punk rock subculture's values of individual and social freedom.
Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!, Oi!,
The repeated chants of 'Oi!' throughout the song signify the punk rock subculture's unifying and rebellious nature.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BobGeanis
Loved this band since 2009 nothing beats the casualties
Efri3nd
this song has one of the coolest guitar solos ever
신디
Oi!!! Oi! Oi!! Takes me back to high school !!
eric Mejia
Some high school shit.. Never going to get tired of this jam ... Memories with my brothers still 2021 bumping
Anndrezzz
I played the Fuck out this Album in my High School years
Mann life was good
Going to shows making all the bad choices in life
D Rue
This was the album.... thank the gods.
ROMAN
Casualties rule!!!!!!!
nouseforafap
the bass sounds really sick haha
Grzestek
Oi! oi! from Poland!!!
Modest Meeshka
Oi from Washington state, saw these guy last year, such a great show