There is more than one band with this name.

(1) The Hippos were a th… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one band with this name.

(1) The Hippos were a third wave ska-punk band from Southern California. Unlike other typical bands of the genre, The Hippos employed heavy use of a Moog synthesizer.
The Hippos’s first full album release was Forget the World, released in 1996. Interestingly, many of the songs on Forget The World were written when Ariel Rechstaid, the band’s primary songwriter, was only 15 years old. This album employed traditional ska-punk songwriting, including upbeat tempos and heavy brass instrumentation. Additionally, various percussion instruments were used, such as bongos and wood blocks. The next album was Heads Are Gonna Roll, released in 1999. A transitional album, a balance of horns and synthesizers is found on this album. Commercially, this album was the band’s most successful; it is the only album to be fully produced by a large record label and thus is assumedly the most circulated and heard of the three albums.
The Hippos, a self titled final release, was released in 2003 after the band’s break-up. This album completed the gradual transition from traditional ska-punk to the unique, orginal synthpop sound exhibited here. Ties to the ska-punk scene from which they began had been all but completely severed. In fact, only one track from this album uses horns at all, an essential element of ska. Much of the Hippos’s fanbase was initially reluctant at such a different sound, but for the most part, this reluctance gave way to admiration. To many fans, the Hippos’s final album was their best written and most enjoyable, despite its limited commercial success.

(2) The Hippos are a blues band from Sydney, Australia. They enjoyed modest chart success with Dark Age in 1988, from the album Hippocracy.

THINKING OF YOU
The Hippos Lyrics

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In the middle of the night
With nothing to do
I was looking for a fight
I was thinking of you
I was thinking of you
I was thinking of you
And how you never came through
I was thinking of you

All my hopes and my dreams
They're all gone in a flash
Things are never what they seem
It's always crash
Crash
Crash
I was thinking of you
I was thinking of you
And how you never came through
I was thinking of you
I was thinking of you
And for a while I was brainless
But your skin was so tender
I forgot what a thought was
But then I remembered
I was thinking of you
I was thinking of you
And how you never came through
I was thinking of you
I was thinking of you
Everybody
Grab somebody
Put your shoes on
Shake your body
Everybody
Grab somebody
Put your shoes on
And shake your body
I was thinking of you
I was thinking of you
And how you never came through
I was thinking of you

I was thinking of you
I was thinking of you

Overall Meaning

The song "Thinking of You" by The Hippos is a song about the lingering feeling of missing someone who never fulfilled their promises. The lyrics describe the singer's thoughts late-night thoughts, where he admits that he was looking for a fight, but instead, he found himself thinking of this person, whom he hoped and dreamed for but never came through. The singer describes feeling brainless and overwhelmed by the tender touch and feel of this person's skin, but then the memory of being let down comes rushing back. The chorus repeats the phrase "I was thinking of you" multiple times to emphasize the point and the feeling of missing and wanting that person in their life.

The lyrics also emphasize the fleeting nature of life, where hopes and dreams can all be gone in a flash, and things are never what they seem. The chorus ends with the instruction to "grab somebody" and "put your shoes on" and "shake your body," which could be interpreted as a way to distract oneself from one's thoughts and feelings by getting up and dancing.

Overall, "Thinking of You" is a song about the human experience of longing and missing someone who never fulfilled their promises. It captures the conflicting emotions of wanting someone and being let down by them while expressing the fun of being alive in the moment.

Line by Line Meaning

In the middle of the night
During the darkest hours of the day when there isn't much to do

With nothing to do
Being bored and not having any activity to engage in

I was looking for a fight
I was angry and wanted to pick a quarrel with someone

I was thinking of you
You were on my mind throughout the night

All my hopes and my dreams
My aspirations and desires in life

They're all gone in a flash
They disappeared without any notice or warning

Things are never what they seem
Life is full of surprises, and reality is often different from what we expect

I was thinking of you
You were the reason for my melancholy thoughts

And for a while I was brainless
I was so lost in my thoughts about you that I couldn't think of anything else

But your skin was so tender
Your physical appearance and touch were so appealing and comforting

I forgot what a thought was
My mind was solely occupied by you, and I couldn't think of anything else