The name of the band comes from the girls tendency to frequently use the word “like” in the style of the valley girls of LA. The band has released two albums, "Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?" (2005) and "Release Me" (2010).
Over a period of three years, the band independently released three EPs (I Like The Like, …and The Like, and Like It or Not), which they sold at shows and on their website. Their song “(So I’ll Sit Here) Waiting” was featured on the soundtrack of the film Thirteen. Soon a diverse fan base developed and magazines around the world began to take notice. Following their high school graduations in 2004, The Like signed to Geffen Records and toured with Phantom Planet and Maroon 5, bands which, like The Like, are part of a Los Angeles music scene that also includes bands such as Rooney and Giant Drag. Since forming, The Like have drawn major media attention and have been featured in magazines such as Teen People, ELLEgirl, Nylon Magazine, and Rolling Stone.
They toured with Tori Amos on her Summer of Sin tour, and with Kings of Leon. The Like released their first album, Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking?, through Geffen on September 13, 2005. The album is a combination of reworked songs previously released on their independent EPs as well as new material. The band performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and at the O2 Wireless Festival in Hyde Park, London. In September 2006 The Like supported Muse on a short string of tour dates in the U.S., before heading to Europe to support Razorlight.
The band, original members Z Berg and Tennessee Thomas plus new recruits Laena Geronimo and Reni Lane, have left the studio and headed straight out on tour with the Arctic Monkeys in the US.
The band starred in a short film commissioned by designer Zac Posen as a way to promote his Target fashion collection. The film shows the band hanging out in a hotel room and then performing the single “Fair Game”. The film was directed by Gia Coppola (granddaughter of Francis Ford Coppola)
Fair Game
The Like Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just watch where you're going
There are limbs akimbo, flying wildly
Just watch out now, don't get hit!
You want in our scene?
Hungry like the wolf
This wasn't my dream, but every day keeps getting better
We only look mean, crazy like a fox
Its all fair game, anyway
It's all fair game, anyway
Just a teeny bit amoral
fiercly pessimistic but we're one big family
What's that darling,
Who says family doesn't kiss?
Oh every gang's a bit incestuous
It's just a game and if you know the rules you can't get hurt
We're all the same, a bit tempestuous
But we're just restless, right?
Its all fair game, anyway
It's all fair game, when you play
Have you the heart and have you got the guts?
It's not a sport but who says life should be so boring?
We find your rules a bit extraneous
We leave you breathless, right?
Its all fair game, anyway
It's all fair game, anyway
Its all fair game, when you play
The rules are strange, but aren't they great
The song "Fair Game" by The Like is a catchy and bouncy pop tune that seems to be about living life without any rules or limitations. The lyrics contain various references to being free-spirited and rebellious, with lines like "switching partners like a square dance" and "we find your rules a bit extraneous." The song's chorus repeats the phrase "It's all fair game, anyway," which seems to suggest that anything goes when you're living life on your own terms.
The verses of the song take a somewhat more cynical tone, questioning whether the freedom that the singer espouses is really all it's cracked up to be. Lines like "just a teeny bit amoral, fiercely pessimistic" and "we only look mean, crazy like a fox / things aren't how they seem, right?" hint at a darker side to this carefree lifestyle. The song also references sexual promiscuity and incestuous relationships within a tight-knit social group ("who says family doesn't kiss? / every gang's a bit incestuous"), further complicating the picture.
Overall, "Fair Game" seems to be an ode to living life on one's own terms, even if that means breaking a few rules and causing a bit of chaos. The song celebrates the freedom to pursue pleasure and avoid conformity, while also acknowledging the risks and pitfalls of such a lifestyle.
Line by Line Meaning
Switching partners like a square dance
We change allegiances frequently like in a square dance.
Just watch where you're going
Beware of your surroundings, as they are full of unpredictable movements.
There are limbs akimbo, flying wildly
People are going mad in all directions with their body parts askew.
Just watch out now, don't get hit!
Take care not to get physically harmed by their actions.
You want in our scene?
Are you desiring to become part of our group?
Hungry like the wolf
We are ambitious and keen to succeed, just like the dangerous wolf stalking its prey.
This wasn't my dream, but every day keeps getting better
Although this wasn't what I envisaged, everything is on the rise.
We only look mean, crazy like a fox
We may appear threatening and unpredictable, but in reality we are highly intelligent and cunning.
Things aren't how the seem, right?
There is more going on than meets the eye, don't you think?
Its all fair game, anyway
There is no such thing as unfair or cheating, when everyone knows the rules.
It's just a game and if you know the rules you can't get hurt
It's a harmless competition, and as long as you know how to play by the rules, you'll be safe.
We're all the same, a bit tempestuous
We may seem different, but we have a common tendency to be impulsive and unpredictable.
But we're just restless, right?
We are feeling a sense of dissatisfaction that's hard to shake off, aren't we?
Just a teeny bit amoral
We might be slightly lacking in moral standards.
fiercly pessimistic but we're one big family
Although some of us are incredibly pessimistic, we still have strong bonds as a family.
What's that darling,
What did you say, my dear?
Who says family doesn't kiss?
Who said kissing shouldn't happen between family members?
Oh every gang's a bit incestuous
Everyone in a group tends to have sexual and romantic relations with each other.
It's not a sport but who says life should be so boring?
Even though it's not a game, why should life always be dull and uninteresting?
We find your rules a bit extraneous
We don't consider your rules to be essential or necessary.
We leave you breathless, right?
We leave you speechless and in awe of our actions and attitudes, don't we?
The rules are strange, but aren't they great
Although the rules are peculiar, isn't that what makes them exciting and fun?
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., BMG Rights Management
Written by: Alexander Greenwald, Elizabeth Anne Berg, Victor Axelrod, Z Berg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind