Known for their melodic songwriting as well as their deliberately 'nerdy' public image, the Rubinoos made their public recording debut in 1975with the song "Gorilla" on the 'Beserkley Chartbusters' LP. By 1977, the boys had finished recording their first full album, an LP titled simply 'The Rubinoos'. Gene Sculatti of the New York Rocker called it "the best pop album of the decade." The band took influence from both contemporary rock music as well as from the bubblegum pop music of the past twenty-five years.
The first single was "I Think Were Alone Now", a cover of the Tommy James classic pop track, and it reached the top 40 nationwide as well as the top 10 in many major U.S. cities. Appearances on 'Dick Clarks American Bandstand', 'The Rolling Stone 10th Anniversary TV Special', and in numerous teen magazines of the era helped put the Rubinoos into the pop consciousness. At the same time, the group was receiving a lot of attention overseas: critical acclaim and airplay in Europe came alongside top tens in Japan and Australia.
In 1978, they left for their first European tour. The first show was an appearance on German TV's 'Rockpalast'. The rest of the tour took them through northern Europe performing concert dates and appearing on assorted TV shows such as 'Top Pop (The Netherlands)', 'Old Grey Whistle Test', and 'Rock Goes to College'. As there was no photo on the first LP, the British press sometimes assumed the group was a mere studio contrivance (similar to The Archies or The Banana Splits), but they were startled to find that the Rubinoos were the real thing.
During that summer the seminal power pop song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" was recorded and released as a single in England, ending up as number 4 in terms of the highest airplay song chart of that year. It was also chosen as Music Week magazine's "Record of the Year". The Rubinoos finished recording their second LP, Back to the Drawing Board, in late 1978 for release in early 1979. Because of their success in the UK, the Rubinoos were chosen to open the U.S. portion of Elvis Costello's 'Armed Forces Tour', playing fifty-six sold out shows to screaming encores and rave reviews. Meanwhile, Back to the Drawing Board was a breakout hit all over U.S. radio, selling over 100,000 copies and making a run for the gold which was unfortunately cut short by the bankruptcy of its distributor GRT/Janus, a harbinger to come of the band's difficulties maintaining commercial success from the late 70s onward.
In 1983, the Rubinoos were signed by the label of Warner Brothers and made the mini LP Party of Two. produced by fellow power pop musicians Todd Rundgren and his mega-band Utopia (their first production project as a group). The video for the single "If I Had You Back" achieved heavy rotation on the then fledgling MTV. Still, by 1985 the band members had decided to pursue other interests apart, leaving behind a reputation as one of the best pop groups of that era.
By the mid-90s, rekindled interest in power pop combined with The Rubinoos stature in the field earned the group major releases of two compilations containing previously unavailable material: Basement Tapes and Garage Sale. In 1995, Basement Tapes was picked by Billboard magazine as one of the years ten best CDs. In addition, "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", a contendor for being the band's 'signature song', has been included on many recent multi-artist pop compilation albums.
In the fall of 1999, the Rubinoos reformed to play at the I.P.O. (International Pop Overthrow) festival in Los Angeles. Their appearance was a major hit of the event. Along with the rare live performance, Rubinoos fans were treated to the debut of material from the May 2000 release Paleophonic. This stellar collection was produced by the late, great Kevin Gilbert.
The next couple of years were spent playing occasional pop festivals in the US and working on their individual musical projects. In 2002, the band, getting a little nervous and not wanting to spoil their streak of one CD every 10 years or so, headed back into the studio to record a new CD with a brand new idea, featuring only covers of bands that the Rubinoos have taken influence from. Titled Crimes Against Music, the group explored tracks by such diverse artists as Eurythmics, The Beach Boys, and the Raspberries, among others.
After finishing recording, they hit the road for two smash tours of Japan and Spain. The group has spent the past decade of so sporadically playing live, experiencing success in 2007 with their massive retrospective album titled Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The Rubinoos. That 'best of' collection received rave reviews from the All Music Guide, praising it as "exhaustive" while giving it a rating of four and a half stars out of five. A legal run-in with pop punker Avril Lavigne of all people, accused of plagiarizing the Rubinoos, ended in a confidential settlement and also brought the group some sudden publicity. Fans hope for a new album as of 2013.
Independence Day
The Rubinoos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know you're right, I know the situation
You've got your back against the wall
I know you made so many promises
I know you've tried to keep them all.
So I wait till you can give me everything
Waiting for the time we celebrate your Independence Day, yeah, yeah.
It's gonna hurt, there's just no way around it
You've got to tell him how you feel
We can't go on leading this double life
The secret's gotta be revealed.
So I wait, hiding in the shadows
So I make another passion play
Waiting for the time we celebrate your Independence Day, yeah, yeah.
(How long, how long) till I can shout it to the world ?
(How long, how long) till you set yourself free ?
Wanna tell the world the way I love you
The way I love you and you love me, yeah, yeah.
So I wait, hiding in the shadows
So I make another passion play
Waiting for the time we celebrate your Independence Day, yeah, Independence Day
Independence Day (Independence Day) ...
The Rubinoos' song "Independence Day" is about a person who is in a secret love affair with someone who is in a committed relationship. The singer acknowledges the fact that the person they are involved with is facing a difficult situation and has made many promises. However, they cannot continue living a double life and the secret must be revealed. The singer is patiently waiting for their lover to break away and become independent, so that they can shout their love to the world and celebrate their Independence Day.
The song is filled with metaphors and powerful imagery. The singer is hiding in the shadows and waiting for the right time to make their next move. They compare their situation to a passion play, which is a dramatic performance that tells the story of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The use of this metaphor suggests that the singer's situation is filled with drama and emotions. They are waiting for the climax of their story, the moment when their lover finally breaks away and they can celebrate their love openly.
The chorus of the song is catchy and uplifting, with the repetition of the phrase "Independence Day" creating a sense of hope and excitement. The singer is waiting for the day when their lover becomes independent, not just from their current relationship, but also from the fear and anxiety that has been holding them back. Overall, "Independence Day" is a powerful and emotional song about love, passion, and the struggle to find independence.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you're right, I know the situation
I understand where you're coming from, I acknowledge that you're correct about the situation.
You've got your back against the wall
You're in a difficult position and you feel trapped with no options.
I know you made so many promises
You've committed to a lot of things and you're trying your best to fulfill those commitments.
I know you've tried to keep them all.
You've made an effort to keep up with your promises and responsibilities.
So I wait till you can give me everything
I'm not rushing you, I'm patiently waiting until you're able to give me everything I need.
So I wait for you to break away
I'm waiting for you to break free from your current situation and be able to fully commit to me.
Waiting for the time we celebrate your Independence Day, yeah, yeah.
I'm looking forward to the day when you can finally be free and we can celebrate your independence together.
It's gonna hurt, there's just no way around it
The truth may be painful, but there's no way to avoid it.
You've got to tell him how you feel
You need to be honest with your current partner about your feelings.
We can't go on leading this double life
We can't continue to pretend and live two separate lives.
The secret's gotta be revealed.
The truth needs to come out and be exposed.
So I wait, hiding in the shadows
I'm still waiting and being patient, but not fully revealing myself yet.
So I make another passion play
I distract myself with other things while I wait for you to be ready.
Waiting for the time we celebrate your Independence Day, yeah, yeah.
I'm still waiting for that day when we can finally be together without any obstacles in our way.
(How long, how long) till I can shout it to the world?
How long until I can proudly announce our love to everyone?
(How long, how long) till you set yourself free?
How long until you can finally break free and be independent?
Wanna tell the world the way I love you
I want to openly and freely express my love for you to everyone.
The way I love you and you love me, yeah, yeah.
Our love for each other is real and mutual, and we deserve to share it with the world.
Waiting for the time we celebrate your Independence Day, yeah, Independence Day
We're both still waiting and hoping for that day when we can finally be free and celebrate our love without any hindrances.
Contributed by Owen M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.