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.
Revenge of the Nerds
The Rubinoos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mom packs us a lunch and we're off to school
They call us nerds 'cause we're so uncool
They laugh at our clothes
They laugh at our hair
The girls walk by with their nose in the air
So go ahead, put us down
Won't be long mark my word
Time has come for revenge of the nerds
Revenge of the nerds, revenge of the nerds
We wear horn-rimmed glasses
With a heavy duty lens
Button down shirts
And a pocket full of pens
Straight "A" students
Teachers pets
They call us nerds
But we don't regret
Revenge of the nerds (nerds)
Revenge of the nerds (ha-ha-ha)
Revenge of the nerds (nerds)
Revenge of the nerds (chant: Nerd, nerds, nerds)
While the jocks work out
With the football team
We're trying to score
With the girl of our dreams
You know we ain't good looking
But here's the surprise (gasp)
Nerds are great lovers
In Disguise (ah)
So go ahead put us down
One of these days we'll turn it around
Won't be long mark my word
Time has come for revenge of the nerds
Revenge of the nerds
Revenge of the nerds (nerds!)
Revenge of the nerds (nerds.)
Revenge of the nerds (ha-ha-ha)
So if they call you a dork
A spaz or a geek
Stand up and be proud
Don't be meek (hey!)
Beautiful people
Haven't you heard
The joke's on you
It's revenge of the nerds
Revenge of the nerds (nerds!)
Revenge of the nerds
Revenge of the nerds (who me?)
Revenge of the nerds
Revenge of the nerds (ha-ha-ha)
Revenge of the nerds (nerds)
Revenge of the nerds (nerds!)
Revenge of the nerds
The Rubinoos’ “Revenge of the Nerds” is an anthem for geeks and outcasts everywhere. The song celebrates being an outsider and fighting back against those who belittle and bully us. The opening lines describe a typical school day for the band members, who are labeled as nerds and mocked for their appearance. The chorus of “Revenge of the nerds, revenge of the nerds” emphasizes their desire for payback.
The second verse describes the nerds’ appearance, with horn-rimmed glasses, button-down shirts, and pockets full of pens. They are intelligent and hardworking, but they are often dismissed and ridiculed. In the bridge, the nerds contrast themselves with the jocks and their pursuit of girls. The nerds may not be traditionally good-looking, but they have a surprised quality that makes them great lovers.
The final chorus encourages everyone to embrace their nerdiness and reject the labels that hold them back. The song is both empowering and fun, with a catchy melody and a refrain that is easy to sing along to. It has become an anthem for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, reminding us that being different can be a source of strength rather than weakness.
Line by Line Meaning
Mom packs us a lunch and we're off to school
We start our day with a packed lunch from home and head to school.
They call us nerds 'cause we're so uncool
The other students make fun of us and label us as 'nerds' simply because we don't fit into their definition of 'cool.'
They laugh at our clothes
The other students mock us for our clothing choices.
They laugh at our hair
The other students find humor in our hair styles which don't align with the current trends of what is considered 'cool.'
The girls walk by with their nose in the air
The popular girls ignore us and have an attitude of superiority towards us.
So go ahead, put us down
Regardless of the negative treatment we receive, we won't let it affect us and will continue being who we truly are.
One of these days we'll turn it around
We believe that we will eventually succeed despite the negative attitudes of others.
Won't be long mark my word
We are confident that it won't take long for us to prove our worth.
Time has come for revenge of the nerds
We feel that the time has arrived for 'nerds' like us to take back our power and prove that we are just as valuable as anyone else.
We wear horn-rimmed glasses
With a heavy duty lens
Button down shirts
And a pocket full of pens
Straight "A" students
Teachers pets
They call us nerds
But we don't regret
We embrace our unique sense of style, academic achievements, and close relationships with our teachers despite being teased by others.
While the jocks work out
With the football team
We're trying to score
With the girl of our dreams
You know we ain't good looking
But here's the surprise (gasp)
Nerds are great lovers
In Disguise (ah)
While the 'jocks' prioritize physical fitness and athletics, we are focusing on pursuing romantic relationships and despite not fitting into the traditional mold of being 'good looking,' we know that our intelligence and passion makes us great partners.
So if they call you a dork
A spaz or a geek
Stand up and be proud
Don't be meek (hey!)
Beautiful people
Haven't you heard
The joke's on you
It's revenge of the nerds
We encourage others who are also labeled as 'nerds' to embrace their unique qualities and not let others' negative opinions bring them down. We believe that the 'joke' is actually on the ones who mock and underestimate us, as we will eventually succeed in our own right.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HELMUT GERHARD, BOBBY PAINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind