Toad the Wet Sprocket was formed in 1986 at San Marcos High School just outside of Santa Barbara, California, when singer-songwriter Glen Phillips was just a 14-year-old freshman, and the other members were 17-year-old juniors. The band drew its name from the Eric Idle monologue "Rock Notes" on Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album from 1980. Their first public appearance was at an open-microphone talent contest in September 1986 (which they lost).
Toad the Wet Sprocket's first album came out in 1989. Named Bread and Circus, it was their first effort for Columbia Records, who had signed them out of high school. The album spawned the singles "Way Away" and "One Little Girl," which made the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, but did not receive much attention.
The follow-up, Pale, was released in 1990 and saw their sound mature. Featuring the singles "Jam" and the Modern Rock Chart hit "Come Back Down," the album was still not a massive success.
The band finally achieved fame with their third album, Fear (released in 1991), which became the band's first RIAA certified platinum album. Also, the singles "All I Want" and "Walk on the Ocean" reached the top twenty on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1994, after years of heavy touring, the band released their follow-up to Fear, Dulcinea. This album spawned the hit singles "Fall Down", which reached #1 on the US Modern Rock charts as well as #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart, as well as "Something's Always Wrong", which also charted. This album was also certified platinum by the RIAA.
A compilation album of b-sides and rarities, In Light Syrup, was released in 1995; it included the single "Good Intentions", which was featured on the soundtrack for the television show Friends. Largely due to the strength of the single, this compilation was certified as a gold album in 2001.
The release of Coil in 1997 acted much like a follow up to 1994's Dulcinea. Featuring a more electric, rock sound, it contained the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock hit "Come Down", as well as the radio hit "Crazy Life" (which did not chart). The album, despite the success of "Come Down" as a single, failed to reach any sales benchmarks.
Toad the Wet Sprocket formally broke up in July 1998, citing creative differences. Since breaking up, the band performed together in 2002 at a Rape Crisis Center benefit and opened up for Counting Crows. In 2006 they began touring the United States as a band in small-venue, short-run tours each summer.
In 2009, bassist Dean Dinning said Toad the Wet Sprocket was now something each member considered an active project, and though they had not released a new studio album since 1997 and only did small summer tours, they no longer considered themselves "broken up". In May 2010, the band gathered at a California studio to begin re-recording some of their older hits for licensing reasons. Columbia Records owns the masters to the band's albums. Therefore, the band makes little money from them, so to be able to make a living off their own talent again, they made these re-recordings with the goal of having them used in film and TV.
On December 7, 2010, Toad the Wet Sprocket released their first new studio track in 11 years. The holiday track "It Doesn't Feel Like Christmas", a cover of a Sam Phillips original, was posted on their official site, available via Bandcamp, for free download just in time for the holidays, along with a new message on their site: "We're that band that did 'Walk on the Ocean', 'All I Want', 'Something's Always Wrong', and "Fall Down'. The one with the weird name. We're back from a long slumber and look forward to saying hello some time. Keep in touch…" The band had recently signed a deal with Primary Wave to handle their back catalog and any future releases, and on December 11, 2010, the band mentioned, both on stage and in an offstage YouTube interview, that they are currently writing songs for their first new studio album since 1997's Coil. In addition, they began playing two new songs, "Friendly Fire" and "The Moment", which were being worked on for the new album.
On April 12, 2011, Toad the Wet Sprocket released a new greatest hits album titled All You Want in digital and disc form via their official website. The 11-track CD includes brand new studio versions of their hits. The band does not have access to some of the versions they did for Columbia Records in the '90s. However, they did regain full control of the songs from their first two albums, and they planned to re-release them in remastered form on their own label, Abe's Records, following the release of their upcoming studio album.
On March 22, 2013, it was announced via Toad the Wet Sprocket's Facebook page that recording of the new album had been completed. The album was produced and mixed by Mikal Blue at Revolver Studios in Thousand Oaks, California. On June 5, 2013, the band announced the first new single in 16 years on Rolling Stone's website titled "New Constellation". An album of the same name was released on the band's own Abe's Records on October 15, 2013. The band marketed the new album via the crowdsourcing website Kickstarter. The band initially set a fundraising goal of $50,000, expecting it to take about two months to raise that amount. Instead, fans contributed more than $50,000 in less than 20 hours. When the Kickstarter campaign finally came to a close, they had raised a total of $264,762.
In 2014, Toad the Wet Sprocket resumed touring and opened a number of shows for Counting Crows. They showcased some of the new material from New Constellation, the Kickstarter-funded album, including "California Wasted" and the album's title track while playing a number of their earlier hits. During summer 2015, the band went on tour with fellow '90s acts Smash Mouth and Tonic. The band released an EP called Architect of the Ruin on June 16, 2015.
In 2018, Toad the Wet Sprocket announced that they had reissued their albums fear and Dulcinea on a deluxe remastered vinyl LP available through their online store. The same year, they also released a limited deluxe 5-LP box set of colored vinyl for their albums fear, Dulcinea and Acoustic Dance Party.
In a January 2020 interview with ChicagoNow, Glen Phillips stated that "Toad has started recording again." In addition, he confirmed the band's first official lineup change, and that drummer Guss had left the band on good terms. Previous occasional touring member Josh Daubin replaced Guss.
On September 25, 2020, they released a new song entitled “Starting Now”, followed by another new song "Old Habits Die Hard" on October 23rd, from their upcoming album, set to be released in 2021.
There's another band with the same name:
2. Toad The Wet Sprocket was an NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) band active from the mid-70s to 1982. They released two singles, "Pete's Punk Song" and "Reaching the Sky", before their breakup. Their song, "Blues in A", was included on Metal for Muthas compilation (1980).
Is It For Me
Toad The Wet Sprocket Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The house upon the hill
And if we meet at four a.m.
Then we would know for sure
We carry the ladders
And lean them against it
And climb them as we look
Someone kicked a ladder
Bradley took a spill
Said his leg was broken
So we dragged him down the hill
And through the door
What do I see?
Something is happening
Is it for me?
Mom found out the whole thing
Mine was first to call
Bradley's leg healed badly
At least he still can walk
We leave in the morning
And no one will hear us
And meet in the clearing
And I'll bring the sandwiches
David come quickly
You're missing the whole thing
Now open your big eyes
And take in the sunrise
And through the door
What do I see?
Something is happening
Is it for me?
The song "Is It For Me?" by Toad The Wet Sprocket is a melancholic track that tells a story of a group of friends who decide to explore an allegedly haunted house on top of a hill. The lyrics introduce Bradley, a person who is familiar with the house and who claims that it is haunted. He suggests that the group meets at 4 a.m. to find out if his claims are true. The group carries ladders to the house and leans them against it while they climb up to look inside. However, while climbing up, somebody kicks a ladder, and Bradley falls down and breaks his leg. The group then drags him down the hill to get him help.
As the lyrics continue, the singer questions why “something is happening” once they enter the house, as if some spiritual entities are grappling with their presence. Mom finds out about the incident, and Bradley's leg heals badly. This suggests that although the experience was thrilling and adventurous while it lasted, there were consequences to their actions. The singer mentions that they plan to leave the next day and meet each other in a clearing. David, one of the group members, is called to join the group quickly to witness the sunrise.
The lyrics are laced with confusion, melancholy, and mystery, which highlights the complex nature of the experience. The song suggests that the experience was somewhat unsettling and potentially harmful, and none of it was for the group's benefit. Ultimately, the group's curiosity drives them into unexplored areas, but the risk may be far greater than they initially anticipated.
Line by Line Meaning
Bradley says it's haunted
A person named Bradley claims that the house on the hill is haunted.
And if we meet at four a.m.
If we gather at four o'clock in the morning.
Then we would know for sure
We could be certain of whether the house is really haunted.
We carry the ladders
We take the ladders with us.
And lean them against it
We prop them against the house.
And climb them as we look
Then we climb up the ladders and observe the house.
Someone kicked a ladder
One of the ladders was accidentally kicked or knocked over.
Bradley took a spill
Bradley fell from the ladder.
Said his leg was broken
He stated that he had broken his leg.
So we dragged him down the hill
We moved Bradley down the hill due to his injury.
And through the door
Upon entering the house.
What do I see?
What I see surprises me.
Something is happening
Something is taking place.
Is it for me?
I wonder if it has significance or importance for me personally.
Mom found out the whole thing
My mother was informed about the incident.
Mine was first to call
Out of everyone, I was the first to make the call and let my mother know what happened.
Bradley's leg healed badly
Bradley's leg did not heal properly or completely.
At least he still can walk
Despite the injury, Bradley can still move about on his own two feet.
We leave in the morning
We depart from the area the next day.
And no one will hear us
We will make our exit without anyone noticing.
And meet in the clearing
We plan to rendezvous in an open area surrounded by trees.
And I'll bring the sandwiches
I will provide the sandwiches for everyone to eat.
David come quickly
I urgently call out to someone named David.
You're missing the whole thing
David is not present to witness the current events.
Now open your big eyes
I encourage David to open his eyes wide and pay attention.
And take in the sunrise
I want David to admire and appreciate the beauty of the sunrise.
Lyrics © THE ADMINISTRATION MP, INC.
Written by: DINNING, GUSS, NICHOLS, PHILLIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tropicwave1
Is It for Me
Toad the Wet
Album: Fear
Bradley says it's haunted
The house upon the hill
And if we meet at four a.m.
Then we would know for sure
We carry the ladders
And lean them against it
And climb them as we look
Someone kicked a ladder
Bradley took a spill
Said his leg was broken
So we dragged him down the hill
And through the door
What do I see?
Something is happening
Is it for me?
Is it for me?
Mom found out the whole thing
Mine was first to call
Bradley's leg healed badly
At least he still can walk
We leave in the morning
And no one will hear us
And meet in the clearing
And I'll bring the sandwiches
David come quickly
You're missing the whole thing
Now open your big eyes
And take in the sunrise
And through the door
What do I see?
Something is happening
Is it for me?
Through the door
What do I see?
Something is happening
Is it for me?
Is it for me?
Written by:
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, THE ADMINISTRATION MP, INC.
@alliem1072
Glen is one of the few singers whose voice sounds the same after 20 years...love them!
@willfromyadkinville
the day i heard this i fell in love with Toad The Wet Sprocket!
@veritas1007
This CD came out before nevermind this is true alternative music.fear is an awesome album
@howardmann8689
now it's Sarah bareilles all day
@Aqua.man045
Both are great albums from 1991
@abathens
Diehard Falcons / Toad fan
@stevemeters3090
I'm a devoted hip hop fan. But this is the 1st album I ever loved. And in my opinion one of the 5 best albums I've ever listened to.
@lisaschafer8163
Love ALL their songs. I'm 51 yrs old and love 80s and 90s music
@jaywange2449
Lisa - when were you born? I'm Aug 9 - 1970 . . ..Saw your age and was curious . . .
@user-rl1nv1xp1y
@@jaywange2449 Jay is flirting with Lisa.