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).
P.S.
Toad The Wet Sprocket Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take your check, go home, and buy your bread
Or maybe down a couple of drinks instead
Don't speak you mind now
And it's time, You want to sleep,
To ease your mind, where nothing runs so deep
and still you say to me "Bartender, fix me one more drink."
Drink alone with me 'till 5am
She's waiting up to ask you questions
you've no answer but the rise in rent
Don't speak your mind now
You'll wake her child
And it's time You want to sleep
To ease your mind, where nothing runs so deep
and suicide is all you've left to meet
and still you say to me "Bartender, fix me one more drink."
Don't speak your mind now
Cause no one cares
No one's there
And it's time, You want to sleep,
To ease your mind, where nothing runs so deep
and suicide is all you've left to meet
still you say to me "Bartender, fix me one more drink."
Had enough of everything, everything I've had
Big surprise, the years roll by , fix me one more drink
Need it all, need some more, needing everything
still you say to me "Bartender, fix me one more drink
(alternate ending)
Had enough of everything, everything i know
Big surprise the years go by and leave you on the floor
needed more, need you more, wanted everything
still you say to me "Bartender fix me one more drink
The lyrics to Toad The Wet Sprocket's "P.S." are a commentary on the struggles of everyday life and the pressures that can lead to destructive behavior. The first verse describes the monotony of waiting in line and the temptation to either use the money for basic necessities or escape reality with a drink. The second verse paints a picture of a person drowning in their own problems, with suicide as the only way out. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the person still requests another drink from the bartender.
The chorus reinforces the idea that the person is overwhelmed and has no one to turn to. The line "don't speak your mind now" suggests that the person may feel silenced or ignored. The repetition of the phrase "you want to sleep, to ease your mind" emphasizes the desire for escape and relief.
The bridge brings in another character, likely the person's partner or family member, who is waiting at home and asking uncomfortable questions about finances. The situation is hopeless, with "no answer but the rise in rent." The final verse continues the theme of desperation and the need for escape, with "everything I've had" not being enough and the person still requesting "one more drink."
Overall, "P.S." is a powerful and relatable commentary on the struggles of everyday life and the desperate need for escape in the face of overwhelming pressures.
Line by Line Meaning
Wait for hours in the line again
You are willing to endure long hours of waiting in line again.
Take your check, go home, and buy your bread
You cash your check, buy groceries, and return home.
Or maybe down a couple of drinks instead
Instead of buying groceries, you might prefer to have a few drinks.
Don't speak your mind now
You choose to keep your thoughts to yourself.
And it's time, You want to sleep,
You're ready for rest to calm your mind.
To ease your mind, where nothing runs so deep
You need peace of mind, a respite from life's complexities.
and suicide is all you've left to meet
You feel despair and believe that suicide is your only recourse.
and still you say to me "Bartender, fix me one more drink."
Despite everything, you ask the bartender for another drink.
Drink alone with me 'till 5am
It's possible to drink with me until dawn.
She's waiting up to ask you questions
Someone is awake, waiting for you, pensive and curious.
you've no answer but the rise in rent
You have no answer for their inquiries other than the increase in expenses.
Don't speak your mind now
You refrain from sharing your feelings or thoughts.
You'll wake her child
Speaking your mind may disturb or awaken the sleeping child.
Cause no one cares
You perceive a lack of concern or empathy from others.
No one's there
You feel emotionally abandoned; nobody supports you.
Had enough of everything, everything I've had
You've had your fill, tired and disillusioned with every aspect of your life.
Big surprise, the years roll by, fix me one more drink
Years pass swiftly, and you're left feeling surprised and despondent, so you request another drink.
Need it all, need some more, needing everything
You crave more, and nothing feels satisfying or enough.
still you say to me "Bartender, fix me one more drink"
In spite of the yearning and disappointment, you request another drink.
Contributed by John P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.