Their music features a rare contribution to the genre, incorporating the use of a violin. Formed in 1997, the final line up consisted of Ryan Key (vocals, rhythm guitar), Ryan Mendez (lead guitar, vocals), Sean Mackin (violin, vocals), Nathan Young on drums, and Josh Portman on bass.
Yellowcard was formed in 1997 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA after meeting at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. The band was made up of six members back then:
Ben Dobson (1997 - 2000) : vocals, Todd Clarry (1997 - 2001) : guitar, vocals, Sean Mackin (1997 - 2017) : violin, vocals, Warren Cooke (1997 - 2002) : bass, Ben Harper (not the same as Ben Harper) (1997 - 2005) : guitar, Longineu W. Parsons III (1997 - 2014) : drums.
Former members: Ben Dobson (1997 - 2000) : vocals, Todd Clarry (1997 - 2001) : guitar, vocals, Warren Cooke (1997 - 2002) : bass, Alex Lewis (2003 - 2004) : bass, backing vocals, Ben Harper (1997 - 2005) : lead guitar, Peter Mosely (2002 - 2003, 2004 - 2007) : bass, vocals, Sean O'Donnell of Reeve Oliver(2010–2012) : bass guitar, backing vocals
The band released their first album, Midget Tossing, in 1997 but with not much success.
Around that time their lead singer was replaced by Ryan Key who convinced the band that they couldn't be successful in Florida, so they decided to move to Southern California.
The new group released their debut album, One for the Kids (Lobster Records), in 2001, and followed up with The Underdog EP (Fueled by Ramen Records) in 2002.
Yellowcard signed with Capitol Records in 2003 and released Ocean Avenue, which is their most successful album to date.
Soon after, bassist Alex Lewis was let go by the band. Pete Mosely who had produced and played bass on most of the songs on Ocean Avenue took over on bass.
The Yellowcard popularity "skyrocketed" after this period, with a song from Ocean Avenue, Breathing appearing in the game Burnout 3: Takedown.
Lights and Sounds was released in January 2006. The title track, Lights and Sounds, was the first single released off the album. It is also featured on the game Burnout Revenge. How I Go features Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks.
In 2005 the guitarist Ben Harper left the band. He chose to work with his record label TAKEOVER RECORDS and has signed bands since his departure. He was replaced by Ryan Mendez (formerly of Staring Back) shortly before the Lights & Sounds tour began.
Paper Walls released on July 17th, 2007. Light Up the Sky was the first single released off this album. The album debuted at No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard 200 selling about 40,000 copies in its first week. After their tour for Paper Walls in 2008, the band went on hiatus for almost 2 years.
While touring for Paper Walls, Peter Mosely announced in a MySpace blog message that he would be leaving Yellowcard. . Josh Portman took over on bass until the reformation of Yellowcard in 2010, upon which Sean O'Donnell became the bass player.
Yellowcard's official Facebook page announced on August 1, 2010, that the band has reformed and will be working on a new record. When You're Through With Thinking, Say Yes released on March 22, 2011. On October 24, 2011, the band released an acoustic version of the album.
Sean O'Donnell left the band in early 2012, replaced by Josh Portman.
Southern Air was released on August 14, 2012. It debuted at 10 on the US Billboard top 200, making this their second album to debut in the top 10 and their second-highest debut. The album's first single, Always Summer, was released May 22, 2012. Here I Am Alive was released July 31 as the second single.
An acoustic version of Ocean Avenue was recorded for the album's tenth anniversary. The album was released on August 13, 2013.
On March 13, 2014, the band announced that drummer and founding member Longineu Parsons III had left the band. Parson's departure left Sean Mackin as the only remaining original member of the band.
On August 4, 2014, Yellowcard announced that the next album would be titled Lift a Sail. On August 19, 2014, the band released the first single, One Bedroom. Lift a Sail released October 7, 2014. The album is a notable change of sound for the band, moving away from pop-punk.
On June 7, 2016, the band announced on Facebook that its next album would be a self-titled album. Yellowcard was released on September 30, 2016. On June 24, 2016, the band released the lead single titled Rest in Peace.
On June 25, 2016, the band announced on via its website that the group would be breaking up after a final tour, stating: "Please come and join us on our last trip around the globe. We hope to share this final record and tour with each and every one of you." The band's final show was on March 25, 2017 in Anaheim, CA.
In 2019, it was reported that they were suing American rapper Juice WRLD over his hit song 'Lucid Dreams'.
Get Off the Couch
Yellowcard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the bedroom
Mom will be home pretty soon
She'll make us turn it off
Why can't you see that it's not that bad?
Gives us a reason to get off the couch
Gives a purpose to my petty existence
Well mom kicked us out
There's no point to scream and shout
She'll always get it her fucking way
We gonna have to find another place to play
To Give us a reason to get off the couch
Gives a purpose to my petty existence
Why can't you see my point of view this once?
The lyrics to Yellowcard's song Get Off The Couch are a call to action for the singer's friend to stop being complacent and start living life. They are jamming in the bedroom, but the impending arrival of the singer's mom threatens to interrupt their fun. The singer is frustrated that his friend can't see that their time spent playing music is important and meaningful, even if it may seem trivial to others.
The chorus repeats the phrase "give us a reason to get off the couch" as a plea for their music and creativity to be respected and valued. The singer feels that their art gives a purpose to his otherwise petty existence and wishes that his friend could see his point of view. However, the situation takes a turn when the mom comes home and kicks them out of the house, forcing them to find another place to play.
Overall, the lyrics of Get Off The Couch speak to the universal struggle of wanting to pursue one's creative passions while facing societal pressure to conform and prioritize more practical pursuits.
Line by Line Meaning
We're jamming
We're playing music and having fun
In the bedroom
We're playing music in someone's bedroom
Mom will be home pretty soon
Their mom will be home soon and they know she'll make them stop playing music
She'll make us turn it off
Their mom doesn't like them playing loud music and will tell them to turn it off
Why can't you see that it's not that bad?
They're questioning why their mom doesn't understand that playing music isn't bad
Gives us a reason to get off the couch
Playing music gives them motivation to do something other than sit on the couch
Gives a purpose to my petty existence
Playing music gives them a sense of purpose in life
Well mom kicked us out
Their mom made them leave the house
There's no point to scream and shout
There's no use in getting upset or angry about it
She'll always get it her fucking way
Their mom is always going to have things her way, whether they like it or not
We gonna have to find another place to play
They'll have to find another location to play music
Why can't you see my point of view this once?
They're asking their mom to understand their perspective just this one time
Contributed by Evelyn O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.