Tim Rogers formed the first version of the band in Sydney, Australia, with his school friend Nick Tischler and his older brother Jaimme in December 1989. This initial line-up was short lived and by the end of 1990 both Nick and Jaimme had left the band. They were replaced by the group's one-time sound mixer Andy Kent on bass and Mark Tunaley on drums.
The band released several EPs and singles in the early 90s, though the real breakthrough came when Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth caught the band performing at 1993's Big Day Out festival and was impressed enough to produce their fourth EP, Coprolalia, and later the debut album, Sound as Ever, which went on to win the 1993 ARIA Award for Best Alternative Release.
After the release of their first album, Mark and the band parted company. He was replaced by the charismatic Russell Hopkinson (formerly of Nursery Crimes) creating the core line-up to this day. Since then, the band has been augmented by Davey Lane of The Pictures on guitar.
You Am I had toured the US extensively during the mid 90s, including playing with Soundgarden on the Lollapalooza festival, Red Kross, The Strokes and Smoking Popes to name a few. Despite little success overseas, the band became well known throughout Australia for their Pete Townshend-esque guitar windmills and their upbeat "ponce and thuggery" take on Rock 'n' Roll.
Further success came with the albums Hi Fi Way and Hourly Daily, with both picking up ARIA Awards. Hourly Daily was the first album released on the Shock label to go to number one in the ARIA charts upon launch. For many, the suburban inspired, 60s bop and folky 12 string melodies were a welcome departure from ever pervasive 70s rock sounds, or even grunge rock.
Subtle country influences became apparent on their 1998 Number 4 Record, which included the poignant Heavy Heart. A heart wrenching, almost karaoke inspired ballad about being 'dropped' by your girlfriend. Evidently each subsequent album has had a few countryish twang which have polarised some fans, who idolise the band's earlier warts and all rock beginnings.
1999 saw frontman Tim Rogers release his first solo album What Rhymes With Cars And Girls, followed up in 2004 by the record Spit Polish. In 2005 he released the critically acclaimed double-LP 'Ghost Songs' and 'Dirty Ron'.
After an album absence prolonged by touring and record label interference, Dress Me Slowly was released April 2001. Arguably containing some of the bands' best work including Damage and Kick a Hole in the Sky there were also some stellar b-Sides on the commercial singles that accompanied the album. These include a song called Older Guys which is track 2 on the Get Up single. Older Guys was one of the stand out songs on Gram Parsons' group The Flying Burrito Brothers album Burrito Deluxe and although the You Am I b-side is an original, Rogers is recognised as a keen student of music history and some connection can be assumed.
Dress Me Slowly was second guitarist, Davey Lane's first bona fide appearance on a studio record. Lane had come to the band's attention from his own work with The Pictures and transcribing, with almost scary accuracy, the band's guitar tabs on the You Am I web site. The band's last collective studio effort was Deliverance in 2002.
The likes of Nic Cester of Jet have mentioned that You Am I, at the very least, reminded them that you don't have to be American to be a successful rock band. Iconic references to Australian everyday suburban life remain a constant theme of Roger's material. The Vines also credit You Am I as a major influence and Silverchair take their name, in part, from You Am I's song Berlin Chair.
Their seventh album "Convicts" was released in May 2006. An about face on the previous two albums, Convicts rocks hard all of the way through with much more straight forward production and higher energy that makes you jump.
Their eighth album "Dilettantes" was released in September 2008.
Beautiful Girl
You Am I Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Put your chewing gum in my fist
And pass the last over of your drink
I've known you long enough to know
Yeah I'm in deep and it shows
I met her on grand final day
And from sixteen thousand miles away
Yeah I knew
You think it's so hard
Alone in the world
Yeah well just try keeping up with a beautiful girl
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
So I strayed (keep your head in the sky)
Til my fingers all burnt in a sneeze (leaving nothing behind)
And I'm holding by the skin of my teeth
She got me grinning like a karaoke king
Without a clue on how the thing begins
And that's where the hell I'll reside
In between the width of her smile
So if you spy me just let it be
I'm far beyond what you knew of me
You think it's so hard
Alone in the world
Yeah well just try keeping up with a beautiful girl
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
You're never alone
It's you against the world
You're the uninvited oyster next to the pearl
The best lesson I learned
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
Me, keep up with that beautiful girl
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl [Repeat x4]
The song "Beautiful Girl" by You Am I is a story about falling deeply in love with someone who is too beautiful and too perfect for you. The song begins with the singer asking the beautiful girl to put her chewing gum in his hand and passing the last over of her drink, implying that the two of them are already comfortable with each other. He then proceeds to admit that he's in deep trouble and has been since the day he met her on grand final day when she was sixteen thousand miles away.
As the song progresses, the singer talks about how difficult it is to keep up with a beautiful girl, and how he's constantly straying trying to impress her. He's holding on by the skin of his teeth, grinning like a karaoke king without a clue on how the thing begins. He's completely enamored with her, and that's where the hell he'll reside, in between the width of her smile. He's far beyond what anyone knew of him before he met her, and that's why if anyone sees him, they should just let it be.
Overall, You Am I's "Beautiful Girl" is a song about falling hopelessly in love with someone who is way out of your league. It's a bittersweet love song that captures the essence of what it's like to be completely smitten with someone who is simply too beautiful to be true.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey you
Addressing the girl to get her attention
Put your chewing gum in my fist
Requesting the girl to give him her gum to hold
And pass the last over of your drink
Asking the girl to pass him the last sip of her drink
I've known you long enough to know
Having known the girl for some time, he has grown to understand her
Yeah I'm in deep and it shows
Realizing that he has strong feelings for the girl and is showing it
I met her on grand final day
He met this girl on significant day for sports - Grand Final Day
And from sixteen thousand miles away
He met her from afar, from a great distance of 16,000 miles
Yeah I knew
He already knew that he would be in for it after he saw her
I was in trouble deep past me boots
He was in deep trouble after meeting the girl, more than he ever imagined
You think it's so hard
Reflecting on how tough it is to be alone or cop up with certain things
Alone in the world
Feeling isolated and alone in the world
Yeah well just try keeping up with a beautiful girl
Maintaining that keeping with a beautiful girl is a more difficult task
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
Repeating that it is hard to keep up with the beautiful girl
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
Repeating that it is hard to keep up with the beautiful girl
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
Repeating that it is hard to keep up with the beautiful girl
So I strayed (keep your head in the sky)
He strayed away from his usual path to find and be with this girl
Til my fingers all burnt in a sneeze (leaving nothing behind)
He held onto her tightly until it burnt him out, losing everything else behind
And I'm holding by the skin of my teeth
Holding his last effort by the skin of his teeth
She got me grinning like a karaoke king
He is happy and grinning like a superstar on stage
Without a clue on how the thing begins
He is lost in the moment and has no idea how it all started
And that's where the hell I'll reside
He wants to live in that moment forever
In between the width of her smile
He wants to live between her bright and wide smile forever
So if you spy me just let it be
If someone catches him in that moment, they should just leave him be
I'm far beyond what you knew of me
He has changed as a person because of this girl and those around him wouldn't recognize him now
You're never alone
Reflecting on the idea that even when alone, someone is never alone because of memories and experiences
It's you against the world
Facing the world alone is a challenge that one must overcome
You're the uninvited oyster next to the pearl
He is the outsider next to something valuable and beautiful and he is trying to be accepted and loved
The best lesson I learned
The line that encapsulates the song's message – that he learned from keeping up with this beautiful girl
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
Repeating that it's a challenge to keep up with the beautiful girl
Me, keep up with that beautiful girl
Another statement about him trying to keep up with the girl
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
Repeating that it's a challenge to keep up with the beautiful girl
Keepin' up with a beautiful girl
Repeating that it's a challenge to keep up with the beautiful girl
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: TIM ADRIAN ROGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind