PW's Song Of The Week: SONG OF THE WEEK: 2/13/22

Saturday, February 12, 2022

SONG OF THE WEEK: 2/13/22

SONG: "Mandy" (Barry Manilow cover)

ARTIST: Me First And The Gimme Gimmes

ALBUM: "Have A Ball"

YEAR: 1997

PLACE OF ORIGIN: San Francisco, California

YEARS ACTIVE: 1995 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Mandy" is a song that appears to be about letting go of someone and then going through life regretting it. The vocalist now realizes that this person was his rock. She supported him unconditionally through the ups and the downs and he failed to see it then. Now that she is gone, he knows he needs her more than ever but he knows it will never happen. "Mandy" was originally called "Brandy" and written by Scott English in 1971. It catapulted to fame when the song was changed to "Mandy" and released as a single by Barry Manilow in 1974. Me First gives it a little punk rock overhaul!!

ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1997 - Have A Ball (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1999 - Are A Drag (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2001 - Blow In The Wind (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - Take A Break (Fat Wreck Chords)

* peaked at #131 on the Billboard 200 on 7-19-03

2004 - Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah (Fat Wreck Chords)

* peaked at #197 on the Billboard 200 on 11-6-04

2006 - Love Their Country (Fat Wreck Chords)

* peaked at #169 on the Billboard 200 on 11-4-06

2008 - Have Another Ball (Fat Wreck Chords)

* peaked at #163 on the Billboard 200 on 7-26-08

2014 - Are We Not Men? We Are Diva (Fat Wreck Chords)

* peaked at #102 on the Billboard 200 on 5-31-14

MY THOUGHTS ON ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES:

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes are a punk rock supergroup that formed in San Francisco, California in 1995. The band consists of Spike Slawson (Swingin' Utters) on vocals, Fat Mike (NOFX) on bass, Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters) on guitar and Joey Cape and Dave Raun of Lagwagon on guitar and drums respectively. The band's first release was a 2 song single called "Denver" in 1995 which featured John Denver covers. The band's first full length album would be 1997's "Have A Ball" which featured covers of singer/songwriters of the 60's, 70's and 80's. The 1999 release, "Are A Drag", featured covers of showtunes. 2001's "Blow In The Wind" featured covers of 60's classics. 2003's "Take A Break" featured Me First's takes on R&B tracks. The band recorded a live album in 2004 at an actual bar mitzvah titled "Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah". In 2006, the band tackled country and western songs on "Love Their Country". 2008 the band released the compilation "Have Another Ball" which featured b-sides and outtakes from their "Have A Ball" sessions. 2014 saw the band cover popular divas with their release "Are We Not Men? We Are Diva". The band's most recent release was a stand alone cover of the Eartha Kitt song "Santa Baby". Chris Shiflett hasn't been in the band for a few years now but his spot has been filled by his brother Scott Shiflett more often than not. As I said earlier, Me First And The Gimme Gimmes are a true punk rock supergroup. The band only plays covers and has no original material but their versions of the songs are amped up with a punk rock energy and vibe. The band is pretty active even though all the members have their main projects to focus on. Though, the material hasn't been coming out as often lately. The band played a livestream concert in May of 2021 so they still make plans to get together every now and then. These guys are just fun. I've never seen them live but I would imagine it would be a great time. The first time I heard these guys was on an old Fat compilation when I heard "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard" and I just fell in love with the band. Me First are the balls son!!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Lagwagon

NOFX

No Use For A Name

The Bouncing Souls

MxPx

TEN ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard (Paul Simon cover)

2. Sloop John B (The Beach Boys cover)

3. Goodbye Earl (Dixie Chicks cover)

4. Danny's Song (Loggins and Messina cover)

5. Believe (Cher cover)