Bowling for Soup played their first show in South Africa a few years ago. Sadly I missed it. You probably know a few songs that they’ve released over the years, but there’s probably a few things that you did not know about them, so I feel obligated to inform you.
Here are 13 Bowling for Soup Facts You Might Not Have Known
1. The band was formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994.
2. The band’s name was inspired by the American TV Game Show “Bowling for Dollars”. In the show people could play the sport of bowling to win cash and sometimes prizes based on how well they bowled.
3. To date Bowling for Soup have released 11 studio albums: Bowling for Soup (in 1994), Rock on Honourable Ones! (in 1998), Let’s Do It Johnny!! (in 2000), Drunk enough to dance (in 2002), A Hangover you don’t deserve (in 2004), The Great Burrito Extortion Case (in 2006), Sorry for Partyin’ (in 2009), Fishin’ for Woos (in 2011), Lunch. Drunk. Love. (in 2013), Drunk Dynasty (in 2016) and Pop Drunk Snot Bread (in 2022).
4. It became a running gag in Bowling for Soup‘s music videos to feature previous songs of the band as an introduction for the video. This can be seen in “Girl All the Bad Guys Want”, “Emily”, and “High School Never Ends”, which each feature music from “The Bitch Song”, “Girl All the Bad Guys Want”, and “1985” respectively.
5. The current members of Bowling for Soup are Jaret Reddick (on lead vocals, guitar), Chris Burney (on guitar, backing vocals), Gary Wiseman (on drums, percussion, backing vocals) and Rob Felicetti. Lance Morrill (who was in the band until 1998 and has appeared as a tour guest performer on their 2009 and 2014 tours) and Erik Chandler are former members of the band.
6. Their song “1985” was written and originally released by the band SR-71 on their 2004 album Here We Go Again. According to Reddick, Allan from SR-71 showed the song to him and instructed him to take it as his own, as it seemed more of a Bowling for Soup song than an SR-71 song.
7. “Girl All The Bad Guys Want” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal, putting Bowling For Soup in the company of No Doubt (who won for “Hey Baby”), Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band and NSYNC.
The band wore the powder blue tuxedos they sported on the Drunk Enough to Dance album cover to the ceremony and declared that they had “no chance to win.”
The nomination gave them a great deal of credibility, but it didn’t go to their heads though. Reddick considers the Grammies one of his shining moments, not for the nomination, but for winning “worst dressed” in Time Magazine.
8. According IMDB, the band financed their entire 1997-98 tour with credit cards.
9. Bowling for Soup Lead singer Jaret Reddick has appeared in a few films over the years: 2003’s Crossroads, 2005’s Cursed and 2011’s Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension. He was also on the Phineas and Ferb TV show between 2008 and 2013.
10. Their 2013 album Lunch. Drunk. Love. was completely fan-funded as well as being released on the band’s own record label (like their album before it).
11. Originally planned as a 6-8 song EP, Drunk Dynasty expanded into a full-length album during the recording process due to the surplus of additional songs. The band opted for this extended format, and the entire album was funded by fans through PledgeMusic. Throughout the album’s creation, the band kept pledgers informed with regular updates. Notably, it serves as the last studio album featuring bass guitarist Erik Chandler, who officially departed on January 12, 2019.
12. Growing up in Texas during the 1990s, the band members were immersed in a vibrant youth culture that celebrated fun and rebellion. This cultural backdrop is reflected in their upbeat and often playful songs, which resonate with themes of youthful experiences and nostalgia
13. Bowling for Soup is known for its humorous and relatable lyrics, which can be traced back to the storytelling tradition prevalent in Texas music. Their songs often reflect the everyday experiences of youth, drawing on the narrative style found in country music and folk traditions
Well, I hope that you feel schooled in all things Bowling for Soup now. Feel free to comment below if I left something important out.
Watch this space for regular updates in the Facts category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
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