Nostalgia:
I love this song for two reasons:
1) its goofy, fun tune reminds me of high school, full of carefree fun and irresponsibility. And most importantly,
2) the message of the song is surprisingly inspiring and encourages you to think outside the box and go for your dreams without fear of failure. It really hits a personal chord with me and my own life experiences so far.
Don’t let the goofy costumes, random video content, and pop tune fool you. Remember this song came out in the age of boy bands and pop fluff, so it needed to have some “bubble gum” to break into the mainstream audience and be successful. But if you listen closely, you’ll see that Smash Mouth really hits it out of the park with the lyrics. It wasn’t until adulthood, when I could see past the smoke and mirrors of the random video, that I was able to fully appreciate and understand the message in this song.
Here’s the video with the lyrics posted underneath. Take a listen and read for yourself! What do the lyrics mean to you? Let me know in the comments! If you’re not getting the message, let me know too, I might do a follow up with my interpretation if there’s enough inquiry.
Enjoy the song and Carpe Diem guys!
XoXo Whit
“All Star” by Smash Mouth Lyrics
Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me
I ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb
In the shape of an “L” on her forehead
Well the years start coming and they don’t stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn’t make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do so much to see
So what’s wrong with taking the back streets
You’ll never know if you don’t go
You’ll never shine if you don’t glow
[Chorus:]
Hey now you’re an All Star get your game on, go play
Hey now you’re a Rock Star get the show on get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
It’s a cool place and they say it gets colder
You’re bundled up now but wait ’til you get older
But the meteor men beg to differ
Judging by the hole in the satellite picture
The ice we skate is getting pretty thin
The waters getting warm so you might as well swim
My world’s on fire how about yours
That’s the way I like it and I’ll never get bored
[Repeat Chorus]
Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas
I need to get myself away from this place
I said yep what a concept
I could use a little fuel myself
And we could all use a little change
Well the years start coming and they don’t stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn’t make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do so much to see
So what’s wrong with taking the back streets
You’ll never know if you don’t go
You’ll never shine if you don’t glow
I know this as the Shrek song….will be singing this all day. Thanks for the Flashback.
I loved this song then and I love it now precisely for the reasons you listed above. Your post is confirmation to me that I'm ready for a complete life makeover. I'm grateful for my life and where I am now, yet I've been saying for the past few weeks that I need newness and change. I've been hearing & seeing things in my daily life that lets me know I'm going in the right direction, including your post. I feel like a hamster running in a wheel with no clear destination. I'm ready to move forward in every aspect of my life. I wanna travel. I wanna get healthier. I wanna take more time on doing things that make me feel good and beautiful inside & out. Guess it's my own form of spring cleaning, so to speak…lol. I'd love to hear your thoughts too. 🙂
I loved this video!
Omg!!!!! I have always loved this song!!! And I love The message!!!!!It's so funny u post this, I've never forgot this song!!! It has always lived within me lol
Yah! This song is on my iPhone and iPod. My 10 year old loves this song – so its not a throwback to me because she still plays it out!
Thanks!
So, I've been singing along to this song for years, and everytime I hear it on the radio…I clearly have been butchering the lyrics! Now that I know what the song is really about, it makes me want to head nod a little harder, sing the RIGHT words a little louder! I agree with a fellow commenter, I'm refreshed by the messages that are slipped into our busy lives reminding us to keep life simple and carefree. Thanks for the new look to an old song.
omg! I remember this song from my childhood. I liked it then, but only for the tune but like you said the lyrics really hit home now that I'm an adult. "the years start coming and they don't stop coming" is the truth. Crazy! Wish I paid attention to the lyrics as a kid maybe I could have avoided some mistakes, lol.