Bowling for Soup

Bowling for Soup Artistfacts

  • 1994-
    Jaret ReddickVocals, guitar1994-
    Lance MorrillDrums1994-1998
    Erik ChandlerBass1994-2019
    Chris BurneyGuitar1994-2025
    Gary WisemanDrums1998-
    Rob FelicettiBass2019-
  • Bowling for Soup formed in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1994. Their name was lifted from a Steve Martin comedy routine called "Bowling for S--t," from his 1978 album Wild and Crazy Guy. They opted for "Soup" as the more family-friendly alternative, and the name stuck largely because they couldn't agree on anything better.
  • Frontman Jaret Reddick didn't originally plan on a life of Warped Tour buses and ironic love songs. He wanted to be a corporate psychologist.

    "I wanted to work in a big corporation and do their counseling on subjects like PTSD and addiction," he told Kerrang!. "That was my goal after university. Bowling for Soup started as I was finishing up with school, and I just wanted to use it to take a few years off and not have loads of responsibility."
  • Jaret Reddick told Songfacts about his songwriting philosophy: "Whenever I sit down to write, my objective is to make someone feel good, or to make them smile. And that is the way that I've always been. Especially in Bowling for Soup, that is full-on my absolute goal – I want to make people happy."
  • Their biggest hit, "1985," was originally recorded by SR-71. Bowling for Soup's version, including several lyric tweaks, became the definitive one, turning suburban nostalgia into a sing-along anthem.
  • They wrote and performed the theme song for Disney Channel's Phineas and Ferb, introducing a whole new generation to their sound. Jaret Reddick provided the voice of Danny from Love Händel and the band's cartoon likenesses appeared in the episode "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo."
  • While many American pop-punk bands found modest UK success, Bowling for Soup built a particularly loyal British following. Songs like "Girl All the Bad Guys Want" and "High School Never Ends" became staples of early-2000s UK rock radio and festival circuits.
  • "Girl All The Bad Guys Want" was Jaret Reddick's first ever co-write. He composed it with producer Butch Walker in just 30 minutes.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."

Dino Cazares of Fear Factory

Dino Cazares of Fear FactorySongwriter Interviews

The guitarist/songwriter explains how he came up with his signature sound, and deconstructs some classic Fear Factory songs.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."