Line #36 Music/Jellyfish


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jellyfish_7.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Jellyfish, circa ''Bellybutton''. From left to right: Roger Manning, Andy Sturmer, Jason Falkner and Chris Manning.]]
3
4	'''Jellyfish''' was a PowerPop band from UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco. The group was founded by childhood friends, vocalist/drummer/multi-instrumentalist Andy Sturmer and keyboardist Roger Joseph Manning Jr. in 1990, from the ashes of AlternativeRock [[TheEighties 1980s]] band Beatnick Beatch. The group image was [[Main/{{Retraux}} decidedly retro]], a deliberately kitschy, brightly colorful, psychedelic look with gaudy bellbottoms, Dr. Seuss hats, frilly shirts, lollipops and umbrellas, a Flanderization of Music/TheBeatles' ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine''-style fashions meeting a Creator/HannaBarbera cartoon come to life.
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6	Musically, the band drew from many [[TheSixties '60s]] and [[TheSeventies '70s]] influences, particularly in regards to catchy, sunny, singalong pop with playful, intelligent (and often [[LyricalDissonance lyrically dissonant]]) lyrics. Elements of Music/{{Queen}}, Music/TheBeatles, Music/TheBeachBoys, Music/TheZombies, Music/TheMonkees, WesternAnimation/TheBananaSplits, Music/ElectricLightOrchestra, Music/{{Badfinger}} [[note]]whose hit song "No Matter What" they often performed live[[/note]], Music/{{Supertramp}} and Music/{{XTC}} shaped the style of the band[[note]]Manning first met guitarist Jason Falkner because he placed an ad for bandmates which mentioned XTC[[/note]], they had their own distinctive style, one which influenced countless PowerPop group following their demise in 1994. Their arrangements were meticulously detailed and their songs catchy.
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8	The band failed to get much success in a mainstream way in the era of {{Grunge}}, and they [[ShortRunners only produced two albums in their short lifetime]]. They are known for [[OneHitWonder one hit]], the [[Series/ThePartridgeFamily Partridge Family]]-like "Baby's Coming Back", promoted by a Creator/HannaBarbera-produced AnimatedMusicVideo.
9	----
10	!Members:
11	* Andy Sturmer - vocals, drums, keyboards, guitar
12	* Roger Manning - keyboards, vocals
13	* Jason Falkner - guitars, bass, vocals (1989–92)
14	* Tim Smith — bass, vocals (1992–94)
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16	A whole bunch of other session musicians contributed to ''Bellybutton'', while on ''Split Milk'' the band were joined by guitarists Lyle Workman, Jon Brion (who also handled some of the arrangements) and bassist Tom Wolk.
17
18	!Discography:
19	* ''Bellybutton'' (1990)
20	* ''Spilt Milk'' (1993)
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22	!!If tropes could speak, they'd mean even less:
23	* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: The music video for "Baby's Coming Back" has the band being chased by a giant baby, even though [[LyricsVideoMismatch the "baby" in the song is meant to refer to the singer's girlfriend and not a literal infant]].
24	* BandOfRelatives: Roger and Chris Manning were in the original lineup. Only Roger got to record with the band, although Chris is credited in the liner notes of ''Bellybutton'' as [[CreditsGag "band witchdoctor and mime"]].
25	* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Of the primary members of the band during the ''Bellybutton'' era, we had Jason (Blonde), Roger (Brunette), and Andy (Redhead).
26	* BookEnds: On ''Spilt Milk'', "Brighter Day"'s orchestral outro is similar to the beginning of "Hush", at least until the chaotic crescendo comes in.
27	* TheCameo: Andy and Roger co-wrote the song "Weight Of The World" by Music/RingoStarr, as well as providing backing vocals and appearing in [[https://youtu.be/7opmWof02uE the music video]].
28	* ConceptAlbum: In the liner notes to ''Spilt Milk'''s 2015 re-release, [[WordOfGod Andy Sturmer describes the conceptual idea behind the album]] as "a series of dreams".
29	--> "The idea was that the album would start with a lullaby; you're being lulled off to sleep and carried in these different dreams, and then you wake up at the end with the alarm clock."
30	* CoverVersion: While they didn't have any covers on either of their studio albums, they did record a few live, such as a [[https://youtu.be/8KZJFRjpirA live performance]] of [[Music/BandOnTheRun "Jet"]] by Music/{{Wings}} and a [[https://youtu.be/fDj6x65S9To live cover]] of [[Music/{{Rumours}} "Go Your Own Way"]] by Music/FleetwoodMac.
31	** Under the Jellyfish name, Andy and Roger recorded a cover of "Think About Your Troubles" for a Music/HarryNilsson tribute album. It was the last song that the two recorded together before going their separate ways.
32	* DeadArtistsAreBetter: Thankfully averted with the band as of 2023, but "The Ghost at Number One" examines this trope lyrically.
33	* DisappearedDad: "The Man I Used To Be", in which a sailor is kept away from his family by his duties and is forced to see his child grow up without him.
34	* DomesticAbuse: "She Still Loves Him".
35	-->He lost his temper
36	-->And belted his love across the room
37	-->(She still loves him)
38	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: When Andy and Roger were in Beatnik Beatch, Andy [[VocalTagTeam shared lead vocal duties]] with bassist Chris Witt Kettner and a few of the songs featured prominent synthesizers. When they left to start Jellyfish, Andy became the primary vocalist and the synths were dropped in favor of a more organic sound. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Also, Roger had shorter hair and glasses.]]
39	* EpicRocking: "Ignorance Is Bliss", written for a Nintendo compilation album ''White Knuckle Scorin[='=]''.
40	** "Brighter Day" from ''Spilt Milk'' clocks in at 6:12. [[WordOfGod Andy Sturmer claimed in a radio interview in 1993]] that they were trying to fit in every sound from the rest of the album onto one track.
41	* GenreRoulette: As the above list of their influences demonstrates, they had a very eclectic sound.
42	* HurricaneOfEuphemisms: "He's My Best Friend" describes the protagonist's private parts, with masturbation thrown in for good measure.
43	** From "All Is Forgiven": "Hypocrite, four-flusher, snake in the grass, just a swindler, a wolf in sheep's clothing...LIAR!!"
44	* HurricaneOfPuns: Clever wordplay galore, courtesy of [[PungeonMaster Andy Sturmer's]] lyrics.
45	* HypocriticalHumor: In "New Mistake", the story supposedly [[DownerEnding "turns tragic"]] when the daughter of the protagonists [[FauxHorrific marries a pop singer]].
46	* ICallHimMisterHappy: The subject of "He's My Best Friend".
47	* InTheStyleOf: Often their influences pop out in the form of musical pastiche, but the B-Side "Family Tree" was a deliberate, conscious attempt to write a song in the style of Music/{{Free}}.
48	* LeadDrummer: Andy was the frontman/co-leader, lead singer, drummer, wrote or co-wrote all of the band's originals and contributed guitar and keyboard parts and co-production. He also drummed standing up in front of the stage.
49	* LongestSongGoesLast: ''Spilt Milk'' closes with "Brighter Day" (6:12).
50	* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Most of the band qualified, but especially Andy Sturmer.
51	* LyricalDissonance:
52	** "Bedspring Kiss"; a lounge song about a junkie suspected of murdering his lover.
53	** "Now She Knows She's Wrong"; an upbeat PowerPop song about a woman whose partner is unfaithful.
54	** "He's My Best Friend"; a whimsical BaroquePop song full of {{Double Entendre}}s about masturbation.
55	* MoodWhiplash: After starting off with the sedate lullaby "Hush", ''Spilt Milk'' immediately launches into the louder, more upbeat "Joining A Fan Club".
56	** Later on the same album, the outro to "All Is Forgiven" grows increasingly distorted and intense before cutting to the gentle acoustic intro to "Russian Hills".
57	* PerfectlyCromulentWord: In "Sebrina, Paste, And Plato", the singer describes one character as a "lovetarian" [[note]]And yes, the quotation marks are included in the lyrics according to the liner notes[[/note]]
58	* PrecisionFStrike: In "The Man I Used To Be":
59	-->Medals don't mean shit when a family is lost at sea
60	* PullARabbitOutOfMyHat: For much of the video for "The King Is Half Undressed", Andy Sturmer is singing the song while sitting on a chair with a top hat on. Throughout the video, puppies, kittens, bunnies, and various flora and fauna escape the hat or climb/descend back into it [[FunnyBackgroundEvent while the rest of the band is singing harmonies and/or juggling, blowing bubbles, staring into pinwheels, and doing other random whimsical activities]].
61	* RearrangeTheSong: The ''Best!'' compilation album contains an acoustic version of Beatnik Beatch song "Worthless Heart".
62	* RecordProducer: ''Bellybutton'' was produced by Albhy Galuten, who produced [[Music/BeeGees The Bee Gees']] ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'' soundtrack.
63	* RevolvingDoorBand: Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning were the only two members to stay the course of the band. Interestingly enough, [[IAmTheBand they were the defacto leaders of the band]].
64	* RummageSaleReject: The band's wardrobe sometimes bordered on this, particularly during the ''Bellybutton'' era.
65	* SiameseTwinSongs: "I Wanna Stay Home" and "She Still Loves Him" from ''Bellybutton''.
66	* StepUpToTheMicrophone: Roger Manning sings lead on the verses of "Sebrina, Paste, and Plato", as well as the bridge of "The Ghost at Number One".
67	* SurrealMusicVideo: The aforementioned "The King Is Half Undressed" music video.
68	* ThoseTwoGuys: Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning Jr. [[ChildhoodFriends The two met in high school]] and were the only members of Jellyfish to be in the band from beginning to end.
69	* VillainSong: "Ignorance is Bliss", which is sung from the perspective of [[Characters/SuperMarioBrosBowser Bowser]] from the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' video games.
70	* WordSaladLyrics: Found in plenty of their songs - "Sebrina, Paste, and Plato" is near-incomprehensible.

Context Music / Jellyfish