Songfacts®:

• This song is about how people get foolishly caught up in the world of punk rock. It tells a story about a rocker and his girlfriend, and their self-destructive lifestyles. The line, "The story never changes, just the names and faces," implies that we all need to wake up before we end up like the people in the song. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Blake - Chico, CA
• A modified version of this song was a big hit on Radio Disney, as were several Bowling for Soup songs. The Disney connection helped get the band the gig performing the Phineas and Ferb theme song. So how does this Disney success effect the band? Lead singer Jaret Reddick told Songfacts: "Bowling for Soup is its own thing. When 'Punk Rock 101' and '1985' were on Radio Disney, we were in their top 3 for the better part of about three years. Our audience did get young, but we pretty much stayed true to who we were. Going from being a bar band to a band that's got a hit and on Radio Disney, the audience got a little bit younger, and our live show changed a little bit in that it wasn't rated R or NC17 anymore. Our big thing is, look, we can do PG13. And if it's a fair or something like that, we can do PG. But it's impossible for Bowling for Soup to do a G-rated show, because lyrically you just can't get around it. We've only done one G-rated show ever, and it was for Radio Disney's 10th anniversary. And I had to sing all of the edited lyrics. That was a great challenge for me, trying to sing the songs the way they don't go."