Why Do They Rock So Hard?

Why Do They Rock So Hard? is the third full-length studio album by the ska punk band Reel Big Fish.

Why Do They Rock So Hard?
Studio album by Reel Big Fish
Released	October 20, 1998
Studio	Sunset Sound Recorders and Music Grinder Studios - Hollywood, CA.
Genre	Ska punk
Length	73:52
Label	Mojo
Producer	Reel Big Fish John Avila
Reel Big Fish chronology
Turn the Radio Off (1996) Why Do They Rock So Hard? (1998) Cheer Up! (2002)
Singles from Why Do They Rock So Hard?
"Take On Me" Released: 1998 "The Set Up (You Need This)" Released: 1998 "Somebody Hates Me" Released: 1998 "The Kids Don't Like It" Released: 1999

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Punktastic	[2]

This is the only Reel Big Fish studio album where the band line-up has not changed from the previous album.

Aaron Barrett has said in two interviews that this was his favorite album until the release of Our Live Album Is Better than Your Live Album. The album was mixed at Scream Studios by Tim Palmer.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Somebody Hates Me"	Aaron Barrett, Dan Regan	3:28
2.	"Brand New Song" (see notes 2a)	Barrett, Regan, Grant Barry	3:04
3.	"She's Famous Now"	Barrett	3:05
4.	"You Don't Know"	Barrett, Scott Klopfenstein	3:26
5.	"The Set Up (You Need This)"	Barrett, Klopfenstein, Tavis Werts	4:22
6.	"Thank You for Not Moshing" (see notes 6a)	Barrett, Adam Polakoff, Robert Quimby	2:41
7.	"I'm Cool"	Barrett	3:20
8.	"I Want Your Girlfriend to Be My Girlfriend Too"	Barrett	2:53
9.	"Everything Is Cool"	Barrett, Regan	3:07
10.	"Song #3" (see notes 10a)	Barrett	3:28
11.	"Scott's a Dork"	Barrett, Obiajula Ugbomah	3:04
12.	"Big Star"	Barrett	3:34
13.	"The Kids Don't Like It"	Barrett, Clifton Chase, Cheryl Cook, Guy O'Brien, Sylvia Robinson, Michael Wright	3:20
14.	"Down in Flames"	Barrett, Regan, Werts	4:49
15.	"We Care"	Barrett, Werts	3:55
16.	"Victory Over Peter Bones"	Barrett	5:25
17.	"The Legend of Alan Guile Versus Peter Bones" (see notes 17a)	Barrett	16:51

Notes

^(2a) A cover of the A-ha song "Take On Me" (2:54) appears on some international releases in between "Somebody Hates Me" and "Brand New Song".

^(6a) Titled "In the Pit" on subsequent albums.

^(10a) On the clean version of this album, "Song #3" is stripped of its vocal track and called "Sleep All Day".

^(17a) Hidden track; begins with 5:20 silence. On the Japanese release, a cover of the Duran Duran song "Hungry Like the Wolf" (3:39) appears in place of this track.

Personnel

Reel Big Fish

• Aaron Barrett – guitar, lead vocals, synthesizer, celesta
• Grant Barry – trombone
• Andrew Gonzales – drums
• Scott Klopfenstein – trumpet, vocals, keyboards, Celesta
• Dan Regan – trombone, screams
• Tavis Werts – trumpet, flügelhorn
• Matt Wong – bass guitar, vocals

Additional musicians

• Coolie Ranx (Pilfers) – vocals on tracks 6 & 10
• Brandon Werts – percussion
• Sam Avila – organ
• John Avila – piano
• True: 129 – scratching
• Jay Gordon – backing vocals

Production

• Tim Palmer – mixing
• Joe Zook – mixing
• Jay Rifkin – executive producer
• Steve Baughman – engineer
• Jay Gordon – engineer
• Steve Gamberoni – engineer
• Jenny O. – art direction
• Dave Holdredge – digital editing
• David Holdrege – digital editing
• John Avila – producer, mixing
• Donnell Cameron – engineer, mixing
• Kevin Dean – engineer
• Lisa Johnson – photography

Charts

Chart performance for Why Do They Rock So Hard?

Chart (1999)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[3]	54
US Billboard 200[4]	67