Singing drummer Andy Sturmer and keyboardist Roger Manning started playing together at high school in Pleasanton, California. They formed their own power-pop band in 1989. Jellyfish were never commercially successful and only lasted half a decade. But they’re the most beloved power pop band of their era.
Jellyfish made two strong albums in the early 1990s. 1990’s Bellybutton offered an updated version of the sophisticated pop/rock of Elvis Costello, The Move, Cheap Trick, and XTC. The band are flashy with impressive chops and sophisticated chords, but Sturmer’s also a talented and emotionally charged lyricist.
1993’s Spilt Milk added some Queen-style muscle and alternative angst to their sound. Sturmer told Creem that “we really take pride in exploring the arrangements. Our strength is in incorporating a lot of different things and twisting them in a way that they haven’t been twisted before”.
Selecting ten tracks from a two-album catalogue may seem excessive, but it’s worth drawing attention to an excellent catalogue. The last song cut was ‘He’s My Best Friend’, a mellotron-fuelled ode to Sturmer’s penis.
10 Best Jellyfish Songs
#10 Worthless Heart
from Fan Club, 2002
Jellyfish were detail-oriented. Even their demos sounded as finely crafted as most band’s finished products. ‘Worthless Heart’ came from the Spilt Milk sessions, but didn’t make the final record. But it’s beautifully harmonised, with a lovely accordion part.
#9 Baby’s Coming Back
from Bellybutton, 1990
‘Baby’s Coming Back’ taps into a 1960s pop-rock sound, like an ebullient Hollies single from the 1960s. Jellyfish never had a top 30 hit in the US or UK. But a slavishly faithful cover of ‘Baby’s Coming Back’ from English power pop band McFly topped the UK singles chart in 2007. A double A-side with ‘Transylvania’, it topped the UK Singles Chart and was a massive hit all over Europe
#8 Runnin’ For Our Lives
from Fan Club, 2002
Jellyfish only released two albums, leaving fans wanting more from the prodigiously talented group. Not Lame Recordings obliged with an exhaustive four-disc set compiling demos and live tracks.
Some gems never made it onto a record. ‘Runnin’ For Our Lives’ is a gritty power pop track that’s reminiscent of Cheap Trick.
#7 Too Much, Too Little, Too Late
from Spilt Milk, 1993
At this point, a three-piece band with drums, keys, and bass, Jellyfish were augmented by session guitarists on Spilt Milk. Jon Brion played guitar on this track. He was instructed to play the solo like Lindsey Buckingham, on a song with far more chord changes than Fleetwood Mac would tackle. Future Wilco member Jay Bennett also plays guitar on the verses.
#6 That Is Why
from Bellybutton, 1990
The second single from Bellybutton Juxtaposes hard-charging verses with a dreamy chorus. The magical chorus was enhanced by the producer’s suggestion to use delay. This creates polychords as they overlap.
#5 I Wanna Stay Home
from Bellybutton, 1990
‘I Wanna Stay Home’ is one of Jellyfish’s quietest songs. But even in gentle folk-oriented mode, a lot is going on. Jason Falkner played guitar on Bellybutton, and his pastoral acoustic picking is gorgeous. The chorus is highlighted by Chuck Findley’s trumpet playing a countermelody.
#4 Joining a Fan Club
from Spilt Milk, 1993
‘Joining a Fan Club’ is one of Jellyfish’s toughest-sounding songs, with an aggressive vocal from Sturmer. The band put “glittery” saxophones in the instrumental section, but they’re overshadowed by the massive guitars. Following the Beach Boys-style intro of ‘Hush’, it signals the more aggressive approach of Spilt Milk.
#3 The Ghost At Number One
from Spilt Milk, 1993
By contrast, ‘The Ghost At Number One’ feels like a lost Beach Boys track. This is particularly apparent in the middle eight where the band recreate the Brian Wilson sound of the mid-1960s.
#2 New Mistake
from Spilt Milk, 1993
Like most of Spilt Milk, ‘New Mistake’ is lavishly layered. Lyle Workman plays a George Harrison-style slide guitar. The track’s driven by a funky Supertramp electric piano part. And the string stabs add another layer.
#1 Glutton of Sympathy
from Spilt Milk, 1993
Among the technicolour glory of Spilt Milk, ‘Glutton of Sympathy’ pulls down the tempo and the intensity in the verse. This just means that the big harmonised chorus hits even harder than usual for Jellyfish.
I normally hate watching music YouTubers, but there are some great insights in this set of Roger Joseph Manning Jr interviews.
Did I miss your favourite Jellyfish song?
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Wow, literally the first time I heard of Jellyfish. I like all of the songs you highlighted here – very pleasant power pop!
I think they kind of had it all – intelligent, creative, heartfelt, original enough. It’s a shame they didn’t stick around longer.
My thoughts are similar to Christian music Musings.
They’re kind of complex enough that a lot of rock/metal fans were into them.
‘Ignorance Is Bliss’ – I think it was a B-side.
That’s a good pick, quite different from anything else in their catalogue. Looks like it popped up on a 1991 Nintendo compilation.
I know around 5 songs from this list…I always liked them and should listen to them more. I saw them open up for Bob Dylan in the 90s at Vanderbilt. They sounded great.
They got accepted by the elder statesmen of rock – they wrote a song for Ringo and were scheduled to work with Nilsson before he died.
I really enjoyed them and at the time…I didn’t know who they were.
Sounds like a pretty cool band to have as opener. It’s easy to not pay attention to the opener and assume they’ll suck.
Yes…I’ve seen some bad ones. The best opener I’ve seen…Dylan had a no name guy opening…then I saw someone come up but sounded familiar…it turned out to be Elvis Costello guest opening out of the blue….then the no named guy came on…did ok…but Elvis was great.
Bonus Elvis Costello sounds good.
Every song here is a winner. My list would lean a little more heavily towards songs from Bellybutton since that was my initial exposure to them when it was released (and still an all-time favorite album by anyone), but Spilt Milk is pretty close to perfection as well. So glad I got to see them on both tours. Their harmonies, especially the Spilt Milk lineup, were as good as I’ve ever heard (and I saw The Beach Boys a few times in the ’80s).
I would have assumed the Bellybutton tour would have had better harmonies with Jason Fallkner in the band as well.
It’s a shame they didn’t last longer – power pop bands often tend to only last a few records. Cheap Trick are the exception, not the rule.