Walk On The Ocean

Today's edition of Retro Friday features Toad the Wet Sprocket and the song "Walk on the Ocean."

I can't believe I've been doing Retro Friday this long and have not gotten to a Toad the Wet Sprocket song yet!!

Toad was one of my absolute favorite bands in college, probably in part because they were from the Santa Barbara area, and one of my best friends was attending UC Santa Barbara and turned me on to them.

Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American alternative rock band that formed in 1986. Toad the Wet Sprocket took its name from a Monty Python comedy sketch called "Rock Notes" (performed by Eric Idle on Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album), in which a journalist delivers a nonsensical music news report:

Rex Stardust, lead electric triangle with Toad the Wet Sprocket, has had to have an elbow removed following their recent successful worldwide tour of Finland. Flamboyant ambidextrous Rex apparently fell off the back of a motorcycle.

As they got closer to their first gig, the band still had not chosen a name. The members adopted "Toad the Wet Sprocket" off-the-cuff because they thought it would be "hilarious". Philips later called it a "joke that went on too long", and their website claimed "it was probably meant to be temporary at the time".

The band consists of singer/guitarist Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss. The band enjoyed chart success in the 1990s with singles "Walk on the Ocean," "All I Want," "Something's Always Wrong," and "Fall Down," among others. The band separated in 1998 to pursue other projects but in 2006 began touring the United States as a band in small-venue, short-run tours each summer. In December 2010, the band announced their official reunion as a full-time working band and have started writing songs for their first new studio album since their 1997 Columbia Records release "Coil".

The music from Toad the Wet Sprocket's album "Fear" brings back some fabulous college memories for me! My parents moved from Los Angeles to St. Louis after I was already back at Notre Dame sophomore year, and I never really got a chance to say goodbye to anyone, so for spring break I headed back to Los Angeles to say goodbye to all of my friends. I spent the week at my friend A's house (seeing as I had no parental units any more in Los Angeles) and we had a fantastic week!

One of the week's events included a trip up to UCSB so that I could see where she went to school. We had so much fun walking around and hanging out at UCSB. All I can remember was walking around campus and laughing so hard that I almost peed my pants ... and eating at some totally funky Mexican restaurant in Santa Barbara. And somehow, Toad the Wet Sprocket seemed to be the running soundtrack of this entire trip.

I love all of Toad the Wet Sprocket's songs, but I think my favorite one is Walk on the Ocean. Something about the band being from Santa Barbara, and the ocean/beach being so beautiful there. I remember A showing me her dorm, and literally you walked out the back door of her dorm, and crossed the street, and the beach was RIGHT there. Crazy!! How on earth does one study when the beach is right there?? Which is exactly why I went to school in South Bend, Indiana!

Okay, here are a few lyric from Walk on the Ocean, and the music video for your listening pleasure!

We spotted the ocean at the head of the trail
Where are we going, so far away
And somebody told me that this is the place
Where everything's better, everything's safe

Half and hour later we packed up our things
We said we'd send letters and all those little things
And they knew we were lying but they smiled just the same
It seemed they'd already forgotten we'd came

Now back at the homestead
Where the air makes you choke
And people don't know you
And trust is a joke
We don't even have pictures
Just memories to hold
That grow sweeter each season
As we slowly grow old

Walk on the ocean
Step on the stones
Flesh becomes water
Wood becomes bone



Cheers!