Released on August 25th, 1998, Holiday Man by The Flys is often considered a one-hit wonder. Although this is true, the album goes much deeper than the surface level appreciation it often receives and has more to offer than its golden goose hit. The poster child “Got You Where I Want You” is undeniably a good song that deserves attention, but the rest of the album stands in its shadow. Songs like “She’s So Huge,” “Got You Where I Want You,” “Girls Are The Cruelest,” and “Sexual Sandwich” string a vague sense of love throughout the album, but I definitely would not describe it as a love album. It’s hard to describe what type of album it could even be, as the energy of the songs aren’t all the same. Some are heavy, in your face songs with lyrics drowned out in the background, while others are slower, more mellow. Some personal favorites of mine are “Gods of Basketball,” “Holiday Man,” “Give You My Car,” and “Take You There.” Now on to the actual ratings.
She’s So Huge – 5/10 A good opening song, not bad at all. There are better ones though.
Got You Where I Want You – 8/10 Popular for a reason. A great song deserving of attention.
Take You There – 7/10 An underrated song, aggressive but catchy and a personal favorite.
Afraid – 4/10 One of the more mellow songs, easygoing, almost boring. Could almost be described as background music. The most forgettable song on the album.
Holiday Man – 9/10 My personal favorite, the song that introduced me to the album. In your face and loud, repetitive but in a way that isn’t tiring.
Groove Is Where You Find It – 5/10 A less aggressive song, with background lyrics similar to Afraid.
Gods Of Basketball – 8/10 A heavy, wacky song that makes no sense lyrically. But the song can easily be enjoyed without relatable lyrics.
Girls Are The Cruelest – 7/10 Almost a love song? Nobody really knows, but a good song anyway.
Give You My Car – 7/10 Another song that could be interpreted as a love song, but can be enjoyed whether or not you want to pay that much attention to it.
The Family – 6/10 A complete shift in tone, and different from every song on the rest of the album. I would like it better if I could understand what they’re saying.
Superfly – 5/10 Weird, somewhat hard to hear lyrics. It sounds like a message to someone important to the band if you really pay attention, but doesn’t make the best song.
Sexual Sandwich – 8/10 A relaxing, definite love song. Easy to listen to and always enjoyable.