The Annotated Lyrics

Stairway to Heaven

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:15:00 +0000

There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
And she's buying a stairway to heaven

There's a sign on the wall
But she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings
In a tree by the brook
There's a songbird who sings
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven
It makes me wonder

There's a feeling I get
When I look to the west
and my spirit is crying for leaving
In my thoughts I have seen
Rings of smoke through the trees
And the voices of those who stand looking
And it makes me wonder

And it's whispered that soon
If we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason
And a new day will dawn
For those who stand long
And the forest will echo with laughter

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
Don't be alarmed now
It's just a spring clean for the May queen
Yes there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on
And it makes me wonder

Your head is hummin' and it won't go
In case you don't know
The piper's calling you to join him
Dear lady can you hear the wind blow
And did you know
Your stairway lies on the whisperin' wind

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our souls
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll

And she's buying a stairway to heaven...

- Released November 8, 1971

- The song was voted #3 in 2000 by VH1 on its list of the 100 Greatest Rock Songs.

- In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine put it at number 31 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

- It was the most requested song on FM radio stations in the United States in the 1970s, despite never having been released as a single there.

- The song's opening guitar arpeggios are strikingly similar to the guitar line from the instrumental track "Taurus" by the American band Spirit, for whom Led Zeppelin toured as support act in 1968.

Spirit Taurus

- British antiquarian Lewis Spence's Magic Arts in Celtic Britain is one of the sources for the lyrics to the song.

- "Stairway to Heaven" was performed at almost every subsequent Led Zeppelin concert, only being omitted on rare occasions when shows were cut short for curfews or technical issues.

- Although the song was released in 1971, it took until 1973 before the song's popularity ascended to truly "anthemic" status.

- In 1990 a St Petersburg, Florida station kicked off its all-Led Zeppelin format by playing "Stairway to Heaven" for 24 hours straight.

- The song's length precluded its release in full form as a single. Despite pressure from Atlantic Records the band would not authorize the editing of the song for single release, making "Stairway to Heaven" one of the most well-known and popular rock songs never to have been released as a single.

- In the early 1980s, some Christian evangelists in the US alleged that hidden messages were contained in many popular rock songs through a technique called backward masking. One example of such hidden messages that was often prominently cited was in "Stairway to Heaven." The alleged message, which occurs during the middle section of the song ("If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now...") when played backwards, was purported to contain the Satanic references "Here's to my sweet Satan" and "I sing because I live with Satan"

- Example of the song in baskmasking

http://jeffmilner.com/backmasking.htm

- The band itself has for the most part ignored such claims; in response to the allegations, Swan Song Records issued the statement: "Our turntables only play in one direction—forwards". Led Zeppelin audio engineer Eddie Kramer called the allegations "totally and utterly ridiculous."

Immigrant Song

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:35:00 +0000

Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods
Will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying:
Valhalla, I am coming!
On we sweep with threshing oar,
Our only goal will be the western shore.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
How soft your fields so green,
Can whisper tales of gore,
Of how we calmed the tides of war.
We are your overlords.
On we sweep with threshing oar,
Our only goal will be the western shore.
So now you'd better stop and rebuild all your ruins,
For peace and trust can win the day
Despite of all your losing.

- Released November 5, 1970

- The song is famous for its distinctive, wailing cry from vocalist Robert Plant at the beginning of the song.

- There is a very faint count-off the beginning of the track with lots of hiss which appears on the album version, but is trimmed from the single version. The hiss is feedback from an echo unit.

- The song was written during Led Zeppelin's tour of Iceland in June 1970.

- The song is dedicated to the Icelander Leif Ericson, and is sung from the perspective of Vikings rowing west from Scandinavia in search of new lands. The lyrics make explicit reference to Viking conquests and the Old Norse religion

- It is one of the band's few single releases, having been released in November 1970 by their record label, Atlantic Records, against the band's wishes. It reached #16 on the Billboard charts.

- To get permission to use this song in the movie School Of Rock, the star of the movie, Jack Black, videotaped himself singing in front of a huge crowd of people, begging for Led Zeppelin to let them use the song in the movie. They succeeded. Reference

- The Minnesota Vikings play this song during their team introductions and before kickoffs.

Whole Lotta Love

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:33:00 +0000

You need coolin, baby, I'm not foolin,
I'm gonna send you back to schoolin,
Way down inside honey, you need it,
I'm gonna give you my love,
I'm gonna give you my love.

Wanna whole lotta love [X4]

You've been learnin, baby, I been learnin,
All them good times, baby, baby, I've been yearnin,
Way, way down inside honey, you need it,
I'm gonna give you my love... I'm gonna give you my love.

Wanna whole lotta love [X4]

You've been coolin, baby, I've been droolin,
All the good times I've been misusin',
Way, way down inside, I'm gonna give you my love,
I'm gonna give you every inch of my love,
Gonna give you my love.

Wanna whole lotta love [X4]

Way down inside... woman... you need... love.

Shake for me, girl. I wanna be your backdoor man.
Keep it coolin, baby.

- Released October 22, 1969

- This was Led Zeppelin's first US single. The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart on 22 November 1969. It remained on the chart for 15 weeks, peaking at #4 and becoming the band's only top 10 single in the US.

- In 1962, Muddy Waters recorded "You Need Love" written for him by peer Willie Dixon. In 1966 British mod band the Small Faces recorded the song as "You Need Loving". Some of the lyrics of Led Zeppelin's version were borrowed from the Willie Dixon song, a favorite of Robert Plant's. Plant's phrasing is particularly similar to that of Steve Marriott's in the Small Faces' version. Similarities with "You Need Love" would lead to a lawsuit against Led Zeppelin, settled out of court in favour of Dixon in 1985. Strangely, the Small Faces were never sued by Dixon, even though "You Need Loving" still only credits Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott. Reference

Muddy Waters "You Need Love"

Small Faces "You Need Loving"

- "Whole Lotta Love" was the last song Led Zeppelin ever played live in their original lineup.

- The song includes a sound effect called "Reverse Echo" or "Backward Echo" Jimmy Page lays claim to the invention of this effect, stating that he originally developed the method when recording the single "Ten Little Indians" with The Yardbirds in 1967. He later used it on a number of Led Zeppelin tracks, including "You Shook Me" and "Whole Lotta Love"

The Yardbirds "Ten Little Indians"

Led Zeppelin "You Shook Me"

- In 2004, "Whole Lotta Love" was ranked number 75 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and in March 2005, Q magazine placed "Whole Lotta Love" at number three in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. It was placed 11 on a similar list by Rolling Stone. In 2009 it was named the third greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.

- Jimmy Page played the loose blues riff for the intro, on a Sunburst 1958 Les Paul Standard through a 100W Marshall "Plexi" head amp with distortion from the EL34 output valves, which ascends into the first chorus. Then, beginning at 1:24 (and lasting until 3:02) the song dissolves to a free jazz-like break involving a theremin solo and a drum solo and the moans of Robert Plant (sometimes called the "orgasm section".

- Robert Plant did this song in one take.

Thank You

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:11:00 +0000

If the sun refused to shine
I would still be loving you
If mountains crumble to the sea
There would still be you and me

Kind woman, I give you my all
kind woman, nothing more

Little drops of rain
Whisper of the pain
Tears of love lost in the days gone by
My love is strong
With you there is no wrong
Together we shall go until we die

My my my

An inspiration's what you are to me
Inspiration, look and see

And so today, my world, it smiles
Your hand in mine, we walk the miles
Thanks to you, it will be done
For you to me, are the only one

All right, yeah

Happiness, no more be sad
Happiness, I'm glad

If the sun refused to shine
I would still be loving you
Mountains crumble to the sea
There will still be you and me

- Released October 22, 1969

- "Thank You" signaled a deeper involvement in songwriting by singer Robert Plant, being the first Led Zeppelin song that he wrote all the lyrics for.

- Robert Plant dedicated the song to his wife, Maureen Wilson Plant.

- The song features some delicate Hammond organ playing by John Paul Jones, and ends with the organ fading into near-silence before coming back about 10 seconds later. This has created a problem for radio stations wishing to play the track, which must decide whether to accept the dead air or cut it off. Some stations typically run edited versions with the silence eliminated, while others play "Thank You" together with "The Lemon Song", because there's no pause between them on the album.

Ramble On

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:37:00 +0000

Leaves are falling all around,
It's time I was on my way.
Thanks to you, I'm much obliged
For such a pleasant stay.
But now it's time for me to go,
The autumn moon lights my way.
For now I smell the rain,
And with it pain,
And it's headed my way.
Ah, sometimes I grow so tired,
But I know I've got one thing I got to do,

*Ramble On,
And now's the time, the time is now
To sing my song.
I'm goin' 'round the world,
I got to find my girl, on my way.
I've been this way ten years to the day, Ramble On,
Gotta find the queen of all my dreams.

Got no time to for spreadin' roots,
The time has come to be gone.
And tho' our health we drank a thousand times,
It's time to Ramble On.

* Chorus

I ain't tellin' no lie.
Mine's a tale that can't be told,
My freedom I hold dear;
How years ago in days of old
When magic filled the air,
T'was in the darkest depths of Mordor
I met a girl so fair,
But Gollum, and the evil one crept up
And slipped away with her.
Her, her....yea.
Ain't nothing I can do, no.

* Chorus

Gonna ramble on, sing my song
Gotta keep-a-searchin' for my baby...
Gonna work my way, round the world
I can't stop this feelin' in my heart
Gotta keep searchin' for my baby
I can't find my bluebird!
I'd listen to my bluebird sing but I can't find my blue bird
A-keep-a ramblin' baby...

- Released October 22, 1969

- The song's lyrics were heavily influenced by the timeless classic, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

- The opening line ("Leaves are falling all around") is probably a paraphrase of the opening line of Tolkien's poem "Namárië"also called "Galadriel's Lament". The poem may also be the inspiration for the entire first verse. "Namárië" is Quenya for "farewell."

- Donald Swann's version of Tolkien's Quenya poem.

-"Mine's a tale that can't be told, my freedom I hold dear; How years ago in days of old when magic filled the air, T'was in the darkest depths of Mordor..." refers to the adventures of either Frodo Baggins as he travels to Mordor, or that of Aragorn as he has to choose between staying with his love Arwen (Elrond's daughter) or going to destroy the Ring in Mordor:

- Often mistaken for bongos, drummer John Bonham is actually hitting a plastic rubbish bin throughout the song.

Dazed and Confused

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:29:00 +0000

Been dazed and confused so long it's not true
Wanted a woman never bargained for you
Lots of people talk and few of them know,
Soul of a woman was created below.

You hurt and abuse tellin' all of your lies.
Run around sweet baby, Lord how they hypnotize.
Sweet little baby, I don't know where you've been.
Gonna love you baby, here I come again.

Every day I work so hard, bringin' home my hard earned pay
Try to love you baby, but you push me away.
Don't know where you're goin', only know just where you've been,
Sweet little baby, I want you again.

Been dazed and confused for so long, it's not true.
Wanted a woman, never bargained for you.
Take it easy baby, let them say what they will.
Will your tongue wag so much when I send you the bill?

- Released 1967

- During The Yardbirds 1967 American tour, Jake Holmes performed as the opener at the Village Theater in Greenwich Village on August 25, 1967. The Yardbirds were inspired by his performance and decided to work up their own arrangement for a new song.

- Jake Holmes "Dazed and Confused"

- Folk singer Jake Holmes wrote and recorded "Dazed and Confused" for his debut solo album "The Above Ground Sound" of Jake Holmes", released in June 1967. Like the other tracks on the album, the song does not include any drums. It was recorded entirely with the trio of Holmes on guitar, keyboard and vocals, Ted Irwin on guitar and Lee Underwood on bass. The song has been incorrectly mislabeled as a tale about a bad acid trip. Holmes himself has confirmed that this is not the case. In 2001 he gave an interview to Shindig! magazine and said this about "Dazed and Confused": "I never took acid. I smoked grass and tripped on it, but I never took acid. I was afraid to take it. The song's about a girl who hasn't decided whether she wants to stay with me or not. It's pretty much one of those love songs." Reference

- When the Yardbirds disbanded in 1968, the song "Dazed and Confused" was re-worked by Page yet again, this time while as a member of Led Zeppelin. Page took the title, came up with a new set of lyrics, and changed enough of the melody to escape a plagiarism lawsuit from Jake Holmes.

- Jimmy Page performed this with The Yardbirds with different lyrics as "I'm Confused." It appears on the album Live Yardbirds.

- The Yardbirds "I'm Confused"

- The Led Zeppelin version was not credited to Jake Holmes, and they also had a different ASCAP code asigned to it.

- Led Zeppelin recorded their version in October 1968 at Olympic Studios, London, and the song was included on their 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin. It begins with a slow-tempo bluesy rhythm, propelled by John Paul Jones' descending bass line. It then changes to a faster tempo during the darkest part of the song, again featuring bowed guitar by Page, followed by a furious guitar solo (similar to Page's solo from the Yardbirds' "Think About It"), before finally returning to the initial rhythm. John Bonham's sporadic, explosive drumming throughout helped define the song's power and intensity. Reference

- The Yardbird's "Think About it"

- The song is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

- The song was also used as the basis for the title of the 1993 film Dazed and Confused, which chronicled the lives of various American youths on their last day of high school in 1976. However, it is not found on the film's soundtrack. The film's director Richard Linklater appealed to Led Zeppelin band members to use some of their songs in the movie but, although Page agreed, Robert Plant refused.

You Better You Bet

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:33:00 +0000

I call you on the telephone my voice too rough with cigarettes.
I sometimes think I should just go home but I'm dealing with a memory that never forgets
I love to hear you say my name especially when you say yes
I got your body right now on my mind and I drunk myself blind to the sound of old T-Rex
To the sound of old T-Rex
Who's next?

When I say I love you you say you better
(You better you better you bet)
When I say I need you you say you better
(You better you better you bet)
You better bet your life
Or love will cut you like a knife

I want those feeble minded axes overthrown
I'm not into your passport picture I just like your nose
You welcome me with open arms and open legs
I know only fools have needs but this one never begs

I don't really mind how much you love me
A little is really alright
When you say come over and spend the night
Tonight

When I say I love you you say you better
(You better you better you bet)
When I say I need you you say you better
(You better you better you bet)
You better bet your life
Or love will cut you like a knife

I lay on the bed with you
We could make some book of records
Your dog keeps licking my nose
And chewing up all those letters
Saying "you better"
You better bet your life

You better love me, all the time now
You better shove me back into line now
You better love me, all the time now
You better shove me back into line now.

I showed up late one night with a neon light for a visa
But knowing I'm so eager to fight can't make letting me in any easier
I know that I been wearing crazy clothes and I look pretty crappy sometime
But my body feels so good and I still sing a razor line every time.

And when it comes to all night living
I know what I'm giving
I've got it all down to a tee
And it's free.

When I say I love you you say you better
(You better you better you bet)
When I say I need you you say you better
(You better you better you bet)

- Released March 21, 1981

- "You Better You Bet" was the last single by The Who that reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #18 on March 21, 1981.

- The song was the fourth video played when MTV debuted on August 1, 1981

- " I drunk myself blind to the sound of old T-Rex" = The line is in reference to the English rock band,T.Rex, fronted by guitarist, singer and songwriter Marc Bolan.

- Who's next?" = The line is in reference to the band's earlier album, Who's Next.

Who Are You?

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:52:00 +0000

Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?

I woke up in a Soho doorway
A policeman knew my name
He said, 'You can go sleep at home tonight
If you can get up and walk away'

I staggered back to the underground
And the breeze blew back my hair
I remember throwin' punches around
And preachin' from my chair

Well, who are you?
(Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know
(Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?)
'Cause I really wanna know
(Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?)

I took the Tube back out of town
Back to the Rollin' Pin
I felt a little like a dying clown
With a streak of Rin Tin Tin

I stretched back and I hiccupped
And looked back on my busy day
Eleven hours in the Tin Pan
God, there's got to be another way

Well, who are you?
(Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?)
Oh, who are you?
(Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?)
Oh, who the fuck are you?
(Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?)

Who are you?
Ooh wah ooh wah...

Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
I really wanna know
(Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?)

I know there's a place you walked
Where love falls from the trees
My heart is like a broken cup
I only feel right on my knees

I spit out like a sewer hole
Yet still receive your kiss
How can I measure up to anyone now
After such a love as this?

Oh, tell me, who are you?
(Who are you?
Who?)
I really wanna know
(Who?)
Oh, I really wanna know
(Who?)
Come on, tell me
Who are you, you, you, oh, you?

- Released 1978

- According to the documentary Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who, Sex Pistols's guitarist Steve Jones recalls the encounter with a drunk Pete Townshend screaming "Who are you?! Who are you?!" at strangers.

- Soho is the night-club area in London and Pete Townshend was drinking with Steve Jones and Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols. He was telling them that they were the future of music and they had to take the "baton". Hence the line "preaching from my chair". They told him in no uncertain terms to go away. After Pete left, he passed out in a doorway. A policeman recognized him, and told him if he didnt get a move on, he'd run him in. Pete took the Tube home.

- "The Tube" is London's underground rail system.

- An alternate take: This song is based on a day in the life of Pete Townshend. It began with a very long meeting dealing with royalties for his songs: "Eleven hours in the Tin Pan, God, there's got to be another way." The "Tin Pan" he is referring to is "Tin Pan Alley" which is the name given to the collection of New York City-centered music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States. After this excruciating meeting he received a large check for royalties, left and went to a bar and got completely drunk. In that bar he encountered Paul Cook and Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols, who thought very highly of Pete for paving the way for Punk rock music. Townshend was conflicted because he feared The Who had sold out, and seeing The Sex Pistols, who were icons of rebellion, exasperated him even more. Pete left that bar and passed out in a random doorway in Soho (a part of New York). A policeman recognized him ("A policeman knew my name") and being kind, woke him and and told him, "You can go sleep at home tonight (instead of a jail cell), if you can get up and walk away." Pete's response: "Who the f--k are you?" Reference

- The album version includes an extra verse compared to the much shorter single. Additionally, a "lost verse" mix of the song was released on the 1996 reissue of Who Are You, with a completely different second verse: "I used to check my reflection / Jumping with my cheap guitar / I must have lost my direction, cause I ended up a superstar/ One night I was in the boardroom/ Affected by the human race/ You can learn from my mistakes, but you're posing in the glass again".

- The song is unusual in that it contains two clearly audible instances of the word "f*ck" at 2:16 and 5:39 (at 2:14 and 4:27 in the single edit version), yet has been played frequently in its entirety on rock radio stations. The expletives did, however, cause controversy when ABC's unedited broadcast of The Who's Live 8 performance retained them

- This is the theme song to CSI TV series.

Squeezebox

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:29:00 +0000

Mama's got a squeezebox she wears on her chest,
and when Daddy comes home, he never gets no rest.

'Cause she's playin' all night,
And the music's alright.
Mama's got a squeezebox,
Daddy never sleeps at night.

Well the kids don't eat
And the dog can't sleep.
There's no escape from the music
In the whole damn street.

'Cause she's playin' all night,
And the music's all right.
Mama's got a squeezebox,
Daddy never sleeps at night.

She goes in and out and in and out
and in and out and in and out.

'Cause she's playin' all night,
And the music's all right.
Mama's got a squeezebox,
Daddy never sleeps at night.

She goes, squeeze me, come on and squeeze me
Come on and tease me like you do
I'm so in love with you
Mama's got a squeezebox
Daddy never sleeps at night

She goes in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out
'Cause she's playing all night
And the music's all right
Mama's got a squeezebox
Daddy never sleeps at night.

- Released October 1975

- "Squeezebox" is a slang term for accordions and related instruments.

- The song contains sexual innuendo and the term "squeezebox" is also a slang for the vagina.

- Pete [Townshend]: "Intended as a poorly aimed dirty joke. I had bought myself an accordion and learned to play it one afternoon. The polka-esque rhythm I managed to produce from it brought forth this song. Amazingly recorded by The Who to my disbelief. Further incredulity was caused when it became a hit for us in the USA."

- "Squeeze Box" was originally intended for a Who television special planned for 1974 where the song was to be performed by The Who accompanied by 100 topless lady accordianists! Backed with "Success Story", it was released first in the U.S. November 22nd, 1975 in the middle of the 1975 North American tour. It reached #16 in the Billboard charts and #11 in the Cash Box charts. It also spent 16 weeks in the Billboard Top 100 singles chart, the longest for any Who single. Reference

Won't Get Fooled Again

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:21:00 +0000

We'll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgment of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and greet the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again

The change, it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from the fold, that's all
And the world looks just the same
And history ain't changed
'Cause the banners, they are flown in the next war

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
No, no!

I'll move myself and my family aside
If we happen to be left half alive
I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
Though I know that the hypnotized never lie
Do ya?

There's nothing in the streets
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-by
And the parting on the left
Are now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and greet the change all around me
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

- Released June 25, 1971

- Written by Pete Townshend, it combines guitar power chords with heavily processed organ and synthesizer sounds to create a textured, atmospheric introduction that explodes into the verse. It tells of a "revolution of revolutions" in an endless cycle, where "the change it had to come, we knew it all along" but each successive new regime turns out to be just like the old one, so that straight away it's time once again to "pick up my guitar and play, just like yesterday, then I'll get on my knees and pray we don't get fooled again".

- Townshend stated in 2006 that: "It is not precisely a song that decries revolution - it suggests that we will indeed fight in the streets - but that revolution, like all action can have results we cannot predict. Don't expect to see what you expect to see. Expect nothing and you might gain everything. The song was meant to let politicians and revolutionaries alike know that what lay in the centre of my life was not for sale, and could not be co-opted into any obvious cause.

- During the song, Townshend plays block chords spread between the two keyboards of the 1968 Lowrey Berkshire Deluxe TBO-1 organ. The output of the organ is fed into the audio input of the EMS VCS 3 mk1 synth. The first bit of processing to be applied to the organ sound is a low-frequency oscillator (LFO) controlling the frequency of a voltage-controlled filter (VCF), using a sine or triangle wave shape. In other words, the synth is turning the tone of the organ from mellow to bright, up and down automatically.

- The synthesizer represents the revolution in the science-fiction rock opera, Lifehouse. The music builds at the beginning when the uprising starts, and returns in the end when a new revolution is brewing and about to take over.

- This was the last song that Keith Moon performed with The Who on 25 May 1978 in Shepperton Studios.

- It is the theme song for the television series, CSI: Miami

- Michael Moore requested permission to use the song over the end credits of his 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, as it tied in with both Moore's sentiments over George W. Bush's impending re-election, and the movie's last line, delivered by Bush — "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." Permission was refused, however, and Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World" was ultimately used instead. Townshend later said that Moore "bullied" him about his refusal, and defended his decision by saying that he was "not convinced" by Moore's previous film, Bowling for Columbine.

Behind Blue Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:15:00 +0000

No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes

No one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies

But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

No one knows what it's like
To feel these feelings
Like I do
And I blame you

No one bites back as hard
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through

But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool

If I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
If I shiver, please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat

No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes

- Released 1971

- "Behind Blue Eyes" is another song written by Pete Townshend for his Lifehouse project.

- The version of "Behind Blue Eyes" on the original Who's Next album was actually the second version the band recorded; the earlier version appears as a bonus track on the remastered CD release, which features Al Kooper on Hammond Organ.

- By 1969, in the aftermath of Tommy, Pete Townshend had started writing more meaningful songs and concepts. "Lifehouse" story was inspired by his experiences on the Tommy tour: "I’ve seen moments in Who gigs where the vibrations were becoming so pure that I thought the whole world was just going to stop, the whole thing was just becoming so unified." He believed that the vibrations could become so pure that the audience would "dance themselves into oblivion". Their souls would leave their bodies and they would be in a type of heaven; a permanent state of ecstasy. The only reason this did not happen at Who gigs was because there was a knowledge in the listener's mind that the show would end and everyone would wake up and go to work the next morning. These ideas were directly linked to the writing of philosopher Inayat Khan, a Sufi

- The song is about how the villain of "Lifehouse" feels on being forced to play a two-faced role, branded a bad guy when he feels that he is doing good. Reference

- "In 1971 I wrote a film script of Lifehouse for Universal Pictures. It's a sort of futuristic fantasy, a bit of science-fiction. It takes place in about twenty years, when everyone has been boarded up inside their houses and put in special garments called experience suits, through which the government feeds them programs to keep them entertained. These suits are interconnected in a universal grid, a little like the modern Internet, but combined with gas-company pipelines and cable-television-company wiring. The grid is operated by an imperious media conglomerate headed by a dictatorial figure called Jumbo who appears to be more powerful than the government that first appointed him. . ["BEHIND BLUE EYES"-the main song in the film intended for the villain, Jumbo.] Reference

Baba O'Riley

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:11:00 +0000

Out here in the fields, I farm for my meals
I get my back into my livin'
I don't need to fight to prove I'm right
I don't need to be forgiven
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

Don't cry, don't raise your eye
It's only teenage wasteland...yeah...

Sally take my hand, we'll travel south cross land
Put out the fire, and don't look past my shoulder
The exodus is here, the happy ones are near
Let's get together, before we get much older

Teenage wasteland
It's only teenage wasteland
Teenage wasteland
Oh, yeah
Teenage wasteland
They're all wasted!

- Released November 1971

- The first part of the title (Baba) comes from Meher Baba who was Pete Townshend's spiritual guru.

- The second part of the title (O'Riley) comes from Terry Riley who was a minimalist musician.

(Terry Riley "A Rainbow in a Curved Air")

- Pete Townshend sings the middle eight: "Don't cry/don't raise your eye/it's only teenage wasteland".

- Townshend originally wrote "Baba O'Riley" for his Lifehouse project, a rock opera that was to be the follow-up to The Who's 1969 opera, Tommy. Townshend derived the song from an experimental recording of his Lowrey Berkshire home organ, which the band reconstructed.

- "Baba O'Riley" was going to be used in the Lifehouse project as a song sung by Ray, the Scottish farmer at the beginning of the album as he gathers his wife Sally and his two children to begin their exodus to London. When Lifehouse was scrapped, many of the songs were released on The Who's 1971 album Who's Next.

- The song's iconic backing track was derived from deep within the Lifehouse concept. Townshend wanted to input the life information of Meher Baba into a synthesizer, which would then generate music based on that information. That music would have been the backing track for "Baba O'Riley," but in the end, the frenetic sequence was played by Townshend on a Lowrey Berkshire Deluxe TBO-1 organ using its marimba repeat feature. This modal approach used for the synthesizer track was inspired by the work of minimalist composer Terry Riley. The names of Riley and Meher Baba were then incorporated into the song title as a tribute by Townshend.

- A remixed version of the song serves as the theme for the CSI: NY television show.

- "Baba O'Riley" is often mistakenly called "Teenage Wasteland" after the phrase repeated throughout the song's chorus. "Teenage Wasteland" was in fact a working title for the song in its early incarnations as part of the Lifehouse project, but eventually became the title for a different but related song by Townshend, which is slower and features more lyrics.

Magic Bus

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:53:00 +0000

Every day I get in the queue
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
To get on the bus that takes me to you
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
I'm so nervous, I just sit and smile
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
Your house is only another mile
(Too much, the Magic Bus)

Thank you, driver, for getting me here
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
You'll be an inspector, have no fear
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
I don't want to cause no fuss
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
But can I buy your magic bus?
(Too much, the Magic Bus)

(Driver): Noooooo!

I don't care how much I pay
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
I want to drive my bus to my baby each day
(Too much, the Magic Bus)

I want it, I want it, I want it, I want it....
(Driver): You can't have it

Thruppence, sixpence every day
Just to drive to my baby
Thruppence, sixpence each day
'Cause I drive my baby every way

Magic Bus
Magic Bus
Magic Bus
(All board)
Magic Bus
Magic Bus
Magic Bus
(I want the) Magic Bus
(I want the) Magic Bus
I want the Magic Bus
I want the Magic Bus
I want the Magic Bus

Said now I got my Magic Bus
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
Said now I got my Magic Bus
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
I drive my baby every way
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
Each time I go a different way
(Too much, the Magic Bus)

I want it, I want it, I want it...
(Magic Bus)

Every day you'll see the dust
(Too much, the Magic Bus)
As I drive my baby in my Magic Bus
(Too much, the Magic Bus)

- Released September 18, 1968

- It is usually performed as a duet, where the "Rider" is riding on the bus everyday to see his girl. In the song he asks the "Driver" if he can buy the bus from him, with the driver's initial answer being no. After haggling for a while, the driver finally lets him have it and he vows to drive it to his girlfriend's house everyday.

I Can See For Miles

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:43:00 +0000

I know you've deceived me, now here's a surprise
I know that you have 'cause there's magic in my eyes

I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles
Oh yeah

If you think that I don't know about the little tricks you've played
And never see you when deliberately you put things in my way

Well, here's a poke at you
You're gonna choke on it too
You're gonna lose that smile
Because all the while

I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles
Oh yeah

You took advantage of my trust in you when I was so far away
I saw you holding lots of other guys and now you've got the nerve to say

That you still want me
Well, that's as may be
But you gotta stand trial
Because all the while

I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles
Oh yeah

I know you've deceived me, now here's a surprise
I know that you have 'cause there's magic in my eyes

I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles
Oh yeah

The Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal are mine to see on clear days
You thought that I would need a crystal ball to see right through the haze

Well, here's a poke at you
You're gonna choke on it too
You're gonna lose that smile
Because all the while

I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles
and miles and miles and miles and miles

I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles

- Released October 14, 1967

- Recorded in several separate sessions in studios across two continents, the recording of "I Can See for Miles" exemplifies the increasingly sophisticated studio techniques of rock bands in the late 1960s. The backing tracks were recorded in London, the vocals and overdubbing were performed in New York at Talentmasters Studios, and the album was mastered in Los Angeles at the Gold Star Studios.

- The song may have inspired The Beatles' "Helter Skelter". Paul McCartney recalls writing "Helter Skelter" after reading a review of The Who Sell Out in which the critic claimed that "I Can See for Miles" was the "heaviest" song he'd ever heard. McCartney -- without having ever actually heard "I Can See for Miles" -- wrote "Helter Skelter" in an attempt to make an even "heavier" song than the one praised in the review.

- "I Can See for Miles" was rarely performed live by The Who during the Keith Moon era; the complex vocal harmonies were difficult to replicate on stage, as was the percussion style found on the original recording. The song was performed on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, but it was mimed.

- The opening segment combined with the chorus part at 1:03 was used for an automobile headlights advertisement, by Sylvania.

- The commercial:

Happy Jack

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:45:00 +0000

Happy Jack wasn't old, but he was a man.
He lived in the sand at the Isle of Man.
The kids would all sing, he would take the wrong key,
So they rode on ahead on their furry donkey.

The kids couldn't hurt Jack,
They tried, tried, tried.
They dropped things on his back,
They lied, lied, lied, lied, lied.

But they couldn't stop Jack, or the waters lapping,
And they couldn't prevent Jack from being happy.

But they couldn't stop Jack, or the waters lapping,
And they couldn't prevent Jack from being happy.

The kids couldn't hurt Jack,
They tried, tried, tried.
They dropped things on his back
They lied, lied, lied, lied, lied.

But they couldn't stop Jack, or the waters lapping.
And they couldn't prevent Jack from being happy.

- Released December 3, 1966

- "Happy Jack" was the band's first top forty hit in the USA.

- Pete Townshend based the "Happy Jack" character on the strange and not-too-intelligent guys who used to hang around English beaches and play with the kids. Townshend himself, played on the Isle Of Man beach as a kid.

- At the tail end of "Happy Jack", Townshend can be heard shouting "I saw you!", and it is said that he was noticing drummer Keith Moon trying to join in surreptitiously to add his voice to the recording. Apparently, Moon had been banished from the studio and was trying to sneak back in.

Substitute

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:15:00 +0000

you think we look pretty good together
you think my shoes are made of leather
but i'm a substitute for another guy
i look pretty tall but my heels are high
the simple things you see are all complicated
i look pretty young but i'm just back dated
yeah

substitute your lies for fact
I see right through your plastic mac
I look all white, but my dad was black
my fine looking suit is really made out of sack

i was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth
the north side of my town faced east
and the east was facin' south
now you dare to look me in the eye
those crocodile tears are what you cry
it's a genuine problem but you won't try
to work it out at all you just pass it by
pass it by

substitute me for him
substitute my coke for gin
substitute you for my mom
at least I'll get my washing done
i'm a substitute for another guy
i look pretty tall but my heels are high
the simple thiungs you see are all complicated
i look pretty young, but I'm just backdated

i was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth
the north side of my town faced east
and the east was facin' south
now you dare to look me in the eye
those crocodile tears are what you cry
it's a genuine problem but you won't try
to work it out at all you just pass it by
pass it by

substitute me for him
substitute my coke for gin
substitute you for my mum
at least I'll get my washing done
substitute your lies for fact
i see right through your plastic mac
i look all white, but my dad was black
my fine looking suit is really made out of sack

- Released April 5, 1966

- The concept for the song was supposedly originally inspired by Townshend’s idea that The Who were a “substitute” for the Rolling Stones (Townshend had been particularly impressed by The Stones' hit "Satisfaction" and was determined to come up with a memorable riff in response).

- The title was also inspired by Townshend's admiration of The Miracles' 1965 song, "The Tracks of My Tears", in particular, writer Smokey Robinson's use of the word "substitute" in one of the verses.

"The Tracks of My Tears"

- The song is notable not just for the clever lyrics, but also the intense bass of John Entwistle (reportedly Entwistle turned his bass as high as possible for the recording, without the band's knowledge).

- According to Moon: Life and Death Of A Rock Legend by Tony Fletcher, after listening to a recording of the song, Keith Moon began to become paranoid, insisting that it wasn't him drumming, and that the band had gone behind his back and gotten another drummer. John Entwistle refuted this paranoia as ridiculous - he could hear Keith screaming on the recording as he did a difficult fill.

- For the American release of the single, the “controversial” lyric “I look all white but my dad was black” was changed to “I try going forward but my feet walk back”

My Generation

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:45:00 +0000

People try to put us d-down (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Just because we get around (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Things they do look awful c-c-cold (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I hope I die before I get old (Talkin' 'bout my generation)

This is my generation
This is my generation, baby

Why don't you all f-fade away (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
And don't try to dig what we all s-s-say (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm not trying to cause a big s-s-sensation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-g-generation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)

This is my generation
This is my generation, baby

Why don't you all f-fade away (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
And don't try to d-dig what we all s-s-say (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm not trying to cause a b-big s-s-sensation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-generation (Talkin' 'bout my generation)

This is my generation
This is my generation, baby

People try to put us d-down (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Just because we g-g-get around (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Things they do look awful c-c-cold (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Yeah, I hope I die before I get old (Talkin' 'bout my generation)

This is my generation
This is my generation, baby

- Released November 5, 1965

- The song, My Generation, has entered the rock and roll pantheon as one of the most celebrated, cited, and referenced songs ever; it was named the 11th greatest song by Rolling Stone magazine on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and 13th on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Songs of Rock & Roll. It's also part of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and is inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for "historical, artistic and significant" value. In 2009 it was named the 37th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.
Written by Pete Townshend in 1965 for rebellious British youths called mods, it expressed their feeling that older people "just don't get it".

- The performance of "My Generation" on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (shown in the video above) was another defining moment in the television comedy series. As they often did during that period, The Who destroyed their instruments at the conclusion of their performance. However, a stage hand, at the request of the band, had overloaded Keith Moon's kick drum with explosives. When they were detonated, the explosion was so intense, Moon was injured by cymbal shrapnel and bandmate Pete Townshend's hearing was permanently damaged. Townshend can be seen putting out the fire in his hair.

- Townshend reportedly wrote the song on a train and is said to have been inspired by the Queen Mother who is alleged to have had Townshend's 1935 Packard hearse towed off a street in Belgravia because she was offended by the sight of it during her daily drive through the neighborhood.

- Townshend has also credited Mose Allison's "Young Man Blues" as the inspiration for the song, saying "Without Mose I wouldn't have written 'My Generation'."

- Mose Allison's "Young Man Blues" (Music starts at 18 seconds into the video)

- Roger Daltrey sang the lead vocals with a stutter, which was very unusual. After recording 2 takes of this normally, manager Kit Lambert suggested to Daltrey that he stutter to sound like a British kid on speed. Reference

- Perhaps the most striking element of the song are the lyrics, considered one of the most distilled statements of youthful rebellion in rock history. The tone of the track alone helped make it an acknowledged forebear of the punk rock movement. One of the most-quoted—and patently rewritten—lines in rock history is "I hope I die before I get old", famously sneered out by lead singer Roger Daltrey.

- Like many of The Who's earlier mod output, the song boasts clear influences of American R&B, most explicitly in the call and response form of the verses. Daltrey would sing a line, and the backing vocalists, Pete Townshend and John Entwistle, would respond with the refrain "Talkin' 'bout my generation"

- "My Generation" also featured one of the first bass solos in rock history. This was played by Entwistle on his Fender Jazz Bass, rather than the Danelectro bass he wanted to use, but after buying three Danelectros with rare thin strings that kept breaking easily, a frustrated Entwistle used his Fender.

I Can't Explain

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Thu, 21 May 2009 01:32:00 +0000

Got a feeling inside (Can't explain)
It's a certain kind (Can't explain)
I feel hot and cold (Can't explain)
Yeah, down in my soul, yeah (Can't explain)

I said ... (Can't explain)
I'm feeling good now, yeah, but (Can't explain)

Dizzy in the head and I'm feeling blue
The things you've said, well, maybe they're true
I'm gettin' funny dreams again and again
I know what it means, but

Can't explain
I think it's love
Try to say it to you
When I feel blue

But I can't explain (Can't explain)
Yeah, hear what I'm saying, girl (Can't explain)

Dizzy in the head and I'm feeling bad
The things you've said have got me real mad
I'm gettin' funny dreams again and again
I know what it means but

Can't explain
I think it's love
Try to say it to you
When I feel blue

But I can't explain (Can't explain)
Forgive me one more time, now (Can't explain)

I said I can't explain, yeah
You drive me our of my mind
Yeah, I'm the worrying kind, babe
I said I can't explain

- Released February 13, 1965

- The Who's first release, and first hit, was January 1965's "I Can't Explain", a record influenced by the Kinks, with whom they shared American producer Shel Talmy. The song was first played in the USA by DJ Peter C Cavanaugh on WTAC AM 600 in Flint, Michigan, where [Keith] Moon drove a car into a hotel pool on his 21st birthday.

- The song was not released on an album until 1971. It is the first song on their compilation album, Meaty, Beaty, Big And Bouncy.

- [Pete] Townshend notes the song's similarity to its contemporary hit single "All Day and All of the Night" by The Kinks: "It can’t be beat for straightforward Kink copying. There is little to say about how I wrote this. It came out of the top of my head when I was 18 and a half."

- The Kinks "All Day and All of the Night"

- Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin fame was a session musician at the time and was brought in to play guitar on this. [Shel] Talmy knew the guitar would be very prominent on this and had Page ready in case Townshend couldn't handle it. Pete did just fine, and quickly established himself as a premier Rock guitarist.

- The Clash used the main riff as the basis for two songs, "Guns On The Roof," and "Clash City Rockers."

- John Carter and Ken Lewis provided the background vocals. They were part of a group called The Ivy League, and went on to have a hit called "Let's Go To San Francisco" as The Flower Pot Men.

Waiting on a Friend

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:13:00 +0000

Watching girls go passing by
It ain't the latest thing
I'm just standing in a doorway
I'm just trying to make some sense
Out of these girls go passing by
The tales they tell of men
I'm not waiting on a lady
I'm just waiting on a friend

A smile relieves a heart that grieves
Remember what I said
I'm not waiting on a lady
I'm just waiting on a friend
I'm just waiting on a friend

Don't need a whore
I don't need no booze
Don't need a virgin priest
But I need someone I can cry to
I need someone to protect
Making love and breaking hearts
It is a game for youth
But I'm not waiting on a lady
I'm just waiting on a friend

- Released November 30, 1981

- The song was first played as early as 1970, when Mick Taylor first joined the group and was recording with Jagger in London. Recording on "Waiting on a Friend" began in late 1972 through early 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica, during the Goats Head Soup sessions when the band still had Taylor as a member.

- Jagger said, "We all liked it at the time but it didn't have any lyrics, so there we were... The lyric I added is very gentle and loving, about friendships in the band." Jagger also had stated that the 1981 lyrics were contemplated for a future possible video, making the song the first Stones single to be packaged as a possible video for the emergingly important MTV channel. The video, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg (who also directed their 1968 special Rock and Roll Circus), became very popular on MTV and featured reggae artist Peter Tosh sitting on a stoop with Jagger who is seen waiting on Richards. The building is found at 96-98 St. Mark's Place in Manhattan, which is the same building featured on the album cover of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti.

- St. Mark's Place in Manhattan

- This is a rare mature reflection from The Stones, as Mick Jagger sings about the values of friendship as opposed to women. Then again, it may be about drugs. Keith Richards was a known heroin user at the time, and the song could be a euphemism for waiting on the "connection" - the man with the drugs. Should Keith (or in this case, Mick, as he is singing in the video) get questioned by the police, his response would be, "I'm just waiting on a friend." Reference

- The Stones hired jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins to perform the solo on this song, as well as two others on the album. Stones-recording veteran Nicky Hopkins plays piano.

Hang Fire

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Sun, 17 May 2009 13:54:00 +0000

In the sweet old country where I come from
Nobody ever works
Yeah nothing gets done
We hang fire, we hang fire

You know marrying money is a full time job
I don't need the aggravation
I'm a lazy slob
I hang fire, I hang fire
Hang fire, put it on the wire

We've got nothing to eat
We got nowhere to work
Nothing to drink
We just lost our shirts
I'm on the dole
We ain't for hire
Say what the hell
Say what the hell, hang fire
Hang fire, hang fire, put it on the wire
Doo doo doo

Take a thousand dollars go have some fun
Put it all on at a hundred to one
Hang fire, hang fire, put it on the wire.

- Released April 1982

- The song is a bleak look at English society at the time, where labor unrest was common and high taxes prevented growth. The lyrics parody the English economy, lamenting an unemployed working class Englishman who would rather bet on the horses than try to marry into the upper class- the only way to get ahead in English society.

- "hang fire" - The term has been adapted as a form of early 20th-Century slang to describe an occurrence of incontinence.

- Keith Richards was asked about the track in a 1981 Rolling Stone magazine interview where he admits the track relates to England and the "ugly politicians" who had caused the country to decline when the "money got tight."

The Annotated Lyrics on Kindle

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Sat, 16 May 2009 20:23:00 +0000

Kindle Subscription

For only $1.99/month, you may now enjoy The Annotated Lyrics on your Kindle device.

For more information on Kindle, please refer this link.

Start Me Up

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Sat, 16 May 2009 19:17:00 +0000

If you start me up
If you start me up I'll never stop
If you start me up
If you start me up I'll never stop
I've been running hot
You got me ticking gonna blow my top
If you start me up
If you start me up I'll never stop

You make a grown man cry
Spread out the oil, the gasoline
I walk smooth, ride in a mean, mean machine
Start it up

If you start it up
Kick on the starter give it all you got, you got, you got
I can't compete with the riders in the other heats
If you rough it up
If you like it you can slide it up, slide it up

Don't make a grown man cry
My eyes dilate, my lips go green
My hands are greasy
She's a mean, mean machine
Start it up

If you start me up
Give it all you got
You got to never, never, never stop
Never, never
Slide it up

You make a grown man cry
Ride like the wind at double speed
I'll take you places that you've never, never seen
Start it up
Love the day when we will never stop, never stop
Never stop, never stop
Tough me up
Never stop, never stop, never stop

You, you, you make a grown man cry
You, you make a dead man cum
You, you make a dead man cum

- Released August 14, 1981

- "Start Me Up" was first recorded in Munich during the 1975 Black and Blue sessions, and later in the 1978 Some Girls sessions under the working titles "Never Stop" and "Start It Up."

- The song opens with what has since become a trademark riff for Keith Richards. It is this, coupled with Charlie Watts' steady backbeat and Bill Wyman's echoing bass, that comprises most of the song. Lead guitarist Ronnie Wood can clearly be heard playing a layered variation of Richards' main riff. Throughout the song Jagger breaks in with a repeated bridge of "You make a grown man cry," followed by various pronouncements of his and his partner's sexual nature

- Keith Richards: "The story here is the miracle that we ever found that track. I was convinced - and I think Mick was - that it was definitely a Reggae song. And we did it in 38 takes - 'Start me up. Yeah, man, cool. You know, you know, Jah Rastafari.' And it didn't make it. And somewhere in the middle of a break, just to break the tension, Charlie and I hit the Rock And Roll version. And right after that we went straight back to Reggae. And we forgot totally about this one little burst in the middle, until about 5 years later when somebody sifted all the way through these Reggae takes. After doing about 70 takes of "Start Me Up" he found that one in the middle. It was just buried in there. Suddenly I had it. Nobody remembered cutting it. But we leapt on it again. We did a few overdubs on it, and it was like a gift, you know? One of the great luxuries of The Stones is we have an enormous, great big can of stuff. I mean what anybody hears is just the tip of an iceberg, you know. And down there is vaults of stuff. But you have to have the patience and the time to actually sift through it."

- The infectious "thump" to the song was achieved using mixer Bob Clearmountain's famed "bathroom reverb," a process involving the recording of some of the song's vocal and drum tracks with a miked speaker in the bathroom of the Power Station recording studio in New York City. It was there where final touches were added to the song, including Jagger's switch of the main lyrics from "start it up" to "start me up."

- Microsoft Corporation used this song in the Windows 95 marketing campaign.

- In 2003, "Start Me Up" became the first Rolling Stones song used in a car commercial when it was used in a campaign for Ford.

- The Blue Angels use this song when starting up their engines before a performance.

- The Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bulls, Montreal Canadiens and Iowa Hawkeyes football team are among those known to use the song during sporting events.

Miss You

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:32:00 +0000

I've been holding out so long
I've been sleeping all alone
Lord I miss you
I've been hanging on the phone
I've been sleeping all alone
I want to kiss you

Ooh, ooh.....
Ooh, ooh...

Well I've been haunted in my sleep
You've been starring in my dreams
Lord I miss you
I've been waiting in the hall
Been waiting on your call
When the phone rings
It's just some friends of mine
That say
"Hey, what's the matter man?
We're gonna come around at 12
With some Puerto Rican girls
That's just dying to meet you
We're gonna bring a case of wine
Hey, let's go and mess and fool around
You know, like we used to..."

Aah, aah...
Aah, aah...

Oh
Everybody waits so long
Oh
Baby, why you wait so long
Won't you come on
Come on

I've been walking Central Park
Singing after dark
People think I'm crazy
I've been stumbling on my feet
Shuffling through the street
Asking people
"What's the matter with you, boy?"

Sometimes
I want to say to myself
Sometimes
I say

Ooh, ooh...
Ooh, ooh...
Ooh, ooh...
Ooh, ooh...
I won't miss you, child

I guess I'm lying to myself
It's just you and no one else
Lord I won't miss you, child
You've been blotting out my mind
Fooling on my time
No I won't miss you, baby
Yeah

Lord
I miss you, child
Aah, ahh....
Aah, ahh...
Lord
I miss you, child
Aah, aah...
Lord
I miss you, child
Aah, aah...
Aah, aah...

- Released May 18, 1978

- "Miss You" was written by singer Mick Jagger while jamming with keyboardist Billy Preston .

- "Miss You" was the first Rolling Stones single with prominent disco influences, most noticeably in Charlie Watts' thumping, four-on-the-floor drum beat, and in Bill Wyman's funky, grooving bass-lines, which provide another riff in addition to the main melody. That melody, sung in playful falsetto by Jagger, or else intoned by a chorus of dreamy, borderline-campy backup singers, forms the principal hook used throughout the track, often underlined by Sugar Blue's harmonica lines and incisive solos. The funky beat and the rapping during the verses are reminiscent of hip-hop, although it would be a couple of years before hip-hop was commonly recognized as a distinct genre in its own right.

- "Miss You" would be one of the highly successful Stones singles, becoming their eighth number-one hit in the U.S. on its initial release in 1978. The song was originally nearly nine minutes long, but was edited to four-and-a-half minutes for the album version, and to three-and-a-half minutes for the radio single.

- Session musicians included Sugar Blue (James Whiting) on harmonica, Mel Collins on sax and Ian MacLagan on electric piano. Mel Collins had played with King Crimson, MacLagan had been in the band Faces with Stones guitarist Ron Wood.

- According to this link -[Sugar Blue] Whiting moved to Paris in 1976, and was playing at a party when he met someone who claimed to know Mick Jagger, and that Whiting should give Jagger a call at his Paris residence. Skeptical, he tried the number, but it panned out, and the result was a guest solo on Miss You from the Some Girls album. He also recorded with the Stones on the Emotional Rescue and Tattoo You albums, and appeared with them on the Steel Wheels tour.

- In the book Playboy Interviews with John Lennon & Yoko Ono (the book version has sections that were edited out of the official interview published in the magazine), [John] Lennon is quoted as saying: "'Bless You' is again about Yoko. I think Mick Jagger took 'Bless You' and turned it into 'Miss You'... The engineer kept wanting me to speed that up--he said, 'This is a hit song if you'd just do it fast.' He was right. 'Cause as 'Miss You' it turned into a hit. I like Mick's record better. I have no ill feelings about it. I think it's a GREAT Stones track, and I really love it. But I do hear that lick in it."

John Lennon's "Bless You"

Beast of Burden

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:12:00 +0000

I'll never be your beast of burden
My back is broad but it's a hurtin
All I want is for you to make love to me

I'll never be your beast of burden
I've walked for miles, my feet are hurtin
All I want is for you to make love to me

Am I hard enough
Am I rough enough
Am I rich enough
I'm not too blind to see

I'll never be your beast of burden
So let's go home and draw the curtains
Music on the radio
Come on baby make sweet love to me

Am I hard enough
Am I rough enough
Am I rich enough
I'm not too blind to see

Oh little sister
Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty girls

You're a pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty girl
Pretty, pretty such a pretty, pretty, pretty girl
Come on baby please, please, please
I'll tell ya

You can put me out on the street
Put me out with no shoes on my feet
But put me out, put me out
Put me out of misery

All your sickness I can suck it up
Throw it all at me I can shrug it off
There's one thing that I don't understand
You keep on telling me I ain't your kind of man

Ain't I rough enough
Oh ain't I tough enough
Ain't I rich enough
In love enough ooh ooh please

I'll never be your beast of burden
I'll never be your beast of burden
Never, never, never, never, never, never, never be

I'll never be your beast of burden
I've walked for miles and my feet are hurtin
All I want is you to make love to me

I don't need no beast of burden
I need no fussing, I need no nursing
Never, never, never, never, never, never, never be

- Released September 1978

- A "beast of burden" is a semi-domesticated animal that labors for the benefit of man, such as oxen or horses.

- The song can be seen as allegorical, with [Keith] Richards saying in 2003, "When I returned to the fold after closing down the laboratory [referring to his drug problems throughout the 1970s], I came back into the studio with Mick [Jagger]... to say, 'Thanks, man, for shouldering the burden' - that's why I wrote "Beast of Burden" for him, I realize in retrospect."

- Ron Wood: "That's another one that just came very naturally in the studio. And I slipped into my part and Keith had his going. It may have appeared as though it was planned. We can pick it up today and it will just naturally slip into the groove again with the guitars weaving in a special way. It's quite amazing really. Ever since Keith and I first started to trade licks, it was a very natural thing that, for some unknown reason, if he's playing up high, I'm down low and the other way around. We cross over very naturally. We call it an ancient form of weaving-- which we still are impressed by it to this day. Unexplainable, wonderful things happen with the guitar weaving. There's no plan." Reference

- Recording on "Beast of Burden" began in October of 1977 and ended in December of that same year. Although written before entering the studio, many of the lyrics were improvised by Jagger to fit with the smooth running guitars of Richards and Wood. Note the rolling, fluid licks traded off by the two. Neither is really playing lead or rhythm; they both slip in and out, one playing high while the other is low. The song is another of the famed Some Girls songs which feature each member of the band playing their respective instruments without any outside performers; both Richards and Wood play acoustic and electric guitars, with Wood performing the solo. Reference

- The song would later be covered by Bette Midler whose video for the song had Mick Jagger as a guest star. Midler's version modified several lines of lyric, for example changing "Pretty, pretty, girls" to "my little sister is a pretty, pretty girl." It would be on her album No Frills
released in 1983.

Far Away Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (K.J.R.) — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:01:00 +0000

I was driving home early sunday morning through Bakersfield
Listening to gospel music on the colored radio station
And the preacher said "You know you always have the
Lord by your side"

And I was so pleased to be informed of this that I ran
Twenty red lights in his honor
Thank you Jesus, thank you lord

I had an arrangement to meet a girl, and I was kind of late
And I thought by the time i got there she'd be off, she'd be
Off with the nearest truck driver she could find
Much to my surprise, there she was sittin in the corner
A little bleary, worse for wear and tear
Was a girl with far away eyes

So if you're down on your luck
And you can't harmonize
Find a girl with far away
And if you're downright disgusted
And life ain't worth a dime
Get a girl with far away eyes

Well the preacher kept right on saying that all I had to do was send
10 dollars to the church of the sacred bleeding heart of Jesus,
Located somewhere in Los Angeles, California
And next week they'd say my prayer on the radio and all my
Dreams would come true
So I did, the next week, I got a prayer with a girl
Well, you know what kind of eyes she got

So if you're down on your luck
I know you all sympathize
Find a girl with far away eyes
And if you're downright disgusted
And life ain't worth a dime
Get a girl with far away eyes

- Released May 18, 1978

- The Stones, longtime country music fans, incorporated many aspects of Bakersfield-style country music into this song. These included in particular Ron Wood's use of a pedal steel guitar for a solo and highlights

- In a 1978 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, [Mick] Jagger said, "You know, when you drive through Bakersfield on a Sunday morning or Sunday evening - I did that about six months ago - all the country music radio stations start broadcasting black gospel services live from L.A. And that's what the song refers to. But the song's really about driving alone, listening to the radio." On influences, Jagger stated "I wouldn't say this song was influenced specifically by Gram (Parsons). That idea of country music played slightly tongue in cheek - Gram had that in 'Drugstore Truck Drivin' Man', and we have that sardonic quality, too." Asked by the interviewer if the girl in the song was a real one, Jagger replied, "Yeah, she's real, she's a real girl."

- In the 1950s and -60s, local [Bakersfield, California] musicians such as Bill Woods, Tommy Collins, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and Wynn Stewart developed a streamlined country music style called the Bakersfield sound, which emphasized pedal steel guitar, the Fender Telecaster electric guitar and intense vocals. Bakersfield country was considered a spinoff of the honky-tonk style of country music that emerged from Texas, appropriate since many musicians there hailed from either Texas or surrounding states.