Songs Lyrics and YT- Youtube Music Videos

Jimmy Buffett - The Weather Is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful

Jimmy Buffett - The Weather Is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Coconut Telegraph
Released: 1981

The Weather Is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful Lyrics

The Weather Is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful

Buffett: "Graffiti in the bathrooms of good bars has always been a great source of material. I think this one came from Captain Tony's or the Napoleon House in New Orleans." (thanks, Ken - LaSalle, Canada)

Stevie Nicks and Don Henley - Leather And Lace

Stevie Nicks and Don Henley - Leather And Lace Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Bella Donna
Released: 1981

Leather And Lace Lyrics

Leather And Lace

Written by Stevie Nicks, this song about a beautifully incongruent couple was inspired by her past relationships, notably with Don Henley and Lindsey Buckingham. Nicks and Buckingham were a couple when they joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975; a year later they split and and she started dating Henley. They were together for about two years (see the Songfacts for "Sara" for more), and remained close after their breakup.

Nicks, who dated some of the most prominent men in music (Joe Walsh among them), often kept a working relationship and friendship with these guys long after their romance had fizzled.

In the liner notes to her TimeSpace album, Nicks explained: "I wrote this song because Waylon Jennings called me up and asked me to write a song called 'Leather and Lace.' It was to be a duet for him and his wife (Jessi Colter), and I worked very hard trying to explain what it was like to be in love with someone in the same business, and how to approach dealing with each other. It's probably the hardest thing in the world to do because it falls out of your hands and into the hands of the world, which tends to want you to not be able to handle it. I have to tell you now that Mr. Don Henley was pretty much responsible for this song because he came over every day and told me to either start over, or that I was on the right track, and he made me finish it (because I almost gave up many times). When it was finally finished, Don and I made a very simple demo of it - he sang it with me, and it was truly wonderful. And then I found out that Waylon and Jessi were breaking up, and Waylon wanted to just sing it by himself. After all the work I had put into the philosophy of 2 people dealing with this problem, I told Waylon that only 4 people in this world could sing this song: he and his wife, or myself and Don Henley. Don and I had been going out for quite awhile, and, bless his heart, he did sing it with me, and again, as fate would have it, it became one of the most special love songs that I would ever write... and remains that, even today, after all these years. All in all, it was an unforgettable experience, as was he. Blame it on my wild heart."

This was Henley's first hit away from the Eagles and one of Nicks' first hits away from Fleetwood Mac. They both had very successful solo careers.

When she toured for the Bella Donna album, Stevie performed this song with her backup singers Lori Perry and Sharon Celani sharing the microphone. With just the female perspective, Henley's part was altered:
"Could you ever love a man like me" >> "Could you ever love someone like me"
"Sometimes I'm a strong man" >> "Sometimes I'm a strong one."

Joe Walsh - A Life Of Illusion

Joe Walsh - A Life Of Illusion Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: There Goes The Neighborhood
Released: 1981

A Life Of Illusion Lyrics

A Life Of Illusion

In the Joe Walsh anthology book Look What I Did!, he writes: "I wrote this with Kenny Passarrelli but we didn't record it until a year later. This was from an old Barnstorm track. I couldn't find the master tapes of the song, so (producer) Bill Szymczyk took a 2 track mix of the original basic track, we cleaned it up and overdubbed over that. Kenny played the mariachi trumpets on it... in a drunken stupor." (thanks, John - Altus, OK)

This was featured in the opening credits of the 2005 movie The 40 Year Old Virgin. It was very appropriate. (thanks, Sal - Boston, MA)

Rush - YYZ

Rush - YYZ Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Moving Pictures
Released: 1981

YYZ Lyrics

YYZ

YYZ is the transmitter code for Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport. Every airport is assigned a unique 3 letter code, and that code is always being transmitted so that pilots can tell, roughly, where they are and verify that their navigational radios are tuned properly. These codes are also written on your luggage tags when you fly. The intro to the song is Morse code for "YYZ."

This was nominated and was the runner up for the Best Rock Instrumental award in the 1982 Grammys. It lost to The Police's "Behind my Camel."

In the March 2004 issue of Guitar World magazine, Alex Lifeson explained the bizarre-sounding harmonics heard before the solo: "I create them by playing off the pick and my thumb. I hold the pick so there's a slight edge of it showing between my thumb and finger. This allows my thumb to mute the string, and that's what causes the harmonic to ring." (thanks, Mike - Mountlake Terrace, Washington, for above 3)

The crashing noise you hear between the breaks of the guitar solo is the sound of windchimes tied to a 2x4 slapped against a wood table. The band confirmed this in an interview on WNEW New York in the winter of 2002. (thanks, Jason - Commack, NY)

Geddy Lee's bass performance on this song has been praised by many websites and magazines as one of the best in rock history. Some fans believe his bass playing is better when he's not singing. (thanks, Evan - flower mound, TX)

This was one of the few songs used on the PS2 game Guitar Hero 2 that was not a remake by Wavegroup. (thanks, Billy - A Place, AL)

The song has also featured as a downloadable song in the Rock Band series, and as the only instrumental on the Guitar Hero: Smash Hits game. Geddy Lee told the The Plain Dealer newspaper in a 2011 interview how the tune's use in video games has opened up a whole new fan base for Rush: "It's interesting how that song's been reborn through video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. We're getting all these 11-, 12-, 13-year-old kids coming to our shows because they discovered our music through those games. And I think one of the big reasons is 'YYZ.'"

Joan Jett - Bad Reputation

Joan Jett - Bad Reputation Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Bad Reputation
Released: 1981

Bad Reputation Lyrics

I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation
You're living in the past it's a new generation
A girl can do what she wants to do and that's
What I'm gonna do
An' I don't give a damn 'bout my Bad Reputation

Oh no not me
An' I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation
Never said I wanted to improve my station
An' I'm only doin' good
When I'm havin' fun
An' I don't have to please no one
An' I don't give a damn
'Bout my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me

I don't give a damn
'Bout my reputation
I've never been afraid of any deviation
An' I don't really care
If ya think I'm strange
I ain't gonna change
An' I'm never gonna care
'Bout my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me

Pedal boys!
An' I don't give a damn
'Bout my reputation
The world's in trouble
There's no communication
An' everyone can say
What they want to say
It never gets better anyway
So why should I care
'Bout a bad reputation anyway
Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me

I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation
You're living in the past
It's a new generation
An' I only feel good
When I got no pain
An' that's how I'm gonna stay
An' I don't give a damn
'Bout my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not
Not me, not me

Writer/s: JOAN JETT, RITCHIE CORDELL, MARTIN KUPERSMITH, KENNETH BENJAMIN LAGUNA
Publisher: BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Bad Reputation

Jett wrote this with Kenny Laguna, who produced the album and helped her establish a solo career after her group, The Runaways, broke up. In our interview with Laguna, he said: "It's about Joan having been kind of a wild woman in The Runaways, and us trying to make a record deal, going around having people say, 'No, she's too crazy, like the punks and nazis.' Joan had this bad reputation, no label would sign her - that's why we own the records. It was so frustrating, we thought we should write a song about it. One day Joan said something and I said, 'You shouldn't do this.' I was trying to give her the advice of an old man, but she was a teenager at the time, and she says, 'Look, I don't care about my bad reputation.' I said, 'Whoa, there's the song.'"

This song made a very bold statement, establishing Jett as an independent-minded rocker with no concern for traditional gender roles in rock. Her co-writer Kenny Laguna told us: "'I don't give a damn about my reputation, it's a new generation,' that was the whole thing, a girl could do what she wants to do. When she was singing those lyrics, it was radical because there were no girls doing anything other than what they were supposed to do, they were all supposed to be like the girl groups. They were supposed to be dainty, wear dresses. They weren't supposed to play instruments. The song was definitely autobiographical."

Laguna had worked for The Who's European record company and was friends with the band. The Who fronted money so he and Jett could make the album, which was called Joan Jett. In Europe, the album was released on a German label called Ariola Records. They didn't want to use this song as a single, and instead released "Jezebel" and "You Don't Know What You Got." They didn't do very well and Laguna bought the record back from Ariola for $10,000. In the US, they released the album on their own label, Blackheart Records, and changed the track order so this led off the album.

Joan Jett made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 and developed a reputation as a leading lady of rock, but around this time, she was struggling to get noticed and trying to get airplay.

Kenny Laguna told us how this song ended up on one very influential station, which gave it the push it needed. "I remember Dan Neer, who was one of the top DJs in New York at WNEW, his girlfriend was helping us out with publicity," he said. "She brought him down to see Joan play in Brooklyn and he left after three songs - I thought he hated it. The next day WNEW started playing 'Bad Reputation,' which is not the song we wanted them to play, we wanted them to play 'Do You Wanna Touch Me,' but it became their breakout song of the week. In those days, the AOR stations were alternative, but real alternative, not like today's alternative which is really a Top 40 format and is all about record company priorities. These guys were playing something on an independent label. Every time a station didn't want to play 'Touch Me' or burned it out, we would make them play 'Bad Reputation.' That was the beginning of the song becoming known. Then there were a few bands that covered it, and it just took off."

When this started getting airplay, it attracted the attention of record labels and Jett signed a deal with Boardwalk Records. The album was then remixed and the title was changed to Bad Reputation. The next year, Jett released "I Love Rock And Roll," which was a huge hit, but not the one Jett wanted to be known for the rest of her life - she didn't write that one.

This became Jett's signature song, and although it's very well known, it was never released as a single.

Speaking about recording this song, Kenny Laguna said: "We tried to do one of those speedy punk rock songs. The day we recorded it, we didn't know it too well, we just managed to get a good drum track. Joan had to play all the guitars - the rhythm track was pretty good. I put on like a Jerry Lee Lewis piano, but until the piano went on, it really sounded kind of unfinished."

This was the theme song to the NBC TV show Freaks And Geeks. The show was about a group of kids trying to deal with high school. It was canceled after one season in 1999-2000, but had a large cult following and was praised by critics who felt it would have gotten better ratings if NBC gave it a chance.

Some of the movies this has been used in include Shrek, Wonderland, Kingpin Baby Mama, Kick-Ass and 10 Things I Hate About You. It's very popular for scenes that portray an outcast in a lighthearted way.

The MMA champion fighter Ronda Rousey uses this song as her entrance theme.

When Jett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, she was the first to perform at the ceremony, and opened her set with this song.

ZZ Top - Pearl Necklace

ZZ Top - Pearl Necklace Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: El Loco
Released: 1981

Pearl Necklace Lyrics

She's really upset with me again,
I didn't give her what she likes.
I don't know what to tell her,
Don't know what to say.
Everything got funky last night.

She was really bombed,
And I was really blown away,
Until I asked her what she wanted,
And this is what she had to say:
A Pearl Necklace.
She want to pearl necklace.
She want to pearl necklace.

She gets a charge out of bein' so weird,
Digs gettin' downright strange.
But I can keep a handle on anything,
Just this side of deranged.

She was gettin' bombed,
And I was gettin' blown away,
And she held it in her hand
And this is what she had to say:
A pearl necklace.
She want to pearl necklace.
She want to pearl necklace.

She is so tough, as pure as the driven slush.
And that's not true what she's talkin' about,
It really don't cost that much.

She was gettin' bombed,
And I was gettin' blown away,
And she took it in her hand,
And this is what she had to say:
A pearl necklace.
She want to pearl necklace.
She want to pearl necklace.

Writer/s: FRANK LEE BEARD, BILLY F GIBBONS, JOE MICHAEL HILL
Publisher: BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Pearl Necklace

This one has mature content - it is about a woman orally pleasuring her man. When he is done she has a "pearl necklace" around her neck. (thanks, Princess - L-Town, OK)

While ZZ Top's songs can be highly offensive to sensitive ears, Billy Gibbons has an explanation why they tend to get away with it: "There is an advantage to being last in the record bin. I think when Tipper Gore got to Zappa, she just got so disgusted she didn't go any further."

Genesis - No Reply At All

Genesis - No Reply At All Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Abacab
Released: 1981

No Reply At All Lyrics

Talk to me, you never talk to me.
Ooh, it seems that I can speak.
I can hear my voice shoutin' out.

But there's No Reply At All.

Look at me, you never look at me.
Ooh, I've been sittin, starin', seems so long.
But you're lookin' through me
Like I wasn't here at all.

No reply. There's no reply at all.

Dance with me, you never dance with me.
Ooh, it seems that I can move.
I'm close to you, close as I can get.

Yet there's no reply at all.
There's no reply at all.

Be with me. Seems you're never here with me.
Ooh, I've been tryin' to get over there.
Oh, but it's out of my reach.

And there's no reply at all.
There's no reply at all.

I get the feelin' you're tryin' to tell me;
Is there somethin' that I should know?
What excuse are you tryin' to sell me?
Should I be readin' stop or go?
I don't know.

Be with me. Seems you're never here with me.
Ooh, I've been tryin' to get over there.
Oh, but it's out of my reach.

And there's no reply at all.
There's no reply at all.

I get the feelin' you're tryin' to tell me;
Is there somethin' that I should know?
What excuse are you tryin' to sell me?
Should I be readin' stop or go?
I don't know.

Maybe deep down inside,
I'm tryin' for no one else but me,
Too stubborn to say, "The buck stops here.
I'm not the one you're lookin' for."

But maybe deep down inside, I'm lyin'
To no one else but me.
Oh, but my back is up. I'm on my guard
With all the exits sealed.

Listen to me, you never listen to me.
Oooh, and it seems there's no way out.
I've been tryin' but we cannot connect.

And there's no reply at all.
There's no reply at all.
There's no reply at all.
No reply at all.
Is anybody listenin'? Oh, there's no reply at all...

Writer/s: PHIL COLLINS, MICHAEL RUTHERFORD, ANTHONY BANKS
Publisher: IMAGEM U.S. LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

No Reply At All

Phil Collins poached the Earth, Wind & Fire horn section (known as The Phenix Horns) for his 1981 solo hit "I Missed Again," so a few months later when he was working with Genesis on the Abacab album, he decided to use them again. "I thought, if we're going to reinvent ourselves, why not have horns on it? This is a song here that sounds like a funky, R&B thing, so let's put horns on it. So we did it, and people hated it."

The song did turn off some of Genesis' fans who were accustomed to their prog-rock sound. It's one of the Genesis songs that sounds like it could be a Phil Collins solo cut.

In the song, Phil Collins sings about being frustrated and feeling ignored by his partner, who he thinks is hiding something from him. Collins poured his heart out on his solo Face Value album and could certainly related to these emotions, but he has never described this as a personal song for him - he was writing in character with a touch of paranoia, but with nowhere near the delusional tone of "Mama."

Iron Maiden - Murders In The Rue Morgue

Iron Maiden - Murders In The Rue Morgue Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Killers
Released: 1981

Murders In The Rue Morgue Lyrics

I remember it as plain as day
Although it happened in the dark of the night.
I was strolling through the streets of Paris
And it was cold it was starting to rain.
And then I heard a piercing scream
And I rushed to the scene of the crime
But all I found was the butchered remains
Of two girls lay side by side.

Murders In The Rue Morgue
Someone call the Gendarmes
Murders in the Rue Morgue
Run before the killers go free

There's some people coming down the street
At last there's someone heard my call
I can't understand why they're pointing at me
I never done nothing at all.
But I must have got some blood on my hands
Because everyone's shouting at me
I can't speak French so I couldn't explain
And like a fool I started running away.

Murders in the Rue Morgue
Someone call the Gendarmes
Murders in the Rue Morgue
Am I ever gonna be free.

And now I've gotta get away from the arms of the law.
All France is looking for me.
I've gotta find my way across the border for sure
Down the south to Italy.

Murders in the Rue Morgue
Someone call the Gendarmes
Murders in the Rue Morgue
I'm never going home.

Well I made it to the border at last
But I can't erase the scene from my mind
Anytime somebody stares at me, well
I just start running blind
Well I'm moving through the shadows at night
Away from the staring eyes
Any day they'll be looking for me
'Cause I know I show the signs of...

Murders in the Rue Morgue
Running from the Gendarmes
Murders in the Rue Morgue
Running from the arms of the law

Murders in the Rue Morgue
Running from the Gendarmes
Murders in the Rue Morgue
Am I ever gonna be free

It took so long and I'm getting so tired
I'm running out of places to hide
Should I return to the scene of the crime
Where the two young victims died
If I could go to somebody for help
It'd get me out of trouble for sure
But I know that it's on my mind
That my doctor said I've done it before.

Murders in the Rue Morgue
They're never gonna find me
Murders in the Rue Morgue
I'm never going home.

Writer/s: HARRIS, STEPHEN PERCY
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Murders In The Rue Morgue

This song was inspired by the short story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe. They both describe the gruesome murder of two girls in Rue Morgue, Paris. In the song, an Englishman hears the girls being murdered, runs for the Rue Morgue, and finds their corpses. He gets blood on his hands, however, and when a crowd gathers everyone thinks he's guilty. He can't speak French, so he can't explain and becomes a fugitive from the law. He eventually leaves France to keep from being hunted, but is still so paranoid that simply being stared at makes him think he's recognized as a murderer. As a result, he never stops trying to escape the French police, no matter where he goes.

This was the first time Steve Harris performed the bass with a significant amount of harmonics.

Another track on the album, "Innocent Exile," is the continuing story of the fugitive in this song (Iron Maiden was into sequel songs; see "Charlotte the Harlot" and "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son"). The album itself had a running lyrical theme of death and murder (hence the title), and the cover art shows Eddie murdering someone clinging to him with an axe.

The band In Flames did a cover of this for the 1997 compilation album Made In Tribute - A Tribute to The Best Band In A Whole Goddamn World! (thanks, Brett - Edmonton, Canada, for all above)

Iron Maiden - Genghis Khan

Iron Maiden - Genghis Khan Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Killers
Released: 1981

Genghis Khan Lyrics

Genghis Khan

This is an instrumental song that expresses musically the fear, terror, apprehension, and feeling of being overwhelmed. It also "describes" the army's military power. Genghis Khan was a warrior who led the Mongolian empire.

Iron Maiden bass player Steve Harris, who wrote this song, explained: "This was another song where there could have been a vocal melody on top, but it felt good as an instrumental. A vocal would have cluttered it up. Originally it was written to depict the feeling and sound of Genghis Khan's army going into battle. It felt better not to have any guitar solos on this track."

This was released as the B-side to the single for "Purgatory." It is the lowest charting Maiden single to date, and only went as far as #52 in the UK charts.

The 1998 album A Call to Irons: A Tribute to Iron Maiden featured a cover of this by Angel Corpse.

This is one of four instrumental Iron Maiden songs the band has released. The others are "The Ides of March" (also Maiden's shortest song, at one minute and forty-four seconds), "Transylvania" (which was originally meant to have lyrics, but ultimately the band determined it sounded best as just instrumental) and "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)" (the title is "Loss for words- big horror!" as pronounced in a Cockney accent). (thanks, Brett - Edmonton, Canada, for all above)

In 1990 Iron Maiden released a series of CDs called The First Ten Years which contained commentary from their drummer Nicko McBrain in features called "Listen With Nicko." On one of these discs, Nicko said that this song was originally called "Jenkin's Barn." (thanks, Mike - Cumbria, England)

Papa Roach "borrowed" the guitar riff from this song in their hit "Last Resort."

Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman

Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Diary of a Madman
Released: 1981

Diary of a Madman Lyrics

Screaming at the window
Watch me die another day
Hopeless situation endless price I have to pay

Sanity now it's beyond me there's no choice

Diary of a Madman
Walk the line again today
Entries of confusion
Dear diary I'm here to stay

Manic depression befriends me
Hear his voice
Sanity now it's beyond me
There's no choice

A sickened mind and spirit
The mirror tells me lies
Could I mistake myself for someone
Who lives behind my eyes
Will he escape my soul
Or will he live in me
Is he tryin' to get out or tryin' to enter me

Voices in the darkness
Scream away my mental health
Can I ask a question
To help me save me from myself

Enemies fill up the pages
Are they me
Monday till Sunday in stages
Set me free

Writer/s: OSBOURNE, RHODES, DAISLEY, KERSLAKE
Publisher: NEWMAN & COMPANY CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Diary of a Madman

Ozzy's bass player Bob Daisley wrote this song. Said Daisley: "I really wrote that one about myself. When I was 16 I had my first nervous breakdown and it really f---ed me up. I was a sensitive kid and I have always been a sensitive person. I suppose you have to be sensitive being in the arts. I wrote the words about myself. Quite often we have problems and we are our own worst enemies and that is why 'Enemies fill up the pages one by one in the diary. Are they me?' I am my own worst enemy.

The other thing was that Randy [Rhoads] had the rough idea for the song 'Diary of a Madman' and I came up with title. I wrote all of the lyrics as well on the album. Ozzy would come and go from rehearsals. One day he came in and we played him 'Diary of a Madman' and because it had funny timing he couldn't get his head around. He said, 'Who the f--k do you think I am? Frank Zappa!' We said, 'You sing in this part but you don't sing here. This timing goes like this etc.' He started to like it when he got his head around but at first he was like, 'This is not for me'."

The title came from a 1963 movie of the same name starring Vincent Price.

Through a bit of revisionist history, Diary of a Madman became Ozzy Osbourne's second solo album. After leaving Black Sabbath in 1978, he formed a new band with Bob Daisley, Randy Rhoads and Lee Kerslake called the Blizzard of Ozz, which ended up being billed as an Ozzy solo project after the album was released showing just Osbourne on the cover and his name in big letters.

In our interview with Bob Daisley , he explained that this song was conceived before they had the title for the album, and it made a perfect fit. Said Daisley: "I thought it would be a good title for an Ozzy Osbourne album because he's got the reputation of being one of the madmen of rock and roll."

The little boy on the album cover is Ozzy's son Louis from his first marriage. (thanks, Terry - Belleville, Canada)

Sammy Hagar - Heavy Metal

Sammy Hagar - Heavy Metal Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Standing Hampton
Released: 1981

Heavy Metal Lyrics

Head bangers in leather
Sparks fly in the dead of the night
It all comes together
When they shoot out the lights
Fifty thousand watts of power
And it's pushin' overload
The beast is ready to devour
All the metal they can hold
Reachin' overload
Start to explode

[Chorus]
It's your one way ticket to midnight
Call it Heavy Metal
Higher than high, feelin' just right
Call it heavy metal
Desperation on a red line
Call it heavy metal noise

Tight pants and lipstick
She's riding on razor's edge
She holds her own against the boys
Yea, cuts through the crowd just like a wedge
Ohh, can you feel the static
So many contacts being made
We've got up front fanatics
Tearing down the barricade
To reach the stage
Can you feel the rage

[Chorus]

Writer/s: TIPTON, GLENN RAYMOND/HALFORD, ROB/DOWNING, KENNETH
Publisher: EMI Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Heavy Metal

This song was used in the science fiction movie of the same name, and was also featured on the movie's soundtrack album (the film was based on a comic book). Released in 1981, Heavy Metal was an animated film with enough cartoon nudity to get an R rating (now known as NC-17) in the US.

Black Sabbath, Cheap Trick, Journey, and Devo were also on the soundtrack.

Hagar wrote this song with Jim Peterik , who was a member of the band Survivor at the time. Hagar had just signed with Geffen Records, whose executive John Kalodner had signed Survivor and deployed Peterik to help .38 Special write songs. Kalodner arranged the writing session between Hagar and Peterik, which took place in San Francisco.

At first, the pair had trouble coming up with ideas, but then Hagar remembered that his manager had mentioned the Heavy Metal movie was in production and looking for songs, so they decided to write one for the film. They came up with the idea of two metalheads attending a rock show, and the session moved smoothly, which Hagar and Peterik coming up with riffs and lyrics based on those moments of anticipation when waiting for the band to come onstage.

They recorded a demo of the song, and Hagar later recorded it as part of his first Geffen album. An alternate version also earned a spot in the film, but not as the main theme: that honor went to "Heavy Metal (Takin' A Ride)" by Don Felder.

Joan Jett - I Love Rock And Roll

Joan Jett - I Love Rock And Roll Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: I Love Rock And Roll
Released: 1981

I Love Rock And Roll Lyrics

I Love Rock And Roll

This was originally recorded by a British group called The Arrows in 1975, and it was written by their lead singer Alan Merrill and guitarist Jake Hooker. Merrill explained in a Songfacts interview how this song came about: "That was a knee-jerk response to the Rolling Stones' 'It's Only Rock 'N' Roll.' I remember watching it on Top of the Pops. I'd met Mick Jagger socially a few times, and I knew he was hanging around with Prince Rupert Lowenstein and people like that – jet setters. I almost felt like 'It's Only Rock and Roll' was an apology to those jet-set princes and princesses that he was hanging around with - the aristocracy, you know. That was my interpretation as a young man: Okay, I love rock and roll. And then, where do you go with that?"

The song was released as a B-side with The Arrows' "Broken Down Heart." The group was recording for RAK Records, which was run by Mickie Most. As Merrill explains, "I Love Rock And Roll" didn't suit his current tastes, as during that time Most preferred ballads and blues. Most's wife Christina Hayes encouraged him to flip the sides, but the song didn't catch on, as it suffered from a poor run of luck at the time of its release. First, it had to be re-released as an A-side. Second, the song came out during an English newspaper strike, so new songs weren't getting the exposure they'd normally get. Third, The Arrows were feuding with their record label. As a result, the song didn't chart and was banished to obscurity.

All was not lost, however, as The Arrows performed this song when they were guests on the UK TV series Pop 45. The show's producer, Muriel Young, was so impressed that on the strength of this performance, she gave them their own TV show, simply called The Arrows Show, which ran from 1976-1977 in the UK for two full 14-week seasons on the ITV network. It was this show that Joan Jett saw in 1976, which prompted her to acquire a copy of "I Love Rock and Roll" and later cover it in 1981, producing what is arguably one of the most successful covers in rock history.

Jett was touring England as a member of an all teenage girl group called The Runaways when she discovered this song. She wanted to record it with The Runaways, but the other members didn't like the song and made the mistake of passing it up. So, in 1979, Jett recorded it with Paul Cook and Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols and released it as a B-side. Finally, in 1981, Jett recorded the song with her band The Blackhearts, resulting in a monster hit.

Jett recalled to Uncut August 2010 her version with the Pistols duo: "I did a very early version with them, it was great working with them, and no, there was no sense of trepidation on my part, despite the fact that everyone was telling me they were the most notorious band on the planet."

Alan Merrill: "I had the chorus, which to me sounded like a hit. And I thought, I'll do something really unusual. I'll write it that this is a song separate from the verse. So the actual chorus is something that's coming out of a jukebox, and the two kids in the disco who are flirting are hearing this song that's a hit. It felt like The Twilight Zone. I was so sure 'I Love Rock and Roll' was gonna be a hit for the Arrows that I thought, Well, when we have a hit with it, it's gonna be a hit within a hit. A fictional hit coming out of the chorus with the kids singing it as their favorite song in the verse of the song. So when it actually became a huge hit for Joan Jett, my Twilight Zone concept came true. And I don't think too many people get that about the song, you know? They just like the melody, and it's catchy. But it was actually a pretty clever stroke, one that I'm proud of." (Want to find out what shot down The Arrows and see them in action? Check out our full interview with Alan Merrill .)

When the Runaways broke up, Joan Jett and her producer Kenny Laguna put her first solo album together with studio time and travel arrangements fronted by The Who. They struggled to get a record deal and had to form their own label, Blackheart Reocrds, to release the album in America. Jett and Laguna both thought "I Love Rock and Roll" was a great song, but since they didn't have the backing of a major label, they held off on it until they could establish themselves and get better distribution. When "Do You Wanna Touch Me" and "Bad Reputation" started getting airplay, they got a deal with Boardwalk Records. That first album, which was called Joan Jett, was remixed and renamed Bad Reputation. Now that she had a record deal, Jett released "I Love Rock and Roll," which was her first single on a major label and was included on her second album.

The Runaways' bass player Michael Steele went on to join the Bangles, and their guitarist Lita Ford had a successful solo career, but Joan Jett emerged as their most famous alumna. Kenny Laguna plays a big part in her story, as he helped Jett get started as a solo artist and worked with her throughout most of her solo career. In 1972, after working with acts like Tommy James & the Shondells and Tony Orlando, Kenny was looking for work and found it through Peter Meaden, who managed The Who when they were still known as The High Numbers. Meaden got Kenny a job working at Mobile Records in England, where he became friends with The Who and met The Runaways' manager, who asked him to produce what would be their last album. Kenny didn't work on that album, but when The Runaways broke up, he started working with Jett. Peter Meaden, who introduced Kenny to The Who and helped revive his career, was the manager of The Arrows, the group that wrote and originally recorded "I love Rock and Roll." If Kenny had accepted the job and produced The Runaways' last album, there is a good chance he would have made them record it, since he thought it was a hit.

Jett's 1979 version of the song was owned by The Polygram company, who were not enthusiastic about Joan or the song. Laguna explains: "They could care less about Joan Jett, they were busy signing every other Runaway. They thought Joan was the loser and they signed the other girls, who we're all friends with, but I looked at the band and thought she was the Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the band. The company decided that if I would pay the studio cost of $2,300, I could have all the rights, and I got three songs. I got 'I Love Rock and Roll' with The Sex Pistols, I got 'You Don't Own Me' - they did a great version of the Lesley Gore hit, and they did a song Joan wrote called 'Don't Abuse Me.' So I buy these songs back. In the meantime, Joan has a couple of fans. Rodney Bingenheimer of K-ROCK, KMAC in Long Beach, BCN in Boston, LIR in Long Island, they were playing The Sex Pistols' kind of cruddy version of the song, and it was #1 on the alternative stations. It was really alternative music, they were way-out stations that would play some pretty adventurous stuff, that's why they would play Joan, because Joan was not getting a record deal, Joan was way on the outside, like a Fugazi of her day. We saw some kind of potential there. I remember these guys from the big record distributors in Long Island kept calling and saying, 'This is a hit record, we're getting so many requests for it.' So we cut it over and did a really good version of it." (The above two Songfacts come from our interview with Kenny Laguna)

In the original version, the lyrics are about a guy picking up a young girl and taking her home, which was fairly typical rock and roll subject matter. When Jett covered this, however, it became a song about a girl who notices a guy next to a jukebox and brings him home to have sex. Other hit songs like "Physical" by Olivia Newton John and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar also had sexual overtones, but Jett sang about aggressively pursuing the guy, which for many women made this a female-empowerment anthem. This song helped shape Jett's image as a tough, confident rock star and became an inspiration to many female musicians.

The line "Put another dime in the jukebox" was dated by the time Jett released her version, as very few jukeboxes took dimes. "Quarter" didn't sound good in the lyrics, and as jukeboxes slowly disappeared or became computerized contraptions accepting paper currency, it didn't matter anyway.

Jett's next two singles, "Crimson And Clover" and "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)" were also covers of songs originally recorded by male singers. When Laguna worked with Bow Wow Wow, he had them record "I Want Candy," another song that had to be adapted for a female singer.

In the US, this was #1 for seven weeks in 1982. "Ebony And Ivory" by Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney did the same a few weeks later.

The video was directed by Arnold Levine, who also did many of the Loverboy and Bruce Springsteen clips. Jett wore a red leather outfit to the shoot, which took place at New York club called Private's with an assortment of fans that showed up that day forming the crowd. When Jett and Levine looked at the edit, the colors were a mess, with way too much red and mauve in the shots because of poor fashion choices. This was not the rock and roll video they imagined, but when Jett saw the black-and-white work copy, she loved it. Without the color, the clip looked gritty and retro, which is what they were going for.

This black-and-white version stood out on MTV among far more colorful clips by the likes of the Go-Go's and The J. Geils Band. It became a huge hit on the network, which had launched just months earlier and was becoming a criterion of cool. The video helped send the song up the charts and establish an image for Jett as a rough-hewn rocker.

The color version, now available on YouTube, was released in 2003 on Jett's Real Wild Child video anthology.

In an interview with Mojo magazine January 2008, Jett looked back on this song: "I think most people who love some kind of rock 'n' roll can relate to it. Everyone knows a song that just makes them feel amazing and want to jump up and down. I quickly realized, this song is gonna follow you, so you're either gonna let it bother you, or you gotta make peace with it, and feel blessed that you were involved with something that touched so many people."

In 1998, Rolling Stone magazine reported that Jett, Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker made a very unusual financial move when they offered bonds secured by future royalties from this song. The story turned out to be very deceptive, as only Hooker was in on the deal, which never materialized.

This seems like a perfect fit for a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance, but when Jett was inducted in 2015, she didn't play the song. Although it is by far her biggest hit, Jett has downplayed it throughout her career, typically performing it in the middle of sets while typically using "Bad Reputation" and "I Hate Myself For Loving You" as bookends.

Willie Nelson - Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground

Willie Nelson - Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Honeysuckle Rose
Released: 1981

Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground Lyrics

If you had not have fallen
Then I would not have found you
Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground
And I patched up your broken wing and hung around a while
Trying to keep your spirits up and your fever down

I knew someday that you would fly away
For love's the greatest healer to be found
So leave me if you need to, I will still remember
Angel flying too close to the ground

Fly on, fly on past, the speed of sound
I'd rather see you up than see you down
So leave me if you need to, I will still remember
Angel flying too close to the ground.

So leave me if you need to, I will still remember
Angel flying too close to the ground.

Writer/s: Nelson, Willie
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground

Nelson wrote and performed this song for his starring role as a Country singer in the movie Honeysuckle Rose (1981).

The origins of this song are a little murky. Some fans assume the title angel refers to the Hells Angels biker Charlie Magoo, a friend of Nelson's who was killed, though the singer won't confirm or deny it. He has hinted that it's about his former wife Connie Koepke. (thanks, Kyle - Sparta, NJ)

During live performances, Nelson sometimes dedicates this song to his son Billy, the third child from his first marriage to Martha Matthews, who committed suicide in 1991.

This was Nelson's seventh chart-topping solo hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.

Bob Dylan covered this song while recording his 1983 album Infidels.

Nelson recorded a live version of this song with Patty Griffin for his 2005 album Songs for Tsunami Relief: Austin to South Asia to aid the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

Rush - Red Barchetta

Rush - Red Barchetta Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Moving Pictures
Released: 1981

Red Barchetta Lyrics

My uncle has a country place
That no one knows about
He says it used to be a farm
Before the Motor Law
And now on Sundays I elude the eyes
And hop the turbine freight
To far outside the wire where my
White-haired uncle waits

Jump to the ground as the turbo slows
To cross the borderline
Run like the wind as excitement shivers
Up and down my spine
But down in his barn
My uncle preserved for me
An old machine
For fifty-odd years
To keep it as new
Has been his dearest dream

I strip away the old debris
That hides a shining car
A brilliant Red Barchetta
From a better vanished time
We'll fire up the willing engine
Responding with a roar
Tires spitting gravel
I commit my weekly crime

Wind
In my hair
Shifting and drifting
Mechanical music
Adrenaline surge

Well-oiled leather
Hot metal and oil
The scented country air

Sunlight on chrome
The blur of the landscape
Every nerve aware

Suddenly ahead of me
Across the mountainside
A gleaming alloy air-car
Shoots towards me two lanes wide
Oh, I spin around with shrieking tires
To run the deadly race
Go screaming through the valley
As another joins the chase

Ride like the wind
Straining the limits
Of machine and man
Laughing out loud with fear and hope
I've got a desperate plan

At the one-lane bridge
I leave the giants stranded
At the riverside
Race back to the farm
To dream with my uncle
At the fireside

Writer/s: NEIL PEART, GEDDY LEE WEINRIB, ALEX LIFESON
Publisher: OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Red Barchetta

This is a futuristic song about a farmer who keeps a Red Barchetta in his barn even after motors are outlawed (Before the Motor Law). The kid comes, takes the car for ride and ends up being chased by Gleaming Alloy Air car (Police is assumed). He outruns and ditches the law and returns to the barn, hides the car and goes to dream with his uncle by the fireside. During the Moving Pictures Tour, Rush used a video to bring the story to life. (thanks, Mike - Sturges, PA)

The Barchetta is a classic example of a car built for speed, a hot rod, made by Ferrari. For more information on the car, including some photos of a red one, check out the Song Image .

This was the second song from Rush's best selling album to date, Moving Pictures.

This was inspired by the story A Nice Morning Drive, written by Richard S. Foster. (thanks, Jeff - Haltom City, TX, for above 3)

The harmonics in the intro were played by guitarist Alex Lifeson. (thanks, Chris - Brookfield, CT)

According to the book The Complete Ferrari by Godfrey Eaton, the name of the car is pronounced "Barketta." Geddy Lee admitted that he had incorrectly pronounced the word after an Italian friend pointed out the correct pronunciation. (thanks, Stuart - Suffolk, England)

Alex Lifeson ("In The Studio" for Moving Pictures): "That was the intention with Red Barchetta - to create a song that was very vivid, so that you had a sense, if you listen to it and listen to the lyrics, of the action. It does become a movie. I think that song really worked with that in mind; it was successful with that intention. It's something that I think we've tried to carry on-- become a little more visual with our music, since then. But that one in particular was very satisfying. It was always one of my favorites. I think it's probably my favorite from that album. I like the way the parts knit together. I like the changes. I like the melody of the song. I love the dynamics of it, the way it opens with the harmonics and creates a mood, then gets right into the driving, right up to the middle section where it's really screaming along, where you really feel like you're in the open car, and the music's very vibrant and moving. And then it ends as it began with that quiet dynamic, and lets you down lightly. So it picks you up for the whole thing and drops you off at your next spot." (thanks, Mike - Mountlake Terrace, Washington)

There is a 1981 movie starring Lee Majors and Burgess Meredeth called The Last Chase, which was inspired by the same story. The movie left a lot to be desired, but the final showdown scene is straight out of "Red Barchetta." (thanks, Mike - San Francisco, CA)

On the Exit Stage Left DVD, guitarist Alex Lifeson says, "Well it seems to me that a car has been one of the standard metaphors and volumes have been written about the sociological and cultural impact of the car and what it represents, but, it also has a very fundamental, sensual appeal, and it's a metaphor for sexuality and for freedom." (thanks, Jamin King - Puyallup, WA)

Patti Austin and James Ingram - Baby, Come To Me

Patti Austin and James Ingram - Baby, Come To Me Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Every Home Should Have One
Released: 1981

Baby, Come To Me Lyrics

Baby, Come To Me

This was initially released in 1981 on Patti Austin's album Every Home Should Have One. In May of 1982, it peaked at #73 on the US charts. Months later, the song found new life when it was used in the ABC soap opera General Hospital for romantic scenes involving Luke Spencer (played by Anthony Geary) after his wife Laura temporarily left the show. ABC got lots of calls and letters about the song, and Warner Brothers Records decided to re-release the song as a single due to popular demand. It hit #1 in the US in February 1983.

Later that year, "Think Of Laura" by Christopher Cross was used in scenes where Luke was missing Laura. Thanks to its use on the show, the song went to #9 US in 1984.

Quincy Jones produced this. Both Austin and Ingram had worked with Jones in the past and signed to his record label, Quest.

Rod Temperton wrote this. This is one of many songs he wrote that Quincy Jones produced. Others include Michael Jackson's "Rock With You," "Off The Wall" and "Thriller," as well as songs by The Brothers Johnson and Rufus with Chaka Khan.

Ingram has done a lot of duets, including "Just Once" with Quincy Jones, "Yah Mo B There" with Michael McDonald, and "Somewhere Out There" with Linda Ronstadt.

After 2 weeks at #1 in the US, this was replaced by Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." That song was also produced by Jones.

Patti Austin is the goddaughter of Quincy Jones. (thanks, Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England, for above 5)

The Divinyls - Only Lonely

The Divinyls - Only Lonely Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Monkey Grip Soundtrack
Released: 1981

Only Lonely Lyrics

Well, I feel all right when it comes daylight
But when it comes the night
I am Only Lonely, I am only lonely

And if it doesn't feel right when I hold you tight
Oh baby, it's all right - I am only lonely
Oh baby, wonder if we could get involved
Oh baby, wonder if we could get involved

And if it doesn't feel right when it comes daylight
But when it comes the night, I am only lonely

He said, "Come on, baby, not on the first date."
So I said, "Okay, baby, how long must I wait?"

And if it doesn't feel right when it comes daylight
But when it comes the night, I am only lonely

And if it doesn't feel right when I hold you tight
I am only lonely

Wonder could we get involved

Writer/s: AMPHLETT, CHRISTINA/MCENTEE, MARK
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Only Lonely Song Chart

Written for the 1981 Australian film Monkey Grip, this song is about a heroin-addicted prostitute junkie living on the streets of King's Cross in Sydney. Lead singer Christina Amphlett was in the movie. (thanks, Alex Portnoy - Sydney, Australia)

The Police - Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

The Police - Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Ghost in the Machine
Released: 1981

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic Lyrics

Though I've tried before to tell her
Of the feelings I have for her in my heart
Every time that I come near her I just lose my nerve
As I've done from the start

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Everything she do just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on

Do I have to tell the story
Of a thousand rainy days since we first met
It's a big enough umbrella
But it's always me that ends up getting wet.

Every little thing she does is magic
Everything she do just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on

I resolved to call her up a thousand times a day.
And ask her if she'll marry me in some old fashioned way.
But my silent fears have gripped me long before I reach the phone
Long before my time has tripped me must I always be alone

Every little thing she does is magic
Everything she do just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on

Every little thing she does is magic
Everything she do just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on

Oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah
Every little thing, every little thing, every little thing, every little thing
Every little, every little, ever little, every little thing she does
Every little thing she does
Every little thing she does
Every little thing she does

Beo, beo, beo, beo, beo, beo, beo, beo
Beo, beo, beo, beo, beo, beo, beo, beo

Every little thing
Every little thing
Every little thing
She do is
Magic, magic, magic
Magic, magic, magic

Hey oh yo oh
Beo

Ah
Thousand rainy days since we first met
It's a big enough umbrella, but it's always me that ends getting wet

Writer/s: SUMNER, GORDON
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic Song Chart

This was originally an acoustic ballad Sting wrote while The Police were known as Strontium 90 (and included bassist Mike Howlett). You can hear the first recording of this song if you find their rare CD, Police Academy, released in 1997 and produced by Mike Howlett.

Sting used a lyric from this, "Do I have to tell the story of a thousand rainy days since we first met? It's a big enough umbrella but it's always me that ends up getting wet," on some other songs he wrote, including The Police's "O My God" from Synchronicity and "Seven Days" from his solo album Ten Summoner's Tales. (thanks, Jeff - Kendall Park, NJ, for above 2)

True to their punk roots, The Police have some colorful and dysfunctional characters in their early songs. While this song seems very endearing, the guy clearly has some issues, as he pursues a girl who does not return his affections. He might be crossing over into stalker territory as he resolves to call her up "1000 times a day."

This was the only track on Ghost In The Machine not recorded in Montserrat, an island in the Caribbean (it was recorded in Canada). However the promo video was shot at George Martin's Montserrat studio - we can see people of the island with the members of the band. The Police were deeply influenced by the music of the Caribbean (reggae music). (thanks, Mylene - Guadeloupe French West Indies)

This was the first demo Sting ever played for his bandmates. Good thing it's not a timely tune: they didn't record it until their fourth album, Ghost in the Machine.

In 1982 this won the Best Pop Song at the annual Ivor Novello Awards.

The intro to this song was used by German R&B singer Sebastian Hamer for "Immer Noch." His song's meaning is just about the opposite of the original. (thanks, Thomas - Saarbrucken, Germany)

This appeared on the soundtrack of the Adam Sandler movie The Wedding Singer and the 2005 film Bewitched. (thanks, Jazzz - Frankfurt, Germany)

In the book MTV Ruled the World - The Early Years of Music Video, Police drummer Stewart Copeland talks about the fallout from playing with all those buttons during this video: "'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' we shot in Montserrat, and it's strange how that was regarded as, 'The Who destroying equipment of our time,' because we were trashing that Trident desk. And that desk, by the way, ended up at Studio One in A&M, here in Los Angeles, and I've been to five or six different studios around the world that claim that the Neve sitting in their room is the one that we trashed. And I don't know which one is which. One Neve is the same as the other, if you ask me. And we weren't aware of trashing it at all. We were in the habit - because we were all very fit - of climbing over it, because it was very long. And if you were over there and you wanted to get over here to hit a fader or something, we'd just climb over it. Certainly, we were not cognizant of any abuse of the console. But we were just dancing around."

Sting already had this song in his pocket when he moved from his home city of Newcastle. He recalled in Daniel Rachel's book of interviews with British songwriters, Isle of Noises : "When I moved to London in 1975, I was struggling to make a living. I auditioned at the Zanzibar in Covent Garden. I sang 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' and the guy said: 'We need commercial hit songs. We don't need this kind of stuff.'"

"This song was included [on Ghost in the Machine] to try and leaven the rather sober tone of the rest of the record," Sting wrote in Lyrics By Sting. "It was written in 1976, the year I moved to London. I had no money, no prospects, nowhere to live. All I had was Stewart Copeland's phone number and some vague idea of forming a band. It was the year of the Sex Pistols, punk rock, aggressive loud music, violent lyrics, and 'Anarchy In The UK.' And I wrote this song, which tells you how in touch with the times I was."

This was used in The Office (US) episode "Phyllis' Wedding" in 2007.

A rather obvious hit, this was the first single from the Ghost in the Machine everywhere except the UK, where "Invisible Sun," a song dealing with the political climate in Belfast, was issued first.

Foreigner - Urgent

Foreigner - Urgent Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: 4
Released: 1981

Urgent Lyrics

You're not shy, you get around
You want to fly, don't want your feet on the ground
You stay up, you won't come down
You want to live, you want to move to the sound
Got fire in your veins, burning hot, but you don't feel the pain
Your desire is insane, you can't stop until you do it again

But sometimes I wonder, as I look in your eyes
Maybe you're thinking of some other guy
But I know, yes I know how to treat you right
That's why you call me in the middle of the night, you say

It's Urgent, so urgent, so urgent, just wait and see
How urgent my love can be, it's urgent

You play tricks on my mind, you're everywhere, but you're so hard to find
You're not warm, you're sentimental
You're so extreme, you can be so temperamental

But I'm not looking for a love that'll last
I know what I need and I need it fast
Yeah there's one thing in common that we both share
That's our need for each other anytime, anywhere

It gets urgent, so urgent, you know it's urgent
I want to tell you it's the same for me
So urgent, just wait and see, how urgent my love can be, it's urgent

You say it's urgent, make it fast, make it urgent
Do it quick, do it urgent, gotta run, make it urgent
Wait it quick, want it urgent, urgent, emergency, urgent, urgent, emergency
Urgent, urgent, emergency, urgent, urgent, emergency
So urgent, emergency

Writer/s: JOHNSON, LARRY CURTIS
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Urgent Song Chart

The group wanted a "Junior Walker-style" sax solo for this record. When they took a break from recording, one of the members read in New York newspaper The Village Voice that Walker was performing that night mere blocks from the recording studio. Walker accepted their offer to play, and the recording of the sax solo was swift and without a hitch.

Written by the Foreigner songwriting team of Mick Jones and Lou Gramm , this was the first single from 4, one of the best-selling albums of the '80s.

With an R&B sound, the song was a musical departure for the band; many listeners didn't recognize it as Foreigner when they first heard it. "A few people were trapped into liking it before they found out who it was," Jones told Sounds.

Before recording this album, two members of the group left, trimming the band from six members to four. This, along with the fact that it was their fourth album, explains the title, 4. (thanks, Jared - Meadville, PA)

Foreigner's guitarist Mick Jones produced the 4 album with Mutt Lange, who is known as a very meticulous producer with a tremendous work ethic. Jones told us: "We locked horns at the beginning, both pretty strong-minded about what we wanted to achieve, and we gradually discovered that it was the same thing. He drew a lot out of me. He was the first person that insisted on listening to every single idea I had on every single cassette tape, or any ideas I had anywhere, down on paper or lyrically, phonetically, instrumentally. He pulled songs like 'Urgent' out of that, and contributed a lot to 'Juke Box Hero.' It ended up being a great relationship." (Check out our interview with Mick Jones.)

Saga - On The Loose

Saga - On The Loose Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Worlds Apart
Released: 1981

On The Loose Lyrics

One day you feel quite stable
The next you're comin' off the wall
But I think you should warn me
If you start heading for a fall
I see the problem start
I watch the tension grow
I see you keeping it to yourself
And then instead of reaching conclusions
I see you reaching for something else

No one can stop you now
Tonight you're On The Loose
No one to tell you how
Tonight you're on the loose

I see no harm or danger in escaping
If the method suits the style
We put the mind on idle
And let the others take it for awhile
When the pace is too fast
And I think I won't last
You know where I'll be found
I'll be standing here beside myself
Getting ready for the final round

No one can stop you now
Tonight you're on the loose
No one to tell you how
Tonight you're on the loose

The time we feel most stable
Is the time we're comin' off the wall
And there's every indication
We may be heading for a fall
So let the problems start
And let the tension grow
We'll be keeping it to ourselves
And while they're busy reaching their conclusions
We'll be reaching for something else

No one can stop you now
Tonight you're on the loose
No one to tell you how
Tonight you're on the loose

Writer/s: CRICHTON, IAN / CRICHTON, JAMES / NEGUS, STEVE / GILMOUR, JAMES / SADLER, MICHAEL
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

On The Loose Song Chart

This was the biggest hit for Saga, a Canadian band that incorporated elements of progressive rock into their pop sound. Lead singer Michael Sadler wrote the song with his bandmates Ian Crichton (guitar), Jim Crichton (bass), Jim Gilmour (keyboards) and Steve Negus (drums).

Sadler told us: "'On the Loose' is blowing off steam. Everybody's got to just let it out every once in a while, you can't keep things inside. You know: tonight I'm on the loose, we're on the loose, you're on the loose. It's as simple as that.

At the time, and it's just gotten more so, stress, stress, stress for everybody, every single human on this planet. Every once in a while we've got to let go and just blow it out and deal with the consequences later. You've got to open that valve every once in a while."

The music video was one of the first concept clips by a North American band. It earned airplay in the early days of MTV, which was launched in 1981 a few months before the album came out. MTV had very little to choose from, and this one checked a lot of boxes in terms of their criteria:

Slick rock sound.
Good production value.
Could pass for American.

It was Saga's management that encouraged them to make the video, which combined performance footage with a vague storyline about a man escaping from some kind of facility.