His first musical success was as a 14-year-old guitarist in the Royal Teens, best known for their novelty blues riff, "Short Shorts". In 1960, he joined the song-writing team of Bob Brass and Irwin Levine, who wrote the hit, "This Diamond Ring", for Gary Lewis and the Playboys. When he was 21, he moved to Greenwich Village.
He performed with Bob Dylan in concert in 1965 and in the studio in 1965 and 1966, including playing Hammond organ with Dylan at the (in)famous Newport Folk Festival of 1965. He worked extensively with Mike Bloomfield for a number of years after the two met as studio musicians on Dylan's legendary Highway 61 Revisited album.
In 1965, he co-formed The Blues Project and played their most famous gig at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. He formed Blood, Sweat & Tears in the same year, leaving after the group's first album, Child is Father to the Man, in 1968.
Kooper played on hundreds of records, including The Rolling Stones, B.B. King, The Who and Cream. On occasion, he has even overdubbed on his own efforts, as on The Live Adventures Of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper album, as Roosevelt Gook. He discovered the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and produced their first three albums, including the single Sweet Home Alabama. Kooper also wrote the score for the TV series, Crime Story, and has also written music for several made-for-television movies. Kooper also produced a now rare album by a group called Appaloosa.
Al Kooper has published a memoir, Backstage Passes: Rock 'n' Roll Life In The Sixties (1977), now available in revised form as Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'N' Roll Survivor 2007
Kooper currently teaches songwriting and production at Berklee College of Music in Boston and plays weekend concerts with his band Jimmy Vivino and The ReKooperators.
As The Years Go Passing By
Al Kooper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The ball and chain that is 'round every English musician's leg
In fact every musician's leg
Tryin' to kick it off baby?
No no.
You'll just never do it
And these are the blues of time
And the blues of a woman
As time goes by
There is nothin' I can do
If you leave me here to cry
There is nothin' I can do
If you leave me here to cry
You know my love will follow you baby
Mmm until the day I die
I've given you all I own;
That is one thing you cannot deny
Oh I've given you all I own;
Baby that is one thing you cannot deny
And my love will follow you baby
Yeah
Till the day this man dies.
I've got failure all around me
No matter how hard I try.
I've got failure
It's all around me
No matter how hard I
Try try
You know my ghost will haunt you baby
Until the day you stop down and die
Well you better get up
Right now right now
Well
You think that you have left me behind
And that with your other man you're safe
And you're away from me baby but uh
One o' these days you're gonna break down and cry
Because there is no escape from this man
Because this man's love is so strong
He's gonna haunt you
You know my love will follow you
Mmm until the day I die
There is just one thing I want to tell you before I go
I'm gonna leave it
I'm gonna leave it
Leave it up to you
So long
baby bye-bye
Hey I'm gonna leave it up to you baby
So long
baby bye-bye
Well you know my love will follow you
Mmm 'til the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I am dead
Till the day that they rest my head
Till the day I die
Till the day I I I I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day that you die and I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Till the day I die
Die
Die
Die
Die
The lyrics of Al Kooper's song "As the Years Go Passing By" express the pain and heartache of a man who has been abandoned by his lover. The song opens with a reference to how the blues are an ever-present burden for all musicians, and how this particular blues song is about a woman causing a man's heartache. The singer pleads with his lover, telling her that he has nothing left without her and that his love will follow her until the day he dies. He talks about how he has failed in life despite his best efforts, and warns his lover that she can't escape his love, even if she finds another man. The song closes with a resigned farewell, leaving it up to the lover to decide what she will do.
The themes of lost love, heartbreak, and haunting memories are commonly found in traditional blues music, and Kooper's song does not stray from these themes. The arrangement of the song is an up-tempo, bluesy number that mixes horns and electric guitar with Kooper's raspy vocal delivery. The repetition of the phrase "til the day I die" in the chorus emphasizes the singer's commitment to his love, despite the fact that his love has left him.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah the blues
The feeling of sadness and depression that affects musicians
The ball and chain that is 'round every English musician's leg
Blues is like an anchor that drags down British musicians
In fact every musician's leg
Blues affects all musicians regardless of their nationality
Tryin' to kick it off baby?
Attempting to overcome the blues through willpower and determination
No no.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to overcome the blues so easily
You'll just never do it
Blues is a part of the human condition and cannot be simply removed
And these are the blues of time
One of the sources of blues is time and the passing of years
And the blues of a woman
The blues can be caused by romantic love and relationships
And a man thinkin' of her
The pain of heartbreak and unrequited love can also cause the blues
As time goes by
The passing of time can intensify the feelings of sadness and depression
There is nothin' I can do
The feeling of helplessness and despair caused by being left alone
If you leave me here to cry
The pain of being abandoned and rejected by someone you love
You know my love will follow you baby
Despite the heartbreak, the love for the other person remains strong
Mmm until the day I die
The love will last forever, even until death
I've given you all I own;
The singer has sacrificed everything to show their love
That is one thing you cannot deny
The other person cannot deny the depth of the love shown
Yeah
An expression of affirmation and determination
Till the day this man dies.
The love will continue until the singer's death
I've got failure all around me
The feeling of being surrounded by failure and defeat
No matter how hard I try.
The effort to succeed and overcome the circumstances has been futile
Try try
A reminder to keep trying despite the constant setbacks
You know my ghost will haunt you baby
The intensity of the love and pain will continue even after death
Until the day you stop down and die
The love and pain will persist until the other person dies
Well you better get up
A warning to take action before it's too late
Right now right now
Urgency to take action immediately
Well
A pause or a moment of reflection
You think that you have left me behind
The other person believes they have moved on from the relationship
And that with your other man you're safe
The belief that the new relationship is secure and happy
And you're away from me baby but uh
The artist knows the other person is not truly happy or fulfilled
One o' these days you're gonna break down and cry
A prediction that the other person will soon feel the pain and sadness of the past
Because there is no escape from this man
The intensity of the love cannot be escaped or ignored
Because this man's love is so strong
The depth of the artist's love is the cause of the other person's pain
He's gonna haunt you
The memory and intensity of the relationship will persist and affect the other person
There is just one thing I want to tell you before I go
A final message or warning before leaving the situation
I'm gonna leave it
The decision and responsibility is left to the other person
Leave it up to you
The artist relinquishes control and leaves the outcome to the other person
So long
A farewell or goodbye
baby bye-bye
An affectionate and familiar way of saying goodbye
Hey I'm gonna leave it up to you baby
A reassurance of trust and respect for the other person
Till the day I die
The love and intensity will last until the artist's death
Till the day that they rest my head
The love and intensity will last until after the artist's death
Till the day that you die and I die
The love and pain will persist until both parties have passed away
Die
A repetition and emphasis of the finality of death
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DON ROBEY, DON D. ROBEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@llee8325
Koper was one of the most unappreciated musicians, singers, instrumentalist, composers, and arrangers around! So unique. Loved his musc.
@AntonioGarcia-wm1jf
I hope those magnificent times of music will come back again!!! For the sake of good music! 🙏🏽💚
@danielrodger6016
Been thinking this badly of late the more i go back 50 years to a time when music was.. well better, good. Take your pick
@ZainalAbidin-ip3rr
When i was in college. .@ 1971/75 i i used to listen to this song time again while getting stoned...
@bobwojnarowski6997
Funny I was in college at the same time playing the same music.
@profile7530
Kooper and Bloomfield were the real blues brothers.
@grazianocardini2668
I think so❤
@davidranger13
Amen 🙏 ❤❤❤
@waterpurificationproductsi7056
Saw him in 1971 at UMass Amherst at a free outdoor concert. I still remember his Gibson Flying V guitar.
@ferdinandmagpayo6294
Many years, just passed by. On me, searching for this Al Kooper's version of this song.