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.
First Time Around
Al Kooper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh laughin' lightly it was night time
She held my hand & she took me down
While askin' strangers for the right time
We walked outside the leering lights of town
And slowly as it dawned on me that I'd never be the same
I bit my lip so hard it bled and I softly called her name
With hands as smooth as morning raindrops
She soaked my body head to toe
She asked me "Now?" and I said "Not yet, luv..."
"But when it's time you'll be the first to know..."
And soon the man inside me quickly surfaced to the top
And cryin' out for help I found it much too late to stop
With eyes as wide as lighthouse searchlights
I tried my best to act demure
But she could not contain her laughter
As she told me "All that glitters is not pure..."
And knowing that for certain
It was lost upon the ground
I hope you find it easy
When it's your first time around
The lyrics to Al Kooper's song First Time Around are expressive and emotional, detailing the experience of a first sexual encounter. The song begins with the singer and their partner walking outside under what seems to be the anonymity of the leering lights, as they ask strangers for the right time. As the night unfolds, the singer realizes that they will never be the same again. They bite their lips, calling their partner's name softly as their sense of self becomes intertwined with the intimacy of the moment.
The singer describes their partner's hands as smooth as morning raindrops, soaking their body and asking if it's time for the sex act. The singer hesitates, telling their partner "not yet", but assures them that they will be the first to know when the time is right. As the moment arrives, the man inside them surfaces, crying out for help as it becomes too late for them to stop.
The act is described as electric, with the singer's eyes as wide as lighthouse searchlights, as they try to act demurely. Nonetheless, their partner can't contain her laughter, revealing that all that glitters is not pure. The singer acknowledges the loss of purity, hoping that their partner will find it easy when it's their first time around.
In summary, the lyrics of First Time Around by Al Kooper talks about the experience of having one's first sexual encounter, reflecting on the emotions and thoughts that characterize the experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh laughin' lightly it was night time
It was nighttime and we were both laughing softly.
She held my hand & she took me down
She held my hand and led me somewhere, taking control.
While askin' strangers for the right time
As we walked, she asked strangers for the time, showing her carelessness.
We walked outside the leering lights of town
We went outside of town, away from the bright lights and the city's watchful gaze.
And slowly as it dawned on me that I'd never be the same
As we spent time together, I realized that I was forever changed.
I bit my lip so hard it bled and I softly called her name
I was so overwhelmed that I hurt myself and had to call out to her.
With hands as smooth as morning raindrops
She had gentle, delicate hands like morning raindrops.
She soaked my body head to toe
She touched every part of my body with her gentle hands.
She asked me "Now?" and I said "Not yet, luv..."
She asked me if I was ready, and I said I wasn't yet.
"But when it's time you'll be the first to know..."
But I promised her that she would be the first to know when the time was right.
And soon the man inside me quickly surfaced to the top
As things progressed, my masculine side became dominant.
And cryin' out for help I found it much too late to stop
Eventually, I was overwhelmed and needed help, but it was too late to stop what had already started.
With eyes as wide as lighthouse searchlights
My eyes were very wide, like the powerful beams of a lighthouse.
I tried my best to act demure
I tried to act modest and debonair.
But she could not contain her laughter
But she couldn't help laughing at my attempts.
As she told me "All that glitters is not pure..."
She warned me that not everything that seems good is actually good.
And knowing that for certain
I knew for certain that what she said was true.
It was lost upon the ground
Something important got lost on the ground, never to be found again.
I hope you find it easy
I hope things are easy for you.
When it's your first time around
When it's your first experience with something.
Contributed by Nolan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.