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.
Get Ready
Al Kooper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(it's alright)
Whenever I'm asked who makes my dreams real
I say that you do
(you're outta sight)
So fee fi fo fum
Look out baby 'cause here I come
So get ready
I'm gonna try to make love to you so get ready
So get ready here I come
I'm on my way
If you wanna play hide and seek with love let me remind you
(it's alright)
The loving you're gonna miss and the time it takes to find you
(it's outta sight)
So fiddle-lee-dee fiddle-lee-dum
Look out baby 'cause here I come
And I'm bringing you a love that's true so get ready
So get ready
I'm gonna try to make love to you so get ready
So get ready here I come
I'm on my way
All my friends shouldn't want me to I understand it
(be alright)
I hope I'll get to you before they do the way I planned it
(be outta sight)
So twiddle-dee-dee twiddle dee dum
Look out baby 'cause here I come
And I'm bringing you a love that's true so get ready
So get ready
I'm gonna try to make love to you so get ready
So get ready here I come.
I'm on my way.
Get ready 'cause here I come, boy
Get ready 'cause here I come, boy
Get ready 'cause here I come, boy
The lyrics to Al Kooper's song "Get Ready" describe the singer's feelings towards a special girl who makes him feel unlike any other. He compares her to no one else he has met before and she is the only one who makes his dreams come true. He warns her to "get ready" because he is coming to offer her a love that is true and he is not willing to play games with her heart. Despite the obstacles of competition from his friends, he plans to get to her before they do because he knows that his love for her is out of this world.
The lyrics use lots of onomatopoeia and repetitive phrases that appeal to our senses and make the song memorable. The use of "fee fi fo fum", "fiddle-lee-dee fiddle-lee-dum", and "twiddle-dee-dee twiddle-dee-dum" adds to the fun and upbeat nature of the song. The singer's enthusiasm is contagious and listeners can't help but feel energized by his passion.
In addition to its catchy lyrics, "Get Ready" has an interesting musical history. The song was originally written by Smokey Robinson and performed by The Temptations, but it was Al Kooper's rock version that made the song a hit on the charts. Kooper's version features a memorable instrumental introduction that includes a trumpet and saxophone duet, and the use of an organ throughout the song adds to its soulful sound.
Line by Line Meaning
I never met a girl who makes me feel the way that you do
I have never felt the way I do around you with any other girl
(it's alright)
There's no need to worry or be anxious, everything is good
Whenever I'm asked who makes my dreams real
People ask me who the person is that I dream about and it's you
I say that you do
I tell them that you are the one who makes my dreams come true
(you're outta sight)
You are amazing and surpass anyone else, you are outstanding
So fee fi fo fum
I'm getting ready to do something big and exciting
Look out baby 'cause here I come
Be prepared for me because I am ready to come to you
And I'm bringing you a love that's true so get ready
I am bringing you an honest and genuine love that you should prepare for
So get ready
Prepare yourself because I am coming
I'm gonna try to make love to you so get ready
I am going to attempt to show you love, so prepare yourself
I'm on my way
I am coming to you soon
If you wanna play hide and seek with love let me remind you
If you plan to avoid love or hide from it, I want to remind you
(it's alright)
It's okay, there's no need to worry
The loving you're gonna miss and the time it takes to find you
You will miss the love that I am going to give you, and it may take time for you to realize it
(it's outta sight)
It's amazing and incredible
So fiddle-lee-dee fiddle-lee-dum
I am getting excited and getting ready to do something impulsive and fun
All my friends shouldn't want me to I understand it
I know that my friends should not want me to pursue you
(be alright)
It's okay, there's no need to worry
I hope I'll get to you before they do the way I planned it
I hope to get to you before my friends do, just like I planned
(be outta sight)
It would be amazing and incredible
So twiddle-dee-dee twiddle dee dum
I am getting excited and getting ready to do something impulsive and fun
Get ready 'cause here I come, boy
Prepare yourself because I am coming, boy
Get ready 'cause here I come, boy
Prepare yourself because I am coming, boy
Get ready 'cause here I come, boy
Prepare yourself because I am coming, boy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WILLIAM ROBINSON JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind