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.
Right Now for You
Al Kooper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The mystic smoke of our encounter
Disappears through the window tram
And you can translate through my eyes
And you can tell how glad I am
To be here, to be near
Beside you, my love
The tragic misadventures of a summers afternoon
Where the neighbors hide behind the fence
And howl at the moon
Oh I’m not scared, my soul is bared
Beside you, my love
The wizard in his tower
He looks down in angry rage
Another sun, it is closing in
And he cannot write a page
Though he could score and so much more
Beside you. my love
Silver beams of moonlight
They cross your face and they make me strong
Give me strength throughout a lifetime
To be tall where I belong
To be here, to be near
Beside you, my love
In the song, "Right Now for You," Al Kooper uses vivid and imaginative language to describe his love for someone. He begins by describing the aftermath of their encounter, using the metaphor of "mystic smoke" disappearing through a tram window. This suggests that their connection was almost otherworldly, and that Kooper is left feeling somewhat in awe of what has just taken place. He then goes on to say that his love can "translate through [his] eyes," implying that their connection is so strong that it almost transcends language. He ends the stanza by expressing how happy he is to be with this person, using repetition to emphasize his point.
In the second stanza, Kooper continues to use interesting language to describe his feelings. He describes a "tragic misadventure" that occurred one summer afternoon, in which the neighbors "howled at the moon." This suggests that they were doing something out of the ordinary, and perhaps even a little dangerous or wild. Kooper then goes on to say that he is unafraid, his "soul is bared" beside his love. This implies that he feels safe and understood in her presence. Finally, he mentions a "wizard in his tower," who is angry and unable to create. This could be interpreted in a number of ways, but it could suggest that Kooper sees himself as a creative force, able to work wonders with his love by his side.
In the final stanza, Kooper describes the effect that his love has on him. He mentions "silver beams of moonlight" crossing his love's face, which give him strength throughout his lifetime. He concludes by repeating the refrain from the first stanza, emphasizing that he is happy and at peace when he is with his love.
Overall, "Right Now for You" is a song about the transformative power of love. Kooper's use of poetic language creates a vivid picture of his emotions, and the listener can feel the intensity of his passion.
Line by Line Meaning
The mystic smoke of our encounter
The hazy memory of our meeting
Disappears through the window tram
Fades as I watch it go by
And you can translate through my eyes
You can see how happy I am
And you can tell how glad I am
That I am close to you
To be here, to be near
Next to you, my love
The tragic misadventures of a summers afternoon
The unfortunate events of a summer day
Where the neighbors hide behind the fence
And watch from a distance
And howl at the moon
And make noise for no reason
Oh I’m not scared, my soul is bared
I am not afraid to show my true self
Beside you, my love
When I am with you
The wizard in his tower
The powerful person in control
He looks down in angry rage
And gets upset
Another sun, it is closing in
Another problem is approaching
And he cannot write a page
And can't solve it with his abilities
Though he could score and so much more
He is capable of other things
Silver beams of moonlight
Bright rays of moonlight
They cross your face and they make me strong
And that makes me feel powerful
Give me strength throughout a lifetime
And will stay with me forever
To be tall where I belong
So I can be strong and proud
Beside you, my love
When I am with you
Contributed by Kennedy D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.