Born Graham Barnes in Nottingham England, Alvin Lee took up guitar at the age of thirteen. By the age of fifteen he had formed the group Jaybirds. Following in the footsteps of earlier beat groups such as the Beatles, the Jaybirds played the clubs in Hamburg, Germany to great local acclaim. On returning to London in 1966, the group changed its name to Ten Years After.
Ten Years After scored hits with many albums and became a popular touring band. The band gained note in America after their appearance at Woodstock in 1969.
Lee's guitar work on ‘I’m Going Home’ on the 'Woodstock' album and film remains a standard for many rock guitarists to emulate.
Ten Years After played a mix of rock and blues tinged with jazz. In 1973, Lee left Ten Years After to pursue a solo career.
His first work was a collaborative effort with American gospel singer Mylon LeFevre on an album entitled On The Road To Freedom; other artists on the album included George Harrison, Mick Fleetwood and Steve Winwood. A year later he formed the band Alvin Lee & Company and released a double live album recorded at the Rainbow in London, In Flight.
Lee continued to record albums and play live until his death in 2013, thrilling audiences with his guitar virtuoso and nimble fingered fret work.
Having recorded over twenty albums, some of the key solo works Alvin Lee has recorded are:
1973 On The Road To Feedom
1974 In Flight
1975 Pump Iron
1976 Let it Rock
1978 Rocket Fuel
1979 Ride On
1980 Freefall
1981 RX5
1986 Detroit Diesel
1992 Zoom
1994 I Hear You Rockin
1996 Live In Vienna
2004 In Tennessee
2007 Saguitar
2012 Still On The Road To freedom
Official Website: Alvin Lee
You can also see Alvin Lee & Ten Years After and / or Alvin Lee & Co and / or Ten Years After and or Alvin Lee & Ten Years Later and / or The Alvin Lee Band on Last.fm.
Play It Like It Used To Play
Alvin Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well if you want my lovin', baby better be good to me
Won't you give it to me baby, lovin' like it ought to be
Well if you treat me right, baby I'll be good to you
Yes, if you treat me right - baby, baby I'll be good to you
And if you don't want my lovin', you know what you can do
I love that rock and roll music, play it like it used to be
Well if you need anything, baby just call on me
Well if you need anything - baby, baby won't you call on me
I got time for you, I hope you got time for me
Well - go tell Madonna, she don't do nothin' for me
I love that rock and roll music, play it like it used to be
Well - go tell Madonna, she don't do nothin' for me
I want that rock and roll music, play it like it used to be
Well if you want my love, better be good to me
Well if you want my lovin', baby better be good to me
Won't you give it to me baby, lovin' like it ought to be
Well - go tell Madonna, she don't do nothin' for me
I want that rock and roll music, play it like it used to be
Well - go tell Madonna, she don't do nothin' for me
I want that rock and roll music, play it like it used to be
I want that rock and roll music, play it like it used to be
Give me that rock and roll music, play it like it used to be.
The lyrics to Alvin Lee's "Play It Like It Used To Play" are fairly straightforward: the singer is essentially saying that if you want his love and affection, you need to treat him right. He's making it clear that he expects to be treated well and to receive love and affection in the way that he thinks is appropriate. He says that if you treat him right, he'll do the same for you, but if you don't want his love, he isn't going to waste his time on you. He's saying that there are certain things he needs from a relationship and certain things he won't tolerate, and he wants to make sure that his future partner knows what those things are.
The song also contains a playful reference to Madonna, with the singer saying that she doesn't do anything for him but that he loves rock and roll music played the way it used to be played. This is a nod to the fact that rock and roll has changed over the years, and the singer is suggesting that he prefers the way it sounded in the past.
Overall, the message of the song is that the singer has certain expectations for a relationship, and he's not going to settle for anything less. He's looking for someone who will treat him right and who shares his love of rock and roll music.
Line by Line Meaning
Well if you want my love, better be good to me
If you want my affection, you better treat me well
Won't you give it to me baby, lovin' like it ought to be
Can you show me the kind of love that feels right?
Yes, if you treat me right - baby, baby I'll be good to you
If you treat me with respect, I'll do the same for you
And if you don't want my lovin', you know what you can do
If you're not interested in me, go find someone else
Well - go tell Madonna, she don't do nothin' for me
I'm not interested in Madonna's music
Well if you need anything, baby just call on me
If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask me
I got time for you, I hope you got time for me
I'm willing to make time for you, I hope you can do the same for me
I want that rock and roll music, play it like it used to be
I miss the old days of rock and roll music, can we go back to that?
Give me that rock and roll music, play it like it used to be.
I really want to hear rock and roll music from the past, can you please play that?
Contributed by Noah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Richi
thats alvin,beautiful .R.I.P. Alvin
Ron Mahan
Rondo has been rocking with the master for 40 years.ole school rules
Richard Oswald Azak
Play his songs forever