He was born in New Orleans, and by the late 1950s was established as a session musician in the city. In 1961 he recorded for Imperial Records in New Orleans, with "I'm Leaving You Today" betraying his influence by Ray Charles. His management was soon taken over by singer Joe Jones, who had had a hit with "You Talk Too Much" and who won Robinson a recording contract with Tiger Records, a new label set up in New York City by songwriters and record producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. In 1964, he recorded a version of Chris Kenner's song "Something You Got". The song, featuring Robinson's "fantastically bluesy growl", rose to no.52 on the Billboard pop chart.
He moved with Leiber and Stoller to their next label, Red Bird Records, and recorded "Down Home Girl", a song written by Leiber with Artie Butler, arranged by Joe Jones, and produced by Leiber and Stoller. Although the record was critically acclaimed, and was regarded by Leiber and Stoller as the best record issued on the Red Bird label, it was not a commercial success, but was covered by the Rolling Stones on their 1965 album The Rolling Stones No. 2. Robinson's later recordings for Red Bird and its subsidiary Blue Cat label, including a reshaped version of "Let The Good Times Roll" arranged by Wardell Quezergue, also failed to reach the charts.
Robinson continued to record in his own name and as a session guitarist. He moved to Los Angeles, and recorded "Let Me Down Easy", written by King Curtis, for Atco in 1967. He also began playing with Dr. John, and appeared as a guitarist on the albums Babylon, Dr. John's Gumbo, and Hollywood Be Thy Name, as well as co-writing several album tracks with Dr. John. As a solo performer, Robinson recorded for Harold Battiste's A.F.O. and Pulsar labels; one of his recordings for Pulsar, "Sho' Bout To Drive Me Wild", featured contributions from many New Orleans musicians including Battiste, Dr. John, Jessie Hill and King Floyd. He was also credited on Carly Simon's album Playing Possum, and Ringo Starr's Goodnight Vienna.
Robinson later returned to New Orleans, where he died in 1989 at the age of 51.
Alvin aka Al Robinson ( 1937 - 1989 ) in the late 50's was working as a session guitarist in New Orleans, serving for a time as guitar teacher to Shorty Long of 'Here Comes The Judge' fame. Robinson's first solo singles came out on Imperial in the early 60s and he also moved to New York for awhile. In 1964 Alvin Robinson became one of the first artists to record for the new tiger & Daisy labels operated by the writing and production team of Leiber and Stoller. His first 45 was a cover of Chris Kenner's 'Something You Got' and a cover of the Coasters hit 'Searchin' made it to #8 R&B and #52 pop in June of 1964. In September 1964, Robinson's version of 'Down Home Girl' b/w 'Fever' came out as Red Bird 010, his only disc for that particular Leiber Stoller label). Another Leiber-Stoller hit that was previously recorded by The Coasters, Robinson's take on 'Down Home Girl was a proto-funk classic revamped later by the Rolling Stones, and Nazareth. The follow up 7" was 'How Can I Get Over You' b/w 'I'm Gonna Put Some Hurt On You' in March of 1965. After Leiber and Stoller lost control of their labels in 1966, Robinson cut minor regional records at sessions fo Joe Jones records, Atco and others. In 1969 he made his way to Los Angeles, recording for New Orleans expatriate and Sonny & Cher producer Harold Battiste's A.F.O. label, and Pulsar. Robinson joined Dr. John's touring lineup as guitarist in the 70's and 80's and played on albums like Dr. John's 'Gumbo', Carly Simon's 'Playing Possum', Ringo Starr's 'Goodnight Vienna' Tom Waits' "Blue Valentine" in 1978 and Chuck E. Weiss' "The Other Side Of Town" in 1981. He eventually returned to his hometown New Orleans in 1985, and passed away in 1989.
Let The Good Times Roll
Alvin Robinson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's in my heart and why I love you so
I love you baby, like a miner loves gold
Come on, baby, let the good times roll
Some people livin' in make believe
They keep a lot of dirt up their sleeve
My love for you, it's not the kind that fault
Let it roll now y'all...
yeahw...
Love is nice when it's understood
It's even nicer when you're feeling good
You got me flipping like a flag on a poll
Come on, baby, let the good times roll
Oh ho oh oh….
The lyrics of Alvin Robinson's song Let the Good Times Roll touch on themes of love, happiness and the joy of living life to the fullest. The opening line of "People see me but they just don't know what's in my heart and why I love you so" suggests that the singer is often misunderstood or underestimated by those around him. He then goes on to express his deep love for someone, comparing it to the way a miner loves gold - a precious and cherished thing. He urges his partner to join him in taking pleasure in life's simpler pleasures - to let the good times roll.
The second verse takes a somewhat negative turn as the singer reflects on some people's tendency to live in a world of false appearances, a life of "make believe". He contrasts this with his own honest and genuine love, which he says will never let his partner down. The chorus repeats the call to "let the good times roll," reminding us that despite life's struggles, there is always something to celebrate and enjoy.
Line by Line Meaning
People see me but they just don't know
People may see me, but they don't know me or understand why I love you.
What's in my heart and why I love you so
I have deep feelings in my heart for you, but people may not recognize them or understand why.
I love you baby, like a miner loves gold
I love you completely and cherish you like a miner cherishes gold.
Come on, baby, let the good times roll
Let's enjoy life and make the most of what we have together.
Some people livin' in make believe
Some people live in a fantasy world where they create illusions and hide their true selves from others.
They keep a lot of dirt up their sleeve
These people have secrets and hold onto hidden agendas.
My love for you, it's not the kind that fault
My love for you is genuine, and I won't let anyone or anything sway it.
So come on, baby, let the good times roll
Let's continue to enjoy our time together and not let others bring us down.
Let it roll now y'all...
Let's keep the good times going and not let anything stop us.
yeahw...
An exclamation of excitement and joy.
Love is nice when it's understood
Love is a beautiful thing when both partners understand each other.
It's even nicer when you're feeling good
Love is enhanced when both partners are happy and have positive feelings.
You got me flipping like a flag on a poll
You make me feel ecstatic and full of joy.
Come on, baby, let the good times roll
Let's continue to enjoy our time together and make the most of it.
Oh ho oh oh….
An exclamation of enjoyment and satisfaction.
Writer(s): Sam Theard, Fleecie Moore
Contributed by Ellie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mikecornish2679
I miss ur style bro..... I hope when my time comes, u'll have some beers waiting for me. U left this world way too soon, ur missed by way to many, I'll see u on the other side
@TheBluesology
It's me again : this track is just wowwwwwwww
@woozywin2612
this is music
@georgemarkey6396
Shine ended up being Dr.Johns guitar player but he was worth a lot more than that. He went back to his and my home town New Orleans 2 die bout 20 years ago now.
@georgemarkey6396
Check out some of the funk stuff Jr did later with Dr.John like "She Bout to Drive me Wild".
@allisonwang3047
This version of the track is just amaaaazing!
@cinammonimf
+suki wang
Yep! Thanks
@georgemarkey6396
Isn't it? Shines neighborhood the lower 9th Wats of New Orleans were all those great musicians and strange voodoo like religious cults came from was almost totally flatened by Katrina I'm glad he didn't live 2 c it.
@georgemarkey6396
George Markey this message is 4 suki with lovr
@DLilShine
@@georgemarkey6396 I'm glad he didn't as well, because he would have been right in ground zero. Sometimes I'm glad he's not here to see all of THIS that's going on right now, but I'm sure he's seen enough of it in his time, especially as a musician. It's been over 30 years now, and I miss him dearly to this very day.