There are two artists called Arthur Lee, the by far best known being the fr… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists called Arthur Lee, the by far best known being the frontman of the legendary psychedelic rock band, Love.

1. Prior to forming Love, Arthur Lee was a Los Angeles, CA, United States-based hustler, desperately searching for the formula that would make him a star. In the early 1960s he recorded some unsuccessful singles including one as The American Four ('Luci Baines' b/w 'Soul Food'). He also recorded a session for Rosa Lee Brooks which featured Jimi Hendrix as a session guitarist. Lee found his niche at last when he founded one of the '60s seminal garage/folk/psychedelic bands, Love, in 1965. The band which also featured fellow songwriter and singer Bryan Maclean, recorded three albums for Elektra, including the legendary Forever Changes. In 1968, Lee decided to scrap the idea of Love as a real band, kicked out all the remaining members and began recording with pickup bands and sessionmen.

The band's and Lee's fortunes quickly declined and Lee, never the most normal person in the best of times, began exhibiting erratic behavior as his drug intake began to take its toll. He recorded more unsuccessful albums under the Love moniker and also recorded his full-length solo début album, Vindicator (1972). After that, he began to fade away. Lee would regularly tour and recordings were made of these shows but he rarely returned to a studio or wrote new songs. In 1994, Lee recorded a new single ('Midnight Sun' b/w 'Girl on Fire'), although the B-side was actually salvaged from an unreleased album Lee recorded with Jimi Hendrix years before. Soon after this Lee's problems with the law took over his life. In 1995, Lee broke into an ex-girlfriend's apartment and tried to set it aflame.

He was bailed out by Rhino Records who had just released the Love Story compilation. In 1996, Lee was arrested for shooting a gun into the air during an argument with a neighbor and convicted on a illegal possession of a fire arm charge. Thanks to California's strict and sometimes unfair three strikes and you're out law, Lee (who had been convicted of a drug offense sometime in the 1980s) was sentenced to eight to twelve years in prison. In 2000, Rhino reissued an expanded version of Love's Forever Changes which served as a reminder just what a huge talent Arthur Lee was in his prime. On December, 12 2001 Lee was released from prison having served six years of his original sentence, a federal appeals court in California reversed the charge of negligent discharge of a firearm as they found the prosecuter at Lee's trial was guilty of misconduct.

In 2002, Arthur Lee began touring in earnest under the name Love with Arthur Lee. This new phase of his career met with great success, and he performed to enthusiastic audiences and critical acclaim throughout Europe, North America and Australia. The band began to perform the Forever Changes album in its entirety, often with a string and horn section. A live CD and DVD of this material was released in 2003.

Arthur Lee left the members of Baby Lemonade who, after prison, had backed him as Love in August 2005. The remaining members continued the tour as The Love Band. Lee carried the band name forward, hiring drummer Greg Roberson (Reigning Sound, Her Majesty's Buzz, Compulsive Gamblers) to put together a new line-up in Memphis, which was to include Adam Woodard, Alex Greene (Reigning Sound, Big Ass Truck), Jack "Oblivian" Yarber, Alicia Trout, and Johnny Echols from the original Love line-up.

In April 2006 it was reported that Lee was being treated for acute myeloid leukemia. A tribute fund was set up shortly after the announcement, with a series of benefit concerts to be performed to help pay medical bills. The most notable of these concerts was produced by Steve Weitzman of SW Productions at New York's Beacon Theater on June 23, 2006, and featured Robert Plant, Ian Hunter, Ryan Adams, Nils Lofgren, Yo La Tengo, Garland Jeffreys, Johnny Echols (Love's original lead guitarist) and Flashy Python & The Body Snatchers (featuring Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands say Yeah). Robert Plant, backed by Ian Hunter's band performed twelve songs, including five Led Zeppelin songs and five recorded by Love in the 60s ("Seven And Seven Is", "A House Is Not A Motel", "Bummer In The Summer", "Old Man" and "Hey Joe").

Later in 2006, despite aggressive treatment, including three bouts of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant using stem cells from an umbilical cord—which made him the first adult patient in Tennessee to receive this treatment—his condition worsened, and Lee passed away on August 3, 2006, at Memphis, TN's Methodist University Hospital, with his wife Diane at his side.

2. An indie game developer and artist. His website can be found at http://www.superfundungeonrun.com/

One And One
Arthur Lee Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well you′ve got wandering eyes
With a cocaine smile
And your wall to wall visions
With your super sensitive sounds

You know its so hard to communicate
When your body says go
But your mind says wait

And its oh so hard to be yourself
When you constantly think of something else
And you magnetize your brothers mind
With your vibes

Well you've got paranoia written on your face
As you check behind to see if all′s
In place
And you still can act as though your so surprised
As your body throbs
You seem to advertise

That its oh so hard to be yourself
When you constantly think of
Something else
And you hypnotize
Other peoples minds
With your vibes

And its oh so hard to be yourself
When you constantly think of something else
And you magnetize your brothers mind
With your vibes

Well you've got wandering eyes
With a cocaine smile
And your wall to wall visions
With your super sensitive sounds

You know its so hard to communicate
When your body says go
But your mind says wait

And its oh so hard to be yourself
When you constantly think of something else
And you magnetize your brothers mind
With your vibes

And its oh so hard to be yourself
When you constantly think of something else

And you magnetize your brothers mind
With your vibes

Overall Meaning

Arthur Lee's song "One And One" speaks of the confusing and conflicting feelings that arise when one tries to be true to oneself while still attempting to navigate the expectations of society. The lyrics describe a person with "wandering eyes," a "cocaine smile," and "paranoia written on [their] face." This person seems to be constantly searching for something, but unclear on what they are searching for. They have "wall to wall visions" and "super sensitive sounds," yet still struggle to communicate effectively, torn between the impulses of their body and the reservations of their mind.

The song is likely a reflection of the socially turbulent times in which it was written- during the 1960s counterculture movement in the United States. The lyrics suggest that even amidst the spirit of revolution and self-expression, there were still expectations and pressures to conform, making it difficult for some to truly be themselves. The repeated line "And its oh so hard to be yourself when you constantly think of something else" highlights this sense of struggle and the difficulty of finding one's true identity.

Overall, "One And One" is a poignant reflection on the dilemma of trying to balance societal expectations and individuality. The song paints a picture of a person with grand visions and intense emotions, yet still struggling to break free of the constraints of society.

Line by Line Meaning

Well you′ve got wandering eyes With a cocaine smile And your wall to wall visions With your super sensitive sounds
You have eyes that seem unsatisfied and a smile that seems unnatural. You have grand ideas and an acute sense of hearing.

You know its so hard to communicate When your body says go But your mind says wait
It's difficult to express yourself when your physical impulses conflict with your mental reservations.

And its oh so hard to be yourself When you constantly think of something else And you magnetize your brothers mind With your vibes
It's challenging to stay true to who you are when your mind is always on something else, and your behavior influences those around you.

Well you've got paranoia written on your face As you check behind to see if all′s In place And you still can act as though your so surprised As your body throbs You seem to advertise
You appear worried and hesitant, always looking over your shoulder to check if everything is in order. Despite your obvious discomfort, you pretend to be clueless while your body betrays your true emotions.

And you hypnotize Other peoples minds With your vibes
Your demeanor can have an impact on those around you, almost like a hypnotic effect.

Well you've got wandering eyes With a cocaine smile And your wall to wall visions With your super sensitive sounds
You have eyes that seem unsatisfied and a smile that seems unnatural. You have grand ideas and an acute sense of hearing.

You know its so hard to communicate When your body says go But your mind says wait
It's difficult to express yourself when your physical impulses conflict with your mental reservations.

Writer(s): Arthur Lee

Contributed by Sarah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Tony Corden

2y↑3

I seem to be the only person who absolutely loves this album....or is there anyone else ?

BCWR🜀

12y↑4

Lyrics'.... such a great song, Arthur Lee was a genius... A man ahead of his time. Great post.

dixgun

12y↑2

Well you’ve got wandering eyes With a cocaine smile And your wall-to-wall visions with your Super-sensitive sounds You know it’s oh so hard to Communicate When your body says no and your Mind says wait And it’s oh so hard to be yourself When you’ll constantly think of something else And you magnetize your brother’s mind With your vibes