The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop band of the 1970s. Their youthful,… Read Full Bio ↴The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop band of the 1970s. Their youthful, clean-cut image, distinct styling featuring tartan-trimmed outfits, and cheery, sing-along pop hits helped the group become among the most popular musical acts of their time. For a relatively brief but fervent period (nicknamed "Rollermania"), they were a worldwide sensation.

Bassist Alan Longmuir, his younger brother Derek Longmuir, a drummer, along with school mate, lead singer Gordon "Nobby" Clark founded the group in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1967, as The Saxons. Shortly afterwards, seeking a less English-sounding moniker, they chose a new name allegedly by throwing a dart at a map of the United States. The dart landed on the map in the state of Arkansas, but since "Arkansas Rollers" did not sound quite right, and might also lead to problems with pronunciation, they tried again and this time the dart landed near the community of Bay City, Michigan.

The Bay City Rollers were managed from early on by the imposing and controversial Tam Paton, himself a former big band leader. Paton was notorious for his rigid control over all aspects of the band's career, including the shuffling in and out of group members at a very high rate. Short term members from this period include David Paton (member 1969-1970) and Billy Lyall (member 1969-1971), who went on to be founding members of another successful Edinburgh band, Pilot.

The Bay City Rollers received their first break when prominent record executive Dick Leahy caught their act by chance in an Edinburgh club. After signing with Leahy's Bell Records, the band's first hit was "Keep on Dancing" (UK #9, 1971), a cover of a 1965 Gentrys hit, recorded at the suggestion of pop impresario and producer Jonathan King. (Singer Nobby Clark was backed on vocals on "Keep on Dancing" by King himself.) Upon this release's success, they made guest appearances on BBC-TV's Top of the Pops. The group then won a Radio Luxembourg-sponsored song contest with the tune "Mañana", which was later popular in parts of Europe and in Israel.

Several non-charting singles were released over the following two years. This period did see the addition of long term members Eric Faulkner and Stuart "Woody" Wood.

In late 1973 they narrowly missed the UK chart with "Saturday Night", one of many singles written and produced for the band by the highly successful songwriting duo of Scotsman Bill Martin and Irishman Phil Coulter.

By the end of 1973, Nobby Clark had become disillusioned by the band's lack of success and decided to move on. He was replaced as lead singer by Leslie McKeown.

The five members at the very end of 1973 - the Longmuir brothers, Faulkner, Wood and McKeown - are generally referred to as the "classic line-up". In early 1974 McKeown hastily re-recorded lead vocals of the group's forthcoming single, "Remember (Sha La La La)", which became a sizable hit and a lead in to a series of UK chart hits.

Beginning with "Remember" (UK #6), the Rollers' popularity exploded, and they released a string of very successful hits on the British charts. Following in succession were "Shang-a-Lang" (UK #2), "Summerlove Sensation" (UK #3), and "All of Me Loves All of You" (UK #4).

By early 1975, they were one of the highest-selling acts in Britain. That year saw a successful UK tour (which prompted newspaper headlines about "Rollermania"), and a 20-week UK television series, Shang-a-Lang.

A cover of the Four Seasons' "Bye, Bye, Baby", stayed at #1 in the UK for six weeks in the spring of 1975, selling nearly a million copies to become the biggest seller of the year, and the subsequent single "Give a Little Love" topped the charts that summer, their second #1 hit. At the peak of their popularity in the UK, comparisons were even made to The Beatles.

By this time, BCR fans had a completely distinctive style of dress, the main elements of which were ankle length tartan trousers and tartan scarves which they had copied from another Tam Paton Band "Bilbo Baggins".

As the group's popularity swelled to superstardom in the UK, a concerted effort was made by Arista Records (the record company that evolved from Bell) to launch the Rollers in America. New Arista head Clive Davis was instrumental in grooming and overseeing the project. His work paid off as in early '76, the Rollers reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with "Saturday Night", the song which had missed the UK chart completely two years earlier. A second US hit came with "Money Honey" which hit #9, and finally reaching a lackluster 62 with a cover version of Dusty's love power. Prior to that, they made their American TV debut on Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell singing Saturday Night.

The dark side of the band's unending schedule of tours and appearances was the great amount of stress the band members felt. By early '76, the strain of success (and the discomfort of a mature man in a teen band) had taken its toll on bassist Alan Longmuir, who decided to leave the group. He was replaced for 7 months by 17 year old Ian Mitchell - the first band member born outside of Edinburgh, Scotland (he was from Northern Ireland). With Mitchell, the group released an album titled Dedication, and hit the charts with a cover version of the Dusty Springfield song "I Only Want To Be With You", which reached US #12, as well as "Yesterday's Hero" and "Dedication".

As the Rollers' popularity waned, the shuffling of personnel continued: Mitchell quit the band, replaced by Pat McGlynn. The group's commercial success began to decline towards the end of the 1970s. In 1977, they covered an unsuccessful 1973 single by String Driven Thing, "It's a Game" to give them their final UK Top 20 hit (#16 in the spring), but "You Made Me Believe in Magic" could only make #34 in the summer. It managed to just crack the top ten in the United States, but this would be their final major success there too. Summer of 1977 saw the group release the It's a Game album and world tour as a four-piece group - McKeown, Wood, Faulkner and Derek Longmuir.

In 1978, Alan Longmuir reunited with the band for the recording of Strangers in the Wind. The release of this LP was timed to coincide with the debut of the Rollers' US television show "The Krofft Superstar Hour" later renamed "The Bay City Rollers Show" on the NBC network. The show was a poor match for the band. Their time in the teen-idol spotlight was slipping away and their music had matured and become more sophisticated compared to the bubblegum hits they had released in '75-'76. The show and album were each dismal failures.

Les McKeown left to pursue a solo career after an on-stage fight with Faulkner in Japan.The Rollers fired Tam Paton in 1979. South African-born Duncan Faure was hired to replace McKeown as lead vocalist and the band shortened its name to The Rollers. Three albums were issued under this name, including Voxx (1980) and 1981's Ricochet, before the group disbanded.

During the 1980s and 1990s, there were various short-lived revivals featuring some of the original members, including a New Year's Eve 1999 concert. Interest was rekindled in Britain by television documentaries about the group and a television-advertised compilation of greatest hits, which entered the UK charts on release in 2004 at its #11 peak.

Currently, there is one touring version using the group's name: Les McKeown's Legendary Bay City Rollers.

Alan Longmuir died on 2 July 2018 in an Edinburgh hospital after contracting an illness while on holiday in Mexico. He was 70.

Give a Little Love
Bay City Rollers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's a teenage dream to be seventeen
And to find you're all wrapped up in love
And I found that you made a dream come true
Now I do believe in what they say

You've got to give a little love, take a little love
Be prepared to forsake a little love
And when the sun comes shining through

We'll know what to do

Give a little love, take a little love
Be prepared to forsake a little love
And when the sun comes shining through
We'll know what to do

When I walk with you there is just we two
And the world goes by and I just don't care-are
And I know one day I will find a way
To be safe and sound within your heart

So until I do, gonna give a little love, take a little love
Be prepared to forsake a little love
And when the sun comes shining through
We'll know what to do

Give a little love, take a little love
Be prepared to forsake a little love
And when the sun comes shining through
We'll know what to do

Give a little love, take a little love
Be prepared to forsake a little love
And when the sun comes shining through
We'll know what to do

Give a little love, take a little love
Be prepared to forsake a little love
And when the sun comes shining through
We'll know what to do

You've got to give a little love, take a little love
Be prepared to forsake a little love
And when the sun comes shining through
We'll know what to do

Give a little love, take a little love
Be prepared to forsake a little love

Overall Meaning

"Give a Little Love" by Bay City Rollers is a classic and timeless song that speaks about one's quest for love and the willingness to do what it takes to find it. The opening lyric, "It's a teenage dream to be seventeen and to find you're all wrapped up in love" sets the tone for the song. The singer yearns for love and believes that it is a dream that can come true. The lyrics suggest that love is give-and-take, requiring an equal amount of effort from both parties. It encourages listeners to be prepared to give up something, even if it's just a little, to make it work.

Throughout the song, the lyrics take us on a journey of love and self-discovery. The singer acknowledges that finding love may not be easy, but they're willing to try. "So until I do, gonna give a little love, take a little love, be prepared to forsake a little love" suggests that they're ready to take risks, even if it means they'll have to give up something in return.

The chorus of the song reiterates the message that love is about compromise and that when the sun comes shining through, they'll know what to do. The repetition of the phrase, "give a little love, take a little love, be prepared to forsake a little love" emphasizes the importance of balance in relationships.

Overall, "Give a Little Love" is a simple yet profound song that speaks to the universal human experience of love and relationships. It encourages the listener to be brave, take risks, and to remember that love is not always about getting, but also about giving.

Line by Line Meaning

It's a teenage dream to be seventeen
Being young and in love is a desire for most teenagers.

And to find you're all wrapped up in love
Being fully and completely in love is something everyone wishes for.

And I found that you made a dream come true
Meeting someone who makes your dream come true is a beautiful feeling.

Now I do believe in what they say
Experiencing love confirms that what others say about it is true.

You've got to give a little love, take a little love
For love to flourish, both parties need to give and take equally.

Be prepared to forsake a little love
Sometimes, you need to compromise or sacrifice a little of your love for the other person's sake.

And when the sun comes shining through
When everything is going well and life is bright and positive, cherish it.

We'll know what to do
By giving and taking love equally and making sacrifices, we'll know how to handle any situation.

When I walk with you there is just we two
When in love, everything else fades away and it's just the two people walking together.

And the world goes by and I just don't care-are
Being in love makes the world irrelevant and unimportant.

And I know one day I will find a way
Finding a way to be together is a persistent hope for the future.

To be safe and sound within your heart
Being loved deeply and fully is a sense of safety and comfort.

So until I do, gonna give a little love, take a little love
Until they are safely and fully in each other's hearts, they will keep working on giving and taking love equally.

And when the sun comes shining through
When life is bright and positive again, they'll know how to handle it.

We'll know what to do
By giving and taking love equally and making sacrifices, we'll know how to handle any situation.

Give a little love, take a little love
For love to flourish, both parties need to give and take equally.