In 1976, he achieved a national breakout with the studio album Night Moves. On his studio albums, he also worked extensively with the Alabama-based Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, which appeared on several of Seger's best-selling singles and albums.
Seger's first marriage in 1968 lasted for "one day short of a year". He had a long-term relationship with Jan Dinsdale from 1972 until 1983. In 1987, he married actress Annette Sinclair and they divorced one year later. He married Juanita Dorricott in 1993, in a small private setting at The Village Club, in Bloomfield Hills; they have two children. Seger lives mainly at his home in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. He owns a condo in Naples, Florida.
Politically, Seger has characterized himself as a centrist: "[I'm] right down the middle", he remarked. He supported Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. He tackled antiestablishment themes in early songs such as "2+2=?" (1968) and "U.M.C. (Upper Middle Class)" (1974), according to Brian McCollum of the Detroit Free Press. On his 2014 album Ride Out, he addressed topics such as gun violence, and wrote "It's Your World" about climate change. On the subject, he said, "There are a lot of culprits in climate change, and everybody's responsible, myself included. Nobody gets a free pass on this one. We've got to change our ways and change them fast.
A roots rocker with a classic raspy, shouting voice, Seger wrote and recorded songs that deal with love, women and blue-collar themes and is an example of heartland rock. Seger has recorded many hits, including "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man", "Night Moves", "Turn the Page", "Still the Same", "We've Got Tonight", "Against the Wind", "You'll Accomp'ny Me", "Shame on the Moon", "Like a Rock", and "Shakedown", which was written for Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). Seger also co-wrote the Eagles' number-one hit "Heartache Tonight", and his iconic recording of "Old Time Rock and Roll" was named one of the Songs of the Century in 2001.
With a career spanning six decades, Seger continues to perform and record today. Seger was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012. Seger was named Billboard's 2015 Legend of Live honoree at the 12th annual Billboard Touring Conference & Awards, held November 18–19 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York.
Seger was known as one of the last holdouts regarding making his catalog available for digital download and streaming. However, as of 2017, much of his work is available.
East Side Story
Bob Seger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She gazed into the eyes of love
Bathed in the dirty neon lights
She begged him "don't go out tonight"
If we work out somehow maybe
We could find a way out baby
And he laughed and said "I got to go"
And she cried "no"
Oh Johnny Johnny no
His arms were warm and strong and young
"I promise I won't hurt no one"
"Oh baby when you gonna learn,
Them folks uptown got bread to burn,
When they see me flash my knife,
They'll be fearin' for their live,
They won't give me trouble this I know"
And she cried no
Oh Johnny Johnny no
Johnny Johnny no
The night passed like a thousand years
The tenemant room had culled her tears
Then came a knock upon the door
Two men she'd never seen before
"Did you know Johnny Brown miss?
We hate to tell you this but
Has he a relative you know?"
And she cried no
Oh Johnny Johnny no
Oh Johnny why'd you go?
The song "East Side Story" by Bob Seger is a narrative of a doomed love story set on the rough side of town. The singer, a young woman, and her lover, Johnny Brown, are planning a future together in spite of their current circumstances. She pleads with him not to go out and risk his life along with the more violent members of the community. She is aware of the dangers around them, but he reassures her, telling her that he won't hurt anyone. He is confident that he will not face any problems with the uptown residents when using his knife for protection. Despite her distress, he leaves for the night.
The next day, she receives the devastating news that he was killed, and two strange men come to inform her. The song finishes with her grieving and questioning why he had to leave.
The lyrics tell a vivid story of young love and the harsh realities of life on the East Side. The singer, along with Johnny Brown, represents the struggles of many young couples in disadvantaged areas. The woman, aware of the dangers around her, is looking for a way out, but the man is trapped in a cycle of violence and crime, leading to his tragic end. The repeated refrain of "Johnny, Johnny no" captures the desperation and heartbreak of the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Beneath the bare light bulb above
In the dim light of a single bulb, hanging from the ceiling above.
She gazed into the eyes of love
She looked into the eyes of a man she loved very much.
Bathed in the dirty neon lights
Surrounded by the flickering, artificial glow of neon lights that illuminated the grime and dirt of the city streets.
She begged him "don't go out tonight"
She implored him with all her heart not to leave her alone that night.
If we work out somehow maybe
We could find a way out baby
And he laughed and said "I got to go"
And she cried "no"
She desperately hoped that their difficult situation could somehow be resolved, but he dismissed her pleas and left her heartbroken.
Johnny Johnny no
Oh Johnny Johnny no
She repeats his name in anguish, begging him not to leave her alone and unprotected.
His arms were warm and strong and young
"I promise I won't hurt no one"
He was a strong, youthful man who promised her that he wouldn't hurt anyone.
"Oh baby when you gonna learn,
Them folks uptown got bread to burn,
When they see me flash my knife,
They'll be fearin' for their live,
They won't give me trouble this I know"
He explained to her his methods for getting by in the city, using intimidation and violence to scare the wealthy people living uptown who had plenty of money to spare.
And she cried no
Oh Johnny Johnny no
Johnny Johnny no
She persisted in begging him not to leave her, her desperation growing more intense by the minute.
The night passed like a thousand years
The tenemant room had culled her tears
The long, lonely night passed slowly and painfully, filled with tears and sorrow.
Then came a knock upon the door
Two men she'd never seen before
"Did you know Johnny Brown miss?
We hate to tell you this but
Has he a relative you know?"
And she cried no
Oh Johnny Johnny no
The police arrived the next day to inform her that Johnny had been killed, and she was left alone to grieve and mourn her loss.
Oh Johnny why'd you go?
She anguished over his decision to leave her alone in such a dangerous place, wishing more than anything that he had stayed with her instead.
Writer(s): Bob Seger Copyright: Gear Publishing Company Inc.
Contributed by Audrey O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@amrak5028
One of the best songs I have ever HEARD.
I was around when this was released in 1966.
Bob was a star in this, his first record, with the band The Last Heard.
For a Life time of efforts, Bob kicked it out Hard with this "HEAVY MUSIC".
Thank God for Mr. & Mrs. Stewart Seger.
The following excerpt is a great read from W iki,
Doug Brown & The Omens
As the Town Criers began landing more gigs, Bob Seger met a man named Doug Brown, backed by a band called The Omens. Seger joined Doug Brown & The Omens, who presumably had a bigger following than the Town Criers. While Doug Brown was the primary lead vocalist for the group, Seger would take the lead on some songs—covering R&B numbers.[8] It was with this group that Seger first appeared on an officially released recording: the 1965 single "TGIF" backed with "First Girl", credited to Doug Brown and The Omens. Seger later appeared on Doug Brown and The Omens' parody of Barry Sadler's song "Ballad of the Green Berets" which was re-titled "Ballad of the Yellow Beret" and mocked draft evaders. Soon after its release, Sadler and his record label threatened Brown and his band with a lawsuit, and the recording was withdrawn from the market.
While Bob was a member of The Omens, he met his longtime manager Edward "Punch" Andrews, who at the time was partnered with Dave Leone running the Hideout franchise, which consisted of four club locations from Clawson to Rochester Hills, where local acts would play, and a small-scale record label. Seger began writing and producing for other acts that Punch was managing, such as the Mama Cats and the Mushrooms (with Frey). Seger and Doug Brown were then approached by Punch and Leone to write a song for the Underdogs, another local band who recently had a hit with a song called "Man in the Glass". Seger contributed a song called "East Side Story", which ultimately proved to be a failure for the Underdogs.
The Last Heard
Seger decided to record "East Side Story" himself, and officially left the Omens (though he did retain Doug Brown as a producer). As Bob Seger and the Last Heard, Seger released his version of the song with Hideout Records in January 1966, and it became his first big Detroit hit. The single (backed with "East Side Sound", an instrumental version of "East Side Story") sold 50,000 copies, mostly in the Detroit area, and led to a contract with Cameo-Parkway Records. Though the name "The Last Heard" originally referred to the collection of Omens and Town Criers who recorded "East Side Story" with Seger, it soon became the name of Seger's permanent band, which consisted of former Town Crier Pep Perrine on drums, Carl Lagassa on guitar, and Dan Honaker on bass. Following "East Side Story", the group released four more singles: the James Brown-inspired holiday single "Sock It to Me Santa", the Dylan-esque "Persecution Smith", "Vagrant Winter", and perhaps the most notable, "Heavy Music", released in 1967. "Heavy Music", which sold even more copies than "East Side Story", had the potential to break out nationally when Cameo-Parkway suddenly went out of business. It was a top 100 hit in Canada, where it topped out on the national RPM charts at No. 82; in the US, it just missed the Hot 100, peaking on the "bubbling under" chart at No. 103. The song would stay in Seger's live act for many years to come.
The Bob Seger System
After Cameo-Parkway folded, Seger and Punch began searching for a new label. In the spring of 1968, Bob Seger & the Last Heard signed with major label Capitol Records, turning down Motown Records, who offered more money than Capitol. Seger felt that Capitol was more appropriate for his genre than Motown.
@shredneck2260
Beneath the bare light bulb above
She gazed into the eyes of love
Bathed in the dirty neon lights
She begged him "don't go out tonight"
If we work out somehow maybe
We could find a way out baby
And he laughed and said "I got to go"
And she cried "no"
Johnny Johnny no
Oh Johnny Johnny no
His arms were warm and strong and young
"I promise I won't hurt no one"
"Oh baby when you gonna learn,
Them folks uptown got bread to burn,
When they see me flash my knife,
They'll be fearin' for their live,
They won't give me trouble this I know"
And she cried no
Oh Johnny Johnny no
Johnny Johnny no
The night passed like a thousand years
The tenemant room had culled her tears
Then came a knock upon the door
Two men she'd never seen before
"Did you know Johnny Brown miss?
We hate to tell you this but
Has he a relative you know?"
And she cried no
Oh Johnny Johnny no
Oh Johnny why'd you go?
@guymerritt4860
I bought this record, from the stage, when Seger played at The Fenton Community Center for a kid's dance one night. It was either 25 or 50 cents to get in, there was a horrible snowstorm, and me and my buddy went to this dance anyway - couldn't have been more than 20 kids in the place. He was still doing cover tunes, mostly....think it was 1966.
@amrak5028
WOW, Fantastic story. I am jealous in Cleveland.
@rickhibdon11
Workin man's music, from the workin man's city, in the workin man's state. Music this good was everywhere in MI back in the 60's. No effects, no auto tune, garage music at its peak. The world will never hear or see this like again.
@kennethmartindale8771
Grew up in Pontiac in the 60s and 70s the music was incredible!!
@blueyzblue6391
Saw Seger when he was still garage band Seger (The Bob Seger System) for $1.25 at Aquinas High School more times than I can count. East Side Story, Heavy Music, 2 + 2, Ramblin Gamblin Man, Persecution Smith, Lucifer, ...Saw Alice Cooper there many times, as well. Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes at Kennedy Ice Rink, Gladys Knight & her Pips when I was on Swingin Time, The MC5 all over town, and The Stooges at The Grande, where I met Iggy. We dated for a short time. Us kids in the Detroit area didn't even know how spoiled rotten we were. Lol
@timleachman7915
His old stuff is the BEST!!!!!
@timothyflanigan1777
Bob Seger is such a brilliant singer,song writer and live performer. his music, will always be timeless.
@nightintheruts617
this may be hands down the best Seger vid ever, been a lifelong fan but never heard this my new fav song
@amrak5028
Hey, maybe it's Time to listen again. I just did and posted a comment myself 9/29/22
@dougbeilharz2768
Swingin' Time with Robin Seymour was a local Detroit TV show. Epic early Seger!