He first appeared on the local Detroit scene in 1961 fronting a three-piece band called the Decibels. After they disbanded, Seger joined the four-piece Town Criers, a four-piece band who gained a steady following covered songs like "Louie Louie".
Seger soon left to join R&B group Doug Brown & the Omens. While Brown was the primary lead vocalist for the group, Seger would take the lead on some R&B covers. It was with this group that Seger first appeared on an officially released recording, the single "TGIF" backed with "First Girl". Around this time, Seger met his longtime manager Edward "Punch" Andrews, and began writing and producing for other acts that Andrews was managing, such as the Mama Cats and the Mushrooms (with future Eagle Glenn Frey). Andrews and his business partner Leone approached Seger and Brown 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.
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 Bob 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 potential to break out nationally when Cameo-Parkway suddenly went out of business.
Seger and Andrews began searching for a new label. In the spring of 1968, Bob Seger & the Last Heard signed with Capitol Records, turning down Motown, who offered more money, as Seger felt that Capitol was more appropriate for his style of music. Capitol subsequently changed the name of the band to The Bob Seger System, a name which they would use until 1970 when Seger began a solo career.
Heavy Music
Bob Seger & The Last Heard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the big bad beat comes on
I know you gotta dig it child
I know you can't stop
Come on a little too strong
I'm talkin 'bout heavy music
Heavy music
Heavy music, Heavy music
Don't you ever feel like goin' insane
When the drummer begin to pound
Ain't there ever been a time in your little lives
You couldn't believe what the band is puttin' down, about
Heavy music
Heavy music
Heavy music
Heavy music
Get your hands now
Let me hear Detroit Michigan make some noise!
Get your hands
Get your hands
Get your hands
Alright people
We got the 16 track tape machine rollin' out back.
If you'll sing with me just a little bit,
I won't guarantee it, but you just might end up on an album
Heavy music
Heavy music
Heavy music
Heavy music
Your turn
Heavy music
Heavy music
Heavy music
Heavy music
Said when it's late at night, late at night
Let me tell you
When you got a headache
A little headache powder will help you
When you got a backache
Go down To John R. & Brush and a massage parlor will take care of you.
When it's late at night late at night late at night
Late at night
Late at night
Late at night
Late at night
When you got a heartache there ain't nothing you can do
When you got a heartache late at night
Ain't a thing you can do
Charlie knows
There ain't nothing you can do
There ain't nothing you can do
There ain't nothing you can do
There ain't nothing you can do
There ain't nothing you can do
There ain't nothing you can do
There ain't nothing you can do
There ain't nothing you can do
You can try and try
You can cry and cry
You can get real high
But there ain't nothing you can do
When you get that feeling
When you get that lonely feeling
When you get that
When you get that
Feeling comin' on
Say yeah yeah
Say yeah yeah
Say yeah yeah
Said I can feel it coming on
I can feel it coming on
Oh and I get so lonely
Said I get so lonely
You know I gotta get away
I gotta get away
I gotta go somewhere
Somewhere where nobody knows my name
The song Heavy Music by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band is a tribute to the power of rock and roll music. The lyrics are an encouragement to the listener to let go and embrace the loud, driving beats of heavy music. Seger sings about the feeling of being overwhelmed by the energy of the music, and how it can transport you to a different emotional state. The driving drum beats and guitar riffs are emphasized throughout the song, and Seger’s vocals are raspy and commanding.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of escapism through music. When life gets tough, we can turn to music to help us forget our problems and feel alive again. Seger sings about the different ways that people deal with pain – taking headache powder or going to a massage parlor – but notes that there is nothing that can take away the pain of a broken heart. The repetition of the line “there ain’t nothing you can do” emphasizes the sense of hopelessness that can come with heartache, but the song ends on a high note as Seger declares his need to get away and find a place where nobody knows his name.
Overall, Heavy Music is a celebration of the power of rock and roll to inspire and energize. The driving beats and raw vocals create a sense of excitement and abandon that is sure to get the listener moving.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't you ever listen to the radio
Have you never heard music that just made you want to move?
When the big bad beat comes on
When a particularly powerful and exhilarating rhythm begins to play
I know you gotta dig it child
I know that you can relate and enjoy this music too
I know you can't stop
It's hard not to move your body when the music is this good
Come on a little too strong
It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of the music and let loose
I'm talkin 'bout heavy music
I'm referring to the kind of music that hits you hard and sticks with you
Get your hands now
Let me hear Detroit Michigan make some noise!
Put your hands together and make some noise if you're from Detroit, Michigan!
Alright people
We got the 16 track tape machine rollin' out back.
If you'll sing with me just a little bit,
I won't guarantee it, but you just might end up on an album
Attention everyone, we have a recording studio set up and if you sing along, you might just end up on our album!
Said when it's late at night, late at night
Let me tell you
When you got a headache
A little headache powder will help you
When you got a backache
Go down To John R. & Brush and a massage parlor will take care of you.
Late at night, when you're in pain, there are remedies like headache powders or massages that can alleviate it
When you got a heartache there ain't nothing you can do
When you got a heartache late at night
Ain't a thing you can do
When you have emotional pain, there may not be much you can do to fix it, especially late at night
Charlie knows
There ain't nothing you can do
There ain't nothing you can do
There ain't nothing you can do
There ain't nothing you can do
There ain't nothing you can do
There ain't nothing you can do
There ain't nothing you can do
Charlie understands that sometimes there's just no solution to emotional pain
You can try and try
You can cry and cry
You can get real high
But there ain't nothing you can do
When you get that feeling
When you get that lonely feeling
When you get that
When you get that
Feeling comin' on
You can attempt to distract yourself or cope with the pain, but sometimes the loneliness just hits too hard
Said I can feel it coming on
I can feel it coming on
Oh and I get so lonely
Said I get so lonely
You know I gotta get away
I gotta get away
I gotta go somewhere
Somewhere where nobody knows my name
I can sense the sadness creeping up on me and it's making me feel incredibly lonely. I need to escape to a place where I'm not known by anyone
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BOB SEGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind