Born in Baytown, Texas, Robert Gaston Fuller spent most of his youth in El Paso, Texas, where he idolized Buddy Holly, a fellow West Texan. He played clubs, bars, and recorded on independent record labels in Texas, with a constantly-changing line-up, during the early 1960s. The only constant band members were Bobby himself (on vocals and guitar), and his younger brother, Randy, on bass. All of these independent releases (except two songs that were recorded at the studio of Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico) were recorded in the Fullers' own home-cum-studio, with Bobby acting as the producer. He even built a primitive echo chamber in the backyard. The quality of the recordings, using a couple of microphones and a mixing board purchased from a local radio station, was so impressive that he even offered the use of his 'studio' to local acts for free so he could hone his production skills.
Bobby moved to Los Angeles in 1964 with his band The Bobby Fuller Four and was signed to Mustang Records by producer Bob Keane, noted for discovering Ritchie Valens and producing many surf music groups.
At a time when the British invasion and folk rock were culturally dominant, Fuller stuck to Buddy Holly's style of classic rock and roll with Tex Mex flourishes. His recordings reveal the influence of Eddie Cochran, the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Little Richard and the Everly Brothers in cover recordings and original compositions, as well as instrumental surf guitar. Less well known was Fuller's ability to emulate the reverb-laden surf guitar sounds of Dick Dale and the Ventures. His first Top 40 hit was "Let Her Dance" written by Bobby Fuller. His second hit "I Fought the Law" hit #4 on Billboard and was written by Sonny Curtis, a former member of Holly's group The Crickets, and recorded by the line-up of the Fuller brothers, James Reese on guitar and Dalton Powell on drums. His third Top 40 hit was the Buddy Holly cover song "Love's Made a Fool of You".
Just as "I Fought The Law" became a top ten hit, Bobby Fuller was found dead in a parked automobile near his Los Angeles home. The police considered the death an apparent suicide, however many people still believe Fuller was murdered. He was found with multiple wounds all over his body and covered in gasoline leading many to speculate that the perpetrators fled before they could set the car on fire. He is buried in the Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Misirlou
Bobby Fuller Four Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Natives kneel in prayer by their caravans.
There, silhouetted under and eastern star,
I see my long lost blossom of shalimar
You, Misirlou, Are the moon and the sun, fairest one.
We'll find our Kismet, answering love's command.
You, Misirlou, are a dream of delight in the night.
To an oasis, sprinkled by stars above,
Heaven will guide us, Allah will bless our love.
The lyrics of Bobby Fuller Four's song "Misirlou" tell the tale of a desert romance, where the singer is wandering through the sands and comes across a vision of his "long lost blossom," the "fairest one" named Misirlou. The romanticism of the lyrics is accentuated by the soft, lilting melody of the song, which creates images of a mysterious, exotic love story unfolding under the stars. The caravans, temple bells, and Eastern stars all lend the song a sense of whimsy and magic, while the idea of heaven and Allah blessing the love between the singer and Misirlou speaks to the idea of true, authentic love that transcends cultural differences and the physical world.
The song "Misirlou" has been covered by a wide variety of artists over the years, including Dick Dale and His Del-Tones, who helped popularize the song in the United States with a surf rock version in the early 1960s. In recent years, the song has also been used in popular culture, appearing in movies like "Pulp Fiction" and the video game "Guitar Hero III." Despite its many covers and adaptations, the original version of "Misirlou" by the Bobby Fuller Four remains a classic example of early rock music that continues to inspire listeners to this day.
Line by Line Meaning
Desert shadows creep across purple sands.
The shadows of the desert slowly move along the purplish sand.
Natives kneel in prayer by their caravans.
The people who live there kneel in prayer at their caravans.
There, silhouetted under and eastern star,
In this place, defined by a star that rests toward the east,
I see my long lost blossom of shalimar
I see the person I lost long ago, like a flower from the city of Shalimar.
You, Misirlou, Are the moon and the sun, fairest one.
You are the most beautiful and radiant thing in my life, my dearest Misirlou.
Old temple bells are calling across the sand.
Bells from an old temple can be heard ringing from afar.
We'll find our Kismet, answering love's command.
We'll find what destiny has in store for us, doing what our love commands.
You, Misirlou, are a dream of delight in the night.
You, Misirlou, are a beautiful dream that brings happiness in the night.
To an oasis, sprinkled by stars above,
We'll go to an oasis, where we can see the stars above,
Heaven will guide us, Allah will bless our love.
God will guide and bless our love.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Fred Wise, Jose Pina, Milton Leeds, Nicholas Roubanis, Sidney Russell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
El Guido
I really love Dick Dale's Version, but this is pure HeavyMetalSpeedRocknRoll!!! A Masterpiece!
karpathy1
I never knew that Bobby Fuller did Misirlou . WOW!
Lori Palmus
LOVE THIS.... We all missed out on a life time of amazing music from this talented guy!
ElComadreja777
This is the killer version IMO.
Lamar James
When you can play Misirlou like this or like Dick or like Dave Wronski of Slacktone, who's better is a matter of taste or whatever hits you at the time. These guys are on a whole other level than the average guitar player!
johnnydelmar
Hey, give the drummer, bassist and rhythm guitar players some credit!
Wilfried Saathoff
Greatest version of all time
JHINTON69
BOBBY WAS FANTASTIC, a GENUS!! Us original fans from El Paso will always love him. He was murdered the day he was to meet and cancel his contract with Bob Kane-Delfi- Bobby took old music and made it cutting edge, mod, NOW!!! He has NO equal in that. THANKS FOR THE MEMORY!!!
Nathanial Hornblower
Love this just found it. And its awesome..
SlashMan.EXE
Never said any version was better, but you just replied with your own opinion. The point was that both artists deserve their credit, it's not a competition. Enjoy the music.