In 1984 Hornsby formed Bruce Hornsby & the Range, who were signed to RCA Records in 1985. Besides Hornsby, Range members were David Mansfield (guitar, mandolin, violin), George Marinelli (guitars and backing vocals), Joe Puerta (bass guitar and backing vocals), and John Molo (drums).
During the 1990s he toured with the Grateful Dead, and released four albums, including A Night on the Town (1990) after which he split from The Range. Harbor Lights (1993) was his first solo album and signaled Hornsby was moving in a new jazz-influenced direction, whilst retaining elements of rock and pop. Later releases include Hot House (1995) and Spirit Trail (1998).
His experimental album Big Swing Face (2002) attracted much criticism as it veered away from his piano-based style. Despite these criticisms, he returned with his next studio album, shrugging off RCA and signing to Sony Music Entertainment. Halcyon Days, released in 2004, saw a return to the piano as the key instrument; this album also became the premise for his world tour the same year.
Hornsby continues to tour with his live band "The Noisemakers", in addition to solo shows and his progressive bluegrass performances with Ricky Skaggs.
In 2007 he released Camp Meeting, his first total jazz album as The Bruce Hornsby Trio, which involved jazz giants, Jack DeJohnette and Christian McBride with whom he made live appearances with throughout 2007.
In March 2007 Hornsby teamed with bluegrass player Ricky Skaggs to produce a bluegrass album, Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby, and played several tour dates together. The seeds for the album had been sown in 2000 when the pair collaborated on "Darlin' Cory", a track on the Big Mon Bill Monroe bluegrass tribute album and then proposed recording an album together. Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby, featuring the duo backed by Skaggs's band Kentucky Thunder, combined bluegrass, traditional country, "a tinge of Hornsby's jazzy piano and a splash of humor" on a spectrum of songs from the traditional to new compositions such as the opening track "The Dreaded Spoon," "a humorous tale of a youthful ice cream heist. The pair also reinvented Hornsby's hit "Mandolin Rain" as a minor key acoustic ballad and "give his cautionary tale of backwoods violence", "A Night On the Town," a treatment highlighting the "Appalachian storytelling tradition that was always at the song's heart. The album ended with a surprise cover of Rick James's funk hit "Super Freak" in a bluegrass arrangement. Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby topped Billboard's bluegrass charts for several weeks. The album showed Hornsby carving out a place for piano within traditional bluegrass, disproving the notion that the piano is not compatible with "string-oriented" bluegrass.
Concurrently with the bluegrass project, Hornsby recorded a jazz album, Camp Meeting. with Christian McBride (bass) and Jack DeJohnette (drums). Alongside original compositions by Hornsby, the trio delivered "newly reharmonized versions" of tunes by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, a previously unrecorded Ornette Coleman work ("Questions and Answers") and an early Keith Jarrett composition ("Death and the Flower.") The trio made a series of appearances in the summer of 2007, including the Playboy Jazz Festival, the Newport Jazz Festival and at the Hollywood Bowl.
On January 4, 2007, former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart reunited along with Hornsby, Mike Gordon (of Phish and the Rhythm Devils) and Warren Haynes to play two sets. including Dead classics, at a post-inauguration fundraising party for Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House in the United States Congress.
Hornsby wrote songs for a Broadway Musical, titled "SCKBSTD"; one song from this project, a playful biographical tune about real-estate tycoon Donald Trump titled "The Don of Dons," made several appearances in setlists during his early-2007 solo piano performances. He also composed the score for Spike Lee's ESPN documentary, Kobe Doin' Work, about NBA star Kobe Bryant and his MVP season.
Outside of music composition and performance, Hornsby has taken an ownership interest in Williamsburg area radio station "The Tide," WTYD 92.3 FM, and he has endowed the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program at University of Miami's Frost School of Music, encouraging the study of songwriting broadly across traditional genres. Hornsby played himself in a cameo role in the Robin Williams movie World's Greatest Dad, in which Williams' character is a Bruce Hornsby fan.
He has also been honored by piano makers Steinway & Sons with their Limited Edition Signature Piano Series. Hornsby selected ten Model B Steinway Grands to be featured in this collection, each one personalized with his signature. Hornsby owns three 9-foot Model D Steinway Grands himself.
Gonna Be Some Changes Made
Bruce Hornsby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Man was a knife expert
Kinda of a Jim Bowie type,
Swaggerin', blusterin', 'coon skin
I said, "You're not serious, right?"
Then I saw him grab my friend by the hair
As he dragged him around, I said to myself,
"There's gonna be some changes made"
(Gonna be some changes made)
Girl I knew and loved alone twenty years from afar
With a finger to her lips she led me out to see the stars
She led me down to the gritty lake and in it we did wade
She took my hand and put it there, gonna be some changes made
(Gonna be)
Gonna
Be some
Changes made
Gonna be some changes made!
(Gonna be some changes made)
[Chorus]
Gonna be some changes, changes made
Can't keep on doing what I've been doing these days
Look in the mirror I see a clown's face
Gotta take it off, gotta get myself straight
Gonna be some changes, some changes made
Can't keep on doing what I've been doing these days
Better figure out something
Things are looking grave
Gonna be some changes, changes, changes made
Up in front for all to see
Graceful like a bumblin' fool
Then I thought I felt slip from my mouth a little drool
Maybe no one noticed it
On my mind heavily it weighed
I saw two people snickering
I said "there needs to be some changes made"
Gonna be some, gonna be some changes made
(Gonna be)
Gonna
Be some
Changes made
Gonna be some changes made!
Gonna be some changes, changes made
Can't keep on doing what I've been doing these days
Look in the mirror I see a clown's face
Some changes made
Going home, I've done enough to sow my little name
Going where the fields are green and I can do my macram
A buffoon fumblin' without a clue, who likes to shift the blame
And often feels betrayed
There's gonna be some changes made
There's gonna be some changes made
[Chorus: x2]
(Gonna be some changes made)
Gonna be some changes
Gonna be some changes
The song "Gonna Be Some Changes Made" by Bruce Hornsby is all about changes and the need for them in different areas of life. The lyrics describe several scenarios where a person realizes that changes are necessary to bring about a positive outcome. In the first verse, the singer sees a man who is a knife expert, and even though he initially thinks it's all talk, he changes his mind when he sees his friend being dragged around by the man. This incident makes him realize that there needs to be some changes made to protect people around him.
In the second verse, the singer talks about a girl he has loved for twenty years from afar. She leads him down to a lake and puts his hand on her body, suggesting that they become intimate. This moment of realization makes him realize that there needs to be some changes made in his life, as he cannot keep doing what he has been doing these days. This realization leads to the chorus, where he talks about the need for change in his life, as he looks at himself in the mirror and sees a clown's face.
The third verse is about the singer being in front of people, feeling like a graceful fool, when suddenly he drools, and two people start to snicker. This embarrassment makes him realize that there needs to be some changes made to his behavior so that such incidents don't happen again. The final verse talks about him going home and making changes in his life to be a better person, without a clue, but ready to shift the blame.
The song highlights the need for change in life, whether it be to protect others, better oneself, or take responsibility for one's actions. It is a reminder that change is inevitable and can sometimes be hard, but it is necessary to move forward in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Man was a knife expert
There was a man who was skilled with a knife.
Kinda of a Jim Bowie type, Swaggerin', blusterin', 'coon skin
He was like Jim Bowie, confident and arrogant, with a raccoon-skin cap.
I said, "You're not serious, right?"
I questioned if he was joking or not.
Then I saw him grab my friend by the hair
My friend was assaulted by the knife expert.
And I guess I should have prayed
I regret not praying during this incident.
As he dragged him around, I said to myself, "There's gonna be some changes made"
I realized that significant changes had to happen after witnessing such violent behaviors.
Girl I knew and loved alone twenty years from afar
There was a girl I've known and loved from a distance for the last twenty years.
With a finger to her lips she led me out to see the stars
She gestured for me to be silent and led me outside to view the stars.
She led me down to the gritty lake and in it we did wade
She took me to a gritty lake and we walked in the water.
She took my hand and put it there, gonna be some changes made
She put my hand on a spot, which made me realize that changes were going to happen.
Gonna be some changes, changes made
Change is incoming.
Can't keep on doing what I've been doing these days
I cannot continue doing the things I'm doing presently.
Look in the mirror I see a clown's face
I realized I had been foolish and had many things to change.
Gotta take it off, gotta get myself straight
I needed to get things together and make things right.
Better figure out something, Things are looking grave
It was crucial to come up with a plan because things were not looking good.
Up in front for all to see, Graceful like a bumblin' fool
I was in the spotlight but I was clumsy and uncoordinated.
Then I thought I felt slip from my mouth a little drool
I thought I drooled a little out of nervousness.
Maybe no one noticed it, On my mind heavily it weighed
I am not sure if anyone noticed or not, but the incident weighed on me.
I saw two people snickering
Two people made fun of me.
I said "there needs to be some changes made"
I knew I had to change something because of that bad experience.
Going home, I've done enough to sow my little name
I'm going home after doing what I need to be recognized for.
Going where the fields are green and I can do my macram
I'm going to a rural area where I can be at peace and do my craft.
A buffoon fumblin' without a clue, who likes to shift the blame
I was like a foolish person who was lost, blaming other people for my confusion.
And often feels betrayed, There's gonna be some changes made
I often feel let down, so I knew that changes had to happen.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: BRUCE HORNSBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind