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.
Sticks & Stones
Bruce Hornsby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thunder thighs, juicing all turning red
Pizza face pop it quick old nasty old
Pits old panty waist
Knotty headed fatty cakes
Oh sticks and stones can break my bones
But your words always hurt me the most
Blow up and lose my head well I hope I don't (I hope I don't)
Gousy ass drool face old beady-eyed
Fat half-a-deck big ones like old dick speck
Nasty buckteeth stainbreath zit-faced fetus
Brain sucking wind twinin', hummin' funkenstain
Oh sticks and stones can break my bones
But your words always hurt me the most
My scars will heal but the slurs won't
Blow up and lose my head well I hope I don't (Well, I hope I don't)
Sucking wind oh tell me when does it end
Oh sticks and stones can break my bones
But your words always hurt me the most
My scars will heal but the slurs won't
Blow up and lose my head well I hope I don't (Hey...mmmm)
My skin is so thin you can see through it
Oh, laughing your asses off oh don't do it
Laughing our asses off dying our slow death
Talkin' about the buckteeth stainbreath
The lyrics of Bruce Hornsby's song "Sticks & Stones" are a commentary on the hurtful nature of bullying and the lasting damage that can be caused by words. Each line describes derogatory names that the subject has been called, highlighting the lasting impact that these words have had on their self-esteem and psychological well-being. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the idea that while physical wounds may heal, the negative effects of verbal abuse can linger for a long time.
The use of language in this song is powerful in its crudeness and repetition. The list of insults serves to drive home the idea that the bullying the subject has experienced has been both extensive and relentless. The lyrics, combined with the simple melody, convey a sense of helplessness that impacts the listener. Bruce Hornsby's strong vocals add to the emotional weight of the song, underscoring the seriousness of the issue.
Overall, "Sticks & Stones" is a poignant reminder of the importance of being kind to others and the lasting effects that our words can have on those around us. It's a call to action, prompting us to be mindful of the impact of our words and to consider the potential long-term damage that our actions can cause.
Line by Line Meaning
Scabby head knobby kneed old nappy head
Describing physical characteristics of an individual in a derogatory manner
Thunder thighs, juicing all turning red
Making fun of someone's body using crude language
Pizza face pop it quick old nasty old
Insulting someone with derogatory words about their acne and appearance
Pits old panty waist
Insulting someone's body odor and perceived femininity
Knotty headed fatty cakes
Using negative language to describe the appearance of an individual
Oh sticks and stones can break my bones
Referencing a well-known phrase about physical violence causing harm
But your words always hurt me the most
Acknowledging that emotional or psychological harm can be more impactful than physical violence
My scars will heal but the slurs won't
Acknowledging that the negative effects of words can be long-lasting
Blow up and lose my head well I hope I don't (I hope I don't)
Expressing the desire to not let insults and negative language cause an extreme emotional reaction
Sucking wind oh tell me when does it end
Expressing frustration with the ongoing nature of insults and negativity
Gousy ass drool face old beady-eyed
Continuing to use negative language to insult the appearance of an individual
Fat half-a-deck big ones like old dick speck
Making derogatory comments about someone's weight and using crude language
Nasty buckteeth stainbreath zit-faced fetus
Continuing to use vulgar language and personal attacks to insult someone
Brain sucking wind twinin', hummin' funkenstain
Introducing nonsensical insults that are meaningless except for being negative
My skin is so thin you can see through it
Admitting that insults and negativity can be very damaging to one's emotional state
Oh, laughing your asses off oh don't do it
Telling individuals not to laugh at someone else's expense
Laughing our asses off dying our slow death
Metaphorically comparing insulting and negative behavior to slowly killing oneself
Talkin' about the buckteeth stainbreath
Ending the song with a final insult, highlighting the continuing nature of negativity
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES MILNE WALSH, SACHA SKARBEK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind