James was only 18-years old when he captured the attention of guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan, who marveled at this prodigious guitar talent, and immediately decided to take him on the road through the Canadian prairies, and later the United States. It wasn't long after that the young musician began opening for the likes of John Lee Hooker, ZZ Top, Steve Winwood and Keith Richards, Colin's 1988 self-titled debut Colin James was the fastest-selling album in Canadian music history featuring the smash hits "Why'd You Lie?”, “Voodoo Thing” and “Five Long Years". It featured a team of three top producers, including Tom Dowd (Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers), Danny Kortchmar (Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young) and Bob Rock (Jann Arden, Michael Bublé, Bush, The Cult, Loverboy, Sarah McLachlan, Metallica).
James followed up his record-breaking debut with a strong 1990 release, Sudden Stop, which was produced by Joe Hardy (.38 Special, Steve Earle, The Jeff Healey Band, ZZ Top ). This release has two top forty radio hits: "Just Came Back" and, "Keep On Loving Me Baby", and features Bonnie Raitt singing backing vocals on "Give It Up". This sophomore album further helped established Colin's integrity as an artist to lookout for.
James formed The Little Big Band in early 1990's and would eventually release a trilogy of CDs fronting this 1930's-50's style punchy horn section band, playing classics and originals featuring his stellar guitar fills and confident vocals. The first Colin James and The Little Big Band was released in 1993, and it was produced by Chris Kinsley (The Cult, Duran Duran, Psychedelic Furs, The Rolling Stones). The second Colin James and The Little Big Band II was released in 1998 on Warner Music, while the third, Colin James & The Little Big Band 3 was distributed on Maple Music in Canada and Universal Music Group globally in 2006, and he would eventually do a fourth with the band, a holiday album Colin James & The Little Big Band Christmas.
In 2008 he took home three Maple Blues Awards (Toronto Blues Society), which included Entertainer of the Year, while his release Limelight also went gold in Canada.
James released his twelfth album Rooftops and Satellites on October 6th, 2009, and it was a return to his guitar Blues-Rock roots. The album was primarily co-written by Tom Wilson (Junkhouse, Blackie and The Rodeo Kings, Lee Harvey Osmond) and Thomas "Tawgs" Salter, co-writer and producer of Lights' debut and Josh Groban's Awake, and it has generated four Canadian radio singles, “Man’s Gotta Be A Stone”, “Lost Again”, “Wavelength” and “Johnny Coolman.”
2011's 'Take It From The Top: The Best Of’ pays tribute to James's career's first 23 years and serves as a celebration of Colin’s return back where he started his recordings, Virgin/EMI. This Greatest Hits collection also features two newly recorded tracks, “It’s Gonna Be Alright“ as well as an innovative cover of the Buddy Miles' classic “Them Changes”, that were recorded in Vancouver with veteran producer Bob Rock (Michael Bublé, Metallica), reuniting the two after almost twenty years.
On June 12th, 2012, James released his fifteenth album, appropriately entitled Fifteen, which was produced by Joe Hardy (ZZ Top, Brooks & Dunn, Jeff Healey, Steve Earle), who had handled three of Colin's previous album productions including his successful sophomore release. Colin co-writes with Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar, Grady) on the opener “Sweets Gone Sour” and the rocker “I Need You Bad.” Colin also re-teamed with Tom Wilson and Thomas “Tawgs” Salter on four high-octane tracks, including the bluesy “No Time to Get There” and the driving “Stone Faith,” the album’s first single.
Fifteen also features two beautiful co-writes with Ron Sexsmith that reveal Colin’s seductive side: “Finally Wrote a Song for You”, a soulful love ballad; and “Shoulder to Cry On,” a moving acoustic number that highlights his vocal range, while closing the album. The disc also features some inspiring covers, including John Lennon's "Jealous Guy", Peter Green's (Fleetwood Mac) "Oh Well", [artis]Foy Vance’s gospel-tinged “Shed A Little Light,” and Allen Toussaint's funky "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley", which has perhaps become best known by Robert Palmer's cover.
On February 3, 2015, James released Hearts On Fire which was produced by Colin Linden at House of Blues Studios in Nashville, and this twelve track collection is distributed by Universal Music. The title track and all but two of the songs were written or co-written by Colin.
In 2016, James was named an inductee into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame presented by FACTOR (The Canadian Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings). In addition to this honour, Colin headlined the Western Canadian Music Awards Show at Casino Regina on October 13th, 2016, kicking off BreakOut West’s 14th year of celebrating Western Canada’s talent.
James's studio album Blue Highways features thirteen Classic Blues covers from guitar-hero greats like Blind Willie McTell, Freddie King, Peter Green, and Robert Johnson. The CD was released on October 16th, 2016. Recording and Production was primarily handled in Vancouver by Colin James and Dave Meszaros, with recording and mixing assistance from Eric Mosher, Chris Stringer and Jason Jaknunas. Blue Highways is being distributed by True North Records, and iTunes.
Over his illustrious career, James has earned 16 Maple Blues Awards, and he has worked and toured with the 'who’s who' in the international music scene (in alphabetical order): Luther Allison, Jann Arden, The Chieftains, Albert Collins, Robert Cray, Tom Dowd, Buddy Guy, Johnny Hallyday, John Hammond Jr., Gordie Johnson, Albert King, Bobby King and Terry Evans, Danny Kortchmar, Lenny Kravitz, Little Feat, The Memphis Horns, Craig Northey, Bill Payne, Bonnie Raitt, Keith Richards, Bob Rock, The Rolling Stones, Roomful Of Blues, Carlos Santana, Mavis Staples, Roebuck "Pops" Staples, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tom Wilson, Betty Wright and ZZ Top. In addition to writing most of his own material, his music has been covered by artists like Maria Muldaur, Johnny Halliday and Lucinda Williams.
Get Carried Away
Colin James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or were gonna get carried away
Better watch what we do tonight
Or were gonna get carried away
Better take back the glance that you shot
Across the room at me back before the lights were low
'Cause that got me thinking 'bout not going home
That smile and the curve of the lip
Under eyes that must have sank about a thousand ships
That shift of the hips to the side
That does me in no matter how had I try
Better watch what we do tonight
Or were gonna get carried away
Better watch what we do tonight
Or were gonna get carried away
You move better then water over rocks
Or a breeze through the trees on the hottest of days
Everybody wants to feel what you deal
And then wait for the chance, I guess some even pray
But I pray that the voice inside that says
"Hey, what's the harm in taking that for a ride?"
Don't win out over rhyme and reason
And I lose what I have for having something on the side
Better watch what we do tonight
Or were gonna get carried away
Better watch what we do tonight
Or were gonna get carried away
Better watch what we do tonight
Or were gonna get carried away
I realize that I gotta take a breath
And start thinking about something that'll cool me down
When you get up from the chair
And start dancing and I break out into a sweat as you shake it around
I ain't moving a muscle but I've run about a mile
Just fighting with myself and putting on this smile
I'm leanin' on the wall just to hold me up
Trying to get my mind to move to less dangerous stuff
Better watch what we do tonight
Or were gonna get carried away
Better watch what we do tonight
Or were gonna get carried away
Better watch what we do tonight
Or were gonna get carried away
So I pray that the voice inside that says
"What's the harm in taking that for a ride?"
Don't win out over rhyme and reason
And I lose what I have for having something on the side
Better watch what we do tonight
Or were gonna get carried away
Or were gonna get carried away
Or were gonna get carried away
Or were gonna get carried away
The lyrics to Colin James’s song Get Carried Away speak to the intense emotions that can arise in a romantic encounter and the need to exercise caution to avoid potentially disastrous consequences. The singer implores his lover to be mindful of their actions, lest they become too caught up in the moment and make choices they’ll later regret. He reflects on a previous situation where a simple glance across the room led to him contemplating an affair, thanks to the other person’s magnetic personality and seductive gestures. Despite his inner turmoil and physical reactions, the singer ultimately decides to heed his better judgment and resist temptation. He worries that giving into his desires could have severe consequences, potentially derailing the stable relationship he currently possesses.
In essence, the song serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of giving into fleeting desires and the importance of thinking about the long-term ramifications of our actions. Colin James’s powerful voice and evocative lyrics capture the intensity and complexity of human emotions, making Get Carried Away a timeless song that resonates with listeners of all ages and backgrounds.
Line by Line Meaning
Better watch what we do tonight
We need to be careful about our actions tonight
Or were gonna get carried away
We might get too caught up in the moment
Better take back the glance that you shot
Please don't give me that seductive look again
Across the room at me back before the lights were low
When the room was still brightly lit
'Cause that got me thinking 'bout not going home
Because it made me consider staying with you
And that you might even have a better place to go
And maybe your place would be better than mine
That smile and the curve of the lip
Your smile is so tantalizing
Under eyes that must have sank about a thousand ships
Your eyes are so captivating that they could make even ships sink
That shift of the hips to the side
When you move your hips to one side
That does me in no matter how hard I try
It's irresistible to me no matter how much I resist it
You move better then water over rocks
Your dancing is like water flowing smoothly over rocks
Or a breeze through the trees on the hottest of days
Your movement is as refreshing as a cool breeze on a hot day
Everybody wants to feel what you deal
Everyone wants to experience what you have to offer
And then wait for the chance, I guess some even pray
They wait for an opportunity to experience it, and some might even pray for it
But I pray that the voice inside that says
But I hope that the part of me that wants to be reckless and impulsive
"Hey, what's the harm in taking that for a ride?"
Doesn't win out over my rational thinking and judgment
And I lose what I have for having something on the side
And I don't want to lose what I have for the sake of a fling
I realize that I gotta take a breath
I need to calm down
And start thinking about something that'll cool me down
I need to focus on something that will bring me back to reality
When you get up from the chair
When you stand up from your seat
And start dancing and I break out into a sweat as you shake it around
And you start dancing, making me break out into a sweat while watching you
I ain't moving a muscle but I've run about a mile
I'm not physically moving, but mentally I'm running away
Just fighting with myself and putting on this smile
I'm trying to resist my impulses and pretending to be okay
I'm leanin' on the wall just to hold me up
I'm using the wall to keep myself steady
Trying to get my mind to move to less dangerous stuff
Trying to shift my thoughts to safer things
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kassner Associated Publishers Ltd, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Craig William Andrew Northey, Colin James, Pranam Injeti
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind