Crystal Bowersox is an Ohio Native, but has been playing around the Chicago area since 2004. At the age of ten, her Mom would take her to bars, so she could hear the musicians play. Not long after she began performing around her hometown under the wings of her "gray haired rock stars.".
At 17, Crystal packed up and moved to the big city. She went from singing on subway platforms, to travel across the world in a few short years. In 2006, the city of Chicago department of cultural affairs chose Crystal to represent Chicago's folk music scene in a week long festival called, "Experience Chicago", held in sister city Birmingham, UK.
In 2007, Crystal was once again on the road. In Mexico and in Istanbul, Turkey, she spent time on a small cafe tour.
Crystal's early influences were artists like Jewel, Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan, etc. Later influences include Counting Crows, Bonnie Rait, Tracy Chapman, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Ray Lamontagne, and many others. Crystal even had the opportunity to meet with her strongest influence, Melissa Etheridge in 2008.
Bowersox auditioned in June 2009 for the ninth season of American Idol in Chicago, Illinois, with the song "Piece of My Heart."
On March 2, Bowersox was hospitalized because of complications from diabetes, forcing a last minute switch in scheduling to give her extra time to recuperate. Bowersox confirmed the illness on the May 19th results show during an interview with host Ryan Seacrest. The men competed that day instead of the women. She sang the next day and impressed all the judges.
The following week, her strong performance prompted Simon Cowell to state, "Right now you are the one everyone has to beat."
After Siobhan Magnus's elimination from the top 6 of American Idol, Crystal Bowersox became the last remaining female contestant in the competition.
Crystal is the first female contestant to make it to the finale since Jordin Sparks won the title in 2007. Crystal is also the first contestant in American Idol history to have one of her original songs played on the show - Crystal's song "Holy Toledo" was played on the May 19th Top 3 Results show as the background music for her homecoming package - when she returned to Toledo, Ohio and Elliston, Ohio the previous weekend.
View The Official Crystal Bowersox Website.
Come Together
Crystal Bowersox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He got joo-joo eyeball he one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker he just do what he please
He wear no shoeshine he got toe-jam football
He got monkey finger he shoot coca-cola
He say "I know you, you know me"
Come together right now over me
He bag production he got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard he one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease
Come together right now over me
He roller-coaster he got early warning
He got muddy water he one mojo filter
He say "One and one and one is three"
Got to be good-looking 'cause he's so hard to see
Come together right now over me
In Crystal Bowersox's song "Come Together," she covers the legendary Beatles song from their 1969 album, Abbey Road. The song is a call for unity and coming together. It starts with the description of a character named "flattop" who comes grooving up slowly with his long hair, joo-joo eyeball, and monkey finger. He says, "I know you, you know me, one thing I can tell you is you got to be free. Come together right now over me." The song's theme is about coming together and uniting despite our differences, and we all have to be free to love and live. The sense of the song is to be free from all social, political, or personal conflicts to come together and enjoy life together.
The lyrics of Bowersox's adaptation of the Beatles' "Come Together" are an open call to everyone, to join in to build a more united and stronger community. However, the lyrics carry a deeper meaning. Just as "flattop" has "joo-joo eyeball," "monkey finger" and a "spinal cracker," we, too, have our peculiarities that can make it hard for us to come together. Whether it is because of our race, gender, religion, or any other differences, we need to learn to embrace and celebrate them. That way, we can build a world where everyone feels welcome and safe. Therefore, it is imperative that we come together despite our differences and celebrate one another's unique qualities.
Line by Line Meaning
Here come old flattop he come grooving up slowly
This man with long hair is approaching smoothly.
He got joo-joo eyeball he one holy roller
He's got a certain look in his eye that suggests he may be very religious.
He got hair down to his knee
His hair is extremely long - knee-length, to be exact.
Got to be a joker he just do what he please
He has a tendency to act like a prankster or jester, doing whatever he wants.
He wear no shoeshine he got toe-jam football
He doesn't wear fancy shoes or clean them, and his toes and feet have been affected by playing sports or running a lot.
He got monkey finger he shoot coca-cola
His fingers may be nimble or curious, and he likes to consume coca-cola.
He say "I know you, you know me"
He's saying that he and the listener have a connection or acquaintance with each other.
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
He believes that being free is important, and this is a message he's giving to the listener.
Come together right now over me
He is suggesting that people should unite or connect over him, perhaps because he thinks he's important, or maybe he's trying to use himself as a symbol of something bigger.
He bag production he got walrus gumboot
He carries some things with him, such as a bag of items, and possibly some odd clothing.
He got Ono sideboard he one spinal cracker
He may have a piece of furniture designed by Yoko Ono, or some connection to her, and he's also saying that he's skilled at cracking backs.
He got feet down below his knee
He has abnormally low feet or long legs.
Hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease
If he holds you in his chair, you may be able to sense that he's sick or struggling in some way.
He roller-coaster he got early warning
His life may be full of ups and downs, and he's learned to anticipate some of them.
He got muddy water he one mojo filter
He has some sort of magical or powerful quality, like a filter or charm, and he may also have access to murky or unclean water.
He say "One and one and one is three"
He is highlighting the importance of adding things up or recognizing patterns, and he's using the example of one plus one plus one equaling three.
Got to be good-looking 'cause he's so hard to see
It may be difficult to really see or understand him, so he thinks it's important to have a unique or attractive appearance.
Come together right now over me
He repeats his suggestion that people should unite or connect over him.
Contributed by Allison G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
leos rule
I STILL LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS VERSION AND CRYSTAL
R M
She sounds good. This is the first I've seen of this season.