Songs From The Road
Released 11/11/2014 on Ruf Records
… Read Full Bio ↴Dana Fuchs
Songs From The Road
Released 11/11/2014 on Ruf Records
The road has led Dana Fuchs everywhere. But when it came to choosing a
location for Songs From The Road, it had to be New York. The singer and the
city have history. Almost two decades have passed since Dana left her home
in rural Florida and beat a path to the Big Apple. Stepping onto the mean
streets of the Lower East Side aged 19, she was an unknown singer with a
voice and a dream, ready to slug it out on the city’s bearpit jam-circuit.
Since then, New York has been the backdrop to Dana’s meteoric rise.
There were the early buzz-sets in the city’s late-night sweatboxes. The off-
Broadway musical Love, Janis, which saw the multi-talented performer play
the iconic Janis Joplin. Followed by the endless shows and sessions all across
town. No wonder, then, that for Songs From The Road, the Highline Ballroom
on West 16th Street was the perfect fit – and the singer was received like a
local hero.
Released in 2014 on Ruf Records, Songs From The Road is the latest in
the German label’s famous series of live albums, with Dana following in the
hallowed footsteps of legends including Luther Allison, Jeff Healey and the
Royal Southern Brotherhood. As ever, the Songs From The Road concept isn’t
about overdubs, Auto-Tune or opulent production, but the honest bottling of
the two-way energy that only occurs when great artists go nose-to-nose with
their fans. It’s hard to imagine a performer who deserves the treatment more
than Dana: a vocalist who means every note, every night.
A live show by the Dana Fuchs Band is an assault on all the senses. As
such, comprised in Songs From The Road’s two-disc pack, you’ll find an audio
CD capturing the soul power of that classic set on March 14th, 2014, plus a
DVD, directed by Kevin Mackall. Prowling the stage, pouring her heart into
the microphone and owning every song on the setlist, you won’t question the
wisdom of the UK’s Classic Rock Magazine, who famously declared Dana’s
once-in-a-generation voice as “juke-joint dirty and illicit, evoking Janis Joplin,
Mick Jagger and a cigarette butt bobbing in a glass of bourbon…”
You won’t take your eyes/ears off her, but Songs From The Road is far
from a one-woman show. At the Highline Ballroom, Dana’s performance was
taken to even greater heights by her stellar cast of players. On guitar and
backing vocals, give a big hand to long-time wingman and co-songwriter, Jon
Diamond: the former session ace who gave the singer an engine-room shortly
after her arrival in New York. Matt Beck (guitars), Jack Daley (bass), Pete
Levin (keys) and Joe Daley (drums) provide the thrilling musical canvass,
while the so-called Screaming Sirens (aka. Elaine Caswell, Nicki Richards and
Bette Sussman) dovetail with Dana’s lead vocal to create a wall of sound that
rattles your speakers.
Yet it’s the songs that are the true stars on the night. By this point, three
studio albums into their writing partnership, Dana and Jon have amassed a
solid-gold back catalogue, and Songs From The Road mines some of their very
best nuggets. Long-term fans will be delighted to get reacquainted with Tell
Me I’m Not Drinking and Sad Salvation: formative songs that date back to the
Dana Fuchs’ Band’s 2003 debut album, Lonely For A Lifetime. Film nuts who
caught Dana’s feted turn as Sadie in Julie Taymor’s highly acclaimed Beatles
movie, Across The Universe, will adore the closing cover of Don’t Let Me Down.
Those who came onboard with 2011’s Love To Beg, meanwhile, will be
thrilled to find cuts from that album including Set It On Fire, Summersong and
a cover of Otis Redding’s I’ve Been Loving You Too Long. And of course, the
Highline setlist had to have a healthy smattering from 2013’s Bliss Avenue: the
career-best third album that Dana once noted “really purged my soul in a
starker, more naked way, both lyrically and musically”. You won’t dispute
that after hearing the band’s powerhouse live readings of those classic songs,
which include Livin’ On Sunday, Handful Too Many, So Hard To Move and
Vagabond Wind.
Since the noisy birth of rock ‘n’ roll, New York has hosted hundreds of
were-you-there concerts by a roll-call of favourite sons, from The Ramones at
CBGBs to The Velvet Underground at The Factory. Now, with Songs From The
Road, Dana Fuchs has chalked up another entry in the NYC annals and staked
her claim as the city’s most exciting adopted daughter. So start spreading the
news. You’ll want to be a part of it…
-Henry Yates
Classic Rock Magazine
External Links:
http://www.last.fm/music/Dana+Fuchs+Band
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Dana+Fuchs+Band
https://www.facebook.com/danafuchsverified
https://www.youtube.com/user/allmack
https://twitter.com/DanaFuchsTweet
Officlal Website:
http://www.danafuchs.com/
Drive
Dana Fuchs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The kids in her hair
Gotta step outside
Gonna get some fresh air
Gets behind the wheel
With just the clothes that she packed
She's headin' for the freeway
But she ain't comin' back
Night after night after night can't sleep
Something 'bout the spell of goin' down on the street
Just can't stand another minute inside
I think you better hit the road
And drive
Billy's in the bathroom
Shooting his pain
Gotta spend a half an hour
Just to find a good vein
Loaded up his needle
With the junk that he's got
Praise the Lord Jesus
Let this be my last shot
Night after night after night can't sleep
Something 'bout the spell of goin' down on the street
Just can't stand another minute inside
I think you better hit the road
Drive
Come on
Well I'm beginin' to wonder
If we're all not sleepin'
From the same bad dream
And the same bad feelin'
Well I'm beginin' to wonder
If we're all just grieving
The loss of their lives
We stopped believin'
Let me tell you a story now
I saw a preacher on the street
He was sweatin' 'bout the Savior
Tryin' to beat the heat
But hell don't grant no favors
Hitchhiked to the bridge
With a Bible in his hand
(?)
Night after night after night can't sleep
Something 'bout the spell of goin' down on the street
Just can't stand another minute inside
I think you better hit the road
Drive
Can we do it again? Can we do it again?
Night after night after night can't sleep
There's something 'bout the spell of goin' down on the street
I don't wanna stay another minute inside
I think you better hit the road baby
And you better drive
Drive on on on on on on on on on on on
Drive on on on on on on on on on on on
You better drive on
You better drive on baby, baby
Keep on drivin'
Keep on drivin'
Keep on drivin' baby
Keep on drivin'
Keep on drivin'
Keep on drivin' night after night after night after night
After day after day after day after day
And night after night after night after night
You keep on drivin' baby
Till you get there
Till you get there
Drive on on on on on on on on on on on
Ooh yeah, come on
You better drive all the way
Drive all the way
For me yeah
The song "Drive" by Dana Fuchs is a powerful expression of the desperation and pain felt by two different individuals - Sally and Billy - who take to the road in order to escape the unbearable situations they have found themselves in. Sally, a mother trying to cope with the overwhelming task of raising children, has finally snapped and leaves home with the barest necessities. Billy, on the other hand, is struggling with addiction and the hopelessness it brings, and has turned to drugs for comfort. Both of them find temporary solace in the freedom of the road, but it is unclear whether they will ever be able to truly escape their demons.
The lyrics are expertly crafted to convey the raw emotion and urgency of the situation. The repetition of the phrase "Night after night after night" underscores the relentlessness of their suffering, and the reference to "the spell of goin' down on the street" reveals the allure of self-destruction that they are both struggling with. When Fuchs sings "You better drive on, baby, till you get there", it is not clear what "there" is - it could be a physical destination, or a metaphorical one - but the implication is that the journey will be long and difficult.
Line by Line Meaning
Sally cleans the kitchen
Sally is cleaning up the kitchen.
The kids in her hair
Sally is busy with taking care of her children.
Gotta step outside
Sally feels suffocated by her surroundings and has to step out.
Gonna get some fresh air
Sally intends to go out to breathe some fresh air.
Gets behind the wheel
Sally gets into the driver's seat of her car.
With just the clothes that she packed
Sally only took the necessary things with her.
She's headin' for the freeway
Sally is driving towards the freeway.
But she ain't comin' back
Sally doesn't have any intentions of coming back.
Night after night after night can't sleep
The singer has been having sleepless nights repeatedly.
Something 'bout the spell of goin' down on the street
The singer is attracted to the night streets for some reason.
Just can't stand another minute inside
The singer can't endure being inside anymore.
I think you better hit the road
The singer advises the listener to go out.
And drive
The singer suggests driving around as a solution.
Billy's in the bathroom
Billy is locked in the bathroom.
Shooting his pain
Billy is using drugs to cope with his pain.
Gotta spend a half an hour
It takes a while for Billy to prepare his drugs.
Just to find a good vein
Billy struggles to find a vein to inject himself.
Loaded up his needle
Billy has filled his injection syringe.
With the junk that he's got
Billy has filled his syringe with drugs he acquired.
Praise the Lord Jesus
Billy prays for some divine intervention.
Let this be my last shot
Billy wishes this to be the last hit of drug he takes.
Come on
The singer is inviting the listener to go with her.
Well I'm beginin' to wonder
The singer says she wonders.
If we're all not sleepin'
The singer wonders if everyone around her is just in sleep mode.
From the same bad dream
The singer suggests everyone is in the same dreary situation.
And the same bad feelin'
The singer suggests everyone is feeling equally bad.
Well I'm beginin' to wonder
The singer says she wonders again.
If we're all just grieving
The singer wonders if the people around her are just mourning.
The loss of their lives
The singer suggests that people might be grieving the fact that they are not living their lives as they want to.
We stopped believin'
The singer thinks everyone has lost belief in something.
Let me tell you a story now
The singer is about to narrate an incident.
I saw a preacher on the street
The singer saw a preacher while walking down the street.
He was sweatin' 'bout the Savior
The preacher was sweating profusely while talking about the Savior.
Tryin' to beat the heat
The preacher was using his handkerchief to wipe off his sweat.
But hell don't grant no favors
The singer suggests that things won't be easy for the preacher despite his struggles.
Hitchhiked to the bridge
The preacher hitchhiked his way to the bridge.
With a Bible in his hand
The preacher carries the Bible as he hitchhikes.
(?)
The singer doesn't know what happened to the preacher after that.
Can we do it again? Can we do it again?
The singer asks if she can repeat the same thing again.
There's something 'bout the spell of goin' down on the street
The singer is attracted to the night streets for some reason (repeated).
I don't wanna stay another minute inside
The singer really wants to get out.
I think you better hit the road baby
The singer advises the listener again to get out.
And you better drive
The singer suggests that driving would be a good idea.
Drive on on on on on on on on on on on
The singer is chanting about driving.
You better drive on
The singer repeats her suggestion to drive.
You better drive on baby, baby
The singer again reiterates that you need to drive.
Keep on drivin'
The singer suggests driving continuously.
Night after night after night after night
The singer still struggles with sleeplessness.
After day after day after day after day
The singer prefers to wander at night after a day of weariness.
Till you get there
The singer is not giving up until she reaches her destination.
Drive all the way
The singer intends to drive until the end of the journey.
For me yeah
The singer is asking the listener to help her.
Contributed by Juliana K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ivegotwords
pure raw talent..and she holds more talent than anyone in this generation..just amazing, she is heaven sent
@educate2inspire
She's so incredible!!!
@antoniodjacir8018
Simplesmente espetacular!!! Muito bom o ritmo e a melodia.....
@TheCompanhoni
wonderful .......just wonderful
@sfdog1369
Sooo Good Thx
@DanaFuchsTube
@LaneJaguar - Yes this song will be on Dana's new album. They do a great full band electric version. Album due out for summer.
@therandomguy3
shes damn fine
@ziggyrig
oh bekka..........=]
@RoyRomerDromer
groevie.everytime bingo