Coverdale was largely unknown until he replaced Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan in 1973. He was a Boutique clerk in Redcar, Yorkshire when he sent in an old Boy Scout picture of his along with a demo tape to Deep Purple. Impressed by his deep blues timbre, Coverdale was recruited to the band, sharing vocal duties with bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes. His three year tenure ended in March 1976 when the band finally split up. Moving to Germany, he laid down a vocal track on a multi-artist project organised by Eddie Hardin, released by RCA Records as Wizard's Convention.
Unable to perform in England for contractual reasons, Coverdale then recorded vocals for both his solo albums in Germany while the backing tracks were laid down in London. The backing musicians who played on these albums were retained for touring purposes, and effectively became the original line-up of Whitesnake, Coverdale's personal group.
According to British heavy metal magazine Kerrang!, in 1982, with Whitesnake's lineup and career in flux, Coverdale was reportedly considered for the vocalist position with Black Sabbath, along with the late drummer Cozy Powell, following the departure of Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice. Coverdale declined (though Powell would later join Sabbath), and Sabbath hired Coverdale's predecessor in Deep Purple, Ian Gillan. Powell joined Coverdale for Whitesnake's Slide It In album and tour. There are two versions of this album; the European one having Colin Hodgkinson on bass with long-time Whitesnake members Mel Galley and Bernie Marsden on guitar, and the U.S. version having Neil Murray on bass and John Sykes, formerly of NWOBHM band Tygers Of Pan Tang and Thin Lizzy's final lineup replacing Marsden on guitar.
A series of blues- influenced hard rock records followed through the eighties, gaining popularity in the UK and Europe, although US success reamined elusive, until the multi-platinum '1987' written with ex Thin Lizzy guitarist John Sykes hit the racks. Coverdale kept Whitesnake going thereafter until their dissolution in 1994 when Geffen Records elected not to renew the contract. At that time, Coverdale worked with former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page on the Coverdale-Page project.
Inevitably, another Whitesnake re-formation was around the corner. Whitesnake's 1997 comeback album represented a return to Coverdale's R'n'B heritage. As he told the press on its release, he had tired of the more cartoonish elements of Whitesnake's image:
"I've had enough of the Tarzan impressions. I wanna sing. Less strain on the old Calvins."
This direction was also pursued on Coverdale's third solo album, Into the Light, although there was also the occasional lapse into hard rock bluster mode. Now settled in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, Coverdale looks set to remain a fixture in rock's middle-aged hierarchy.
In December 2002, Coverdale re-reformed Whitesnake for an American and European tour, with Tommy Aldridge on drums, Marco Mendoza (bass), Doug Aldrich (guitar), Reb Beach (guitar) and Timothy Drury (keyboards). In 2004-2005 saw Whitesnake embark on a tour of the USA, South America and Europe.
Coverdale was married to actress Tawny Kitaen from February 17, 1989 until their divorce in April 1991. Kitaen was known for her provocative appearances in Whitesnake's music videos for "Here I Go Again" and "Is This Love." Currently, he is married to Cindy Coverdale, a renowned author of books (most recent The Food That Rocks).
Discography
With Deep Purple
* Burn (1974)
* Stormbringer (album) (1974)
* Come Taste the Band (album) (1975)
Post-1976 Albums with Deep Purple
* Might Just Take Your Life (Live)
* Perks and Tit (Live)
* Live in London (Live)
* Made in Europe (Live)
* Mk III: The Final Concerts (Live)
* Live in Paris 1975 (Live)
* Listen Learn Read On
* Days May Come (studio rehersals)
* This Time Around - Live in Tokyo (Live)
* On the Wings of a Russian Foxbat (Live)
David Coverdale Solo
* David Coverdale's Whitesnake (1976)
* Northwinds (1977)
* Into the Light (2000)
With Whitesnake
* Snakebite (1978)
* Trouble (1978)
* Lovehunter (1979)
* Ready an' Willing (1980)
* Live...in the Heart of the City (1980)
* Come an Get It (1981)
* Saints & Sinners (1982)
* Slide It In (1984)
* Whitesnake 1987 (1987)
* Slip Of The Tongue (1989)
* Restless Heart (1997)
* Starkers in Tokyo (1997)
Other
* Various artists - Days of Thunder Soundtrack (1990)
* Coverdale/Page - Coverdale/Page (1993)
Breakdown
David Coverdale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Megaton surprise but your eyes never made it a shakedown
Shot you full of rock `n` roll, couldn't make your soul
Didn't burn you to the bone
Do what the man says, take the money and run
But, I never saw the splendor
In stealing all your gold
And doing what I`m told
I never saw the tears but I knew you cried for rhythm `n` blues
Screaming like a wildcat I knew that I had nothing to lose
Shot you full of rock `n` roll, couldn't make your soul
Didn't burn you to the bone
Do what the man says, take the money and run
But, I never saw the splendor
In stealing all your gold
Taking all your silver
And doing what I`m told
It`s just a breakdown
Breakdown
Breakdown
Breakdown
Shaking like a leaf in the wind see me blowing away
Never see me fall on the ground till I've had my say
Shot you full of rock `n` roll, couldn't make your soul
Didn't burn you to the bone
Do what the man says, take the money and run
But, I never saw the splendor
In stealing all your gold
Taking all your silver
And doing what I`m told
It`s just a breakdown
Breakdown
Breakdown
It`s just a breakdown
Getting near the end, now I knew the time was right for a breakdown
Megaton surprise but your eyes never made it a shakedown
Shot you full of rock `n` roll, couldn't make your soul
Didn't burn you to the bone
Do what the man says, take the money and run
But, I never saw the splendor
In stealing all your gold
Taking all your silver
And doing what I`m told
It`s just a breakdown
Breakdown
Breakdown
Breakdown
David Coverdale's song "Breakdown" is a profound commentary on the consequences of blindly following the rules and the disillusionment that comes with it. The lyrics describe the singer's realization that it is time for a breakdown, indicating a need for change and a break from the oppressive systems around him. The use of the phrase "Megaton surprise" implies the sudden realization that something needs to change, but the singer acknowledges that their actions cannot bring about total change - they cannot "burn you to the bone."
The lyrics also refer to the destructive power of rock and roll, which is unable to save the soul of the singer or the listener. The line "Shot you full of rock 'n' roll, couldn't make your soul" suggests that the music and its accompanying lifestyle, although empowering and liberating, are not enough to bring about lasting change.
Line by Line Meaning
Getting near the end, now I knew the time was right for a breakdown
I noticed that the end was approaching, so I felt that it was the perfect time for a breakdown.
Megaton surprise but your eyes never made it a shakedown
Although there was a big shock, I didn't see any fear in your eyes indicating that you were being shaken down.
Shot you full of rock `n` roll, couldn't make your soul
I tried to fill you up with my music, but it didn't touch your soul.
Didn't burn you to the bone
I didn't touch you so deeply that it left a lasting impression.
Do what the man says, take the money and run
Follow orders, take the money and escape without looking back.
But, I never saw the splendor
I never saw the beauty or magnificence.
In stealing all your gold
There was no glamour or prestige in taking your riches.
Taking all your silver
I didn't find any pride in taking all your secondary possessions.
And doing what I`m told
Obeying instructions was not a source of happiness for me.
I never saw the tears but I knew you cried for rhythm `n` blues
I didn't see you cry, but I sensed that you were emotional about listening to rhythm and blues music.
Screaming like a wildcat I knew that I had nothing to lose
I screamed like an animal because I knew that I had nothing left to lose.
It`s just a breakdown
This is just a moment of personal collapse.
Shaking like a leaf in the wind see me blowing away
I'm trembling like a leaf that's being blown away by the wind.
Never see me fall on the ground till I've had my say
I won't let myself collapse until I've expressed myself fully.
Breakdown
Breakdown
Breakdown
It`s just a breakdown
This is just a moment of personal collapse.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MICHAEL W. SMITH, WAYNE KIRKPATRICK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Matullo
Sounds awesome
Aurora F. S
David Coverdale you are so good, I love you forever. ❤️🐱
Otto Greenleaf
Happy Birthday today(September 22) to David Coverdale. Cheers!
Rick Passos
Hard Rock/Blues Rock
samathanwataguan
Rough an Ready much?