Dale is revered as one of the pioneers of surf rock and one of the most influential guitarists of the early 1960s. His technique influenced future guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom-made Fender amplifiers. Among Dale's most well-known songs are "Misirlou", "Surf Beat", and "Let's Go Trippin'". He also released music under Dick Dale & His Del-Tones.
Born Richard Anthony Mansour to a Lebanese father and a Polish mother, he soon learned to play the drums, the ukulele, and finally the guitar. Among his early musical influences was his uncle, an oud player performing belly dance music. A plethora of Dale's early material contains middle eastern musical influences. Dale's professional career began in 1959, playing with his band The Del-Tones for surfers at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, California. With authorities concerned about the mix of young people and guitars, one of the requirements at the Ballroom was that every male patron wear a tie, so the audience was often made up of barefooted guys in surfer garb wearing ties that were handed out at the door.
Dale is often credited as one of the first electric guitarist to employ exotic scales in his playing. When Dale started surfing he became so fascinated that he began seeking ways of channeling the energy and power of the sport through his guitar playing. While he is primarily known for introducing the use of guitar reverberation, which has since become a staple of the surf sound, it was Dale's fast staccato picking that was his trademark. Due to his left-handedness, Dale was initially forced to play a right-handed model. However, he did so without restringing the guitar, leading him to effectively play the guitar upside-down (while Hendrix would restring his guitar). Even after he acquired a proper left-handed guitar, Dale continued to use his reverse stringing.
Discography:
Albums:
1962 - Surfer's Choice (Deltone)
1963 - King of the Surf Guitar (Capitol)
1963 - Checkered Flag (Capitol)
1964 - Mr. Eliminator (Capitol)
1964 - Summer Surf (Capitol)
1965 - Rock Out With Dick Dale & His DelTones: Live At Ciro's (Capitol)
1983 - The Tigers Loose (Balboa)
1993 - Tribal Thunder (HighTone)
1994 - Unknown Territory
1996 - Calling Up Spirits (Beggars Banquet)
2001 - Spacial Disorientation
Stop Teasing
Dick Dale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell you baby all your many charms
And that's the reason for your teasin' poor me
'Cause I love to hold you tenderly
I whisper softly "Come here to me"
And that's the reason for your teasin' poor me
You send me out of my mind
And when you smile, well, all the while
You know someday you'll find
'Cause I love to hold you in my arms
Tell you baby all your many charms
And that's the reason for your teasin' poor me
And when you walk and when you talk
You send me out of my mind
Honey, when you smile, well, all the while
You know someday you'll find
'Cause I love to hold you tenderly
I whisper softly "Come here to me"
And that's the reason for your teasin'
And that's the reason - and now and one done - reason
So stop your teasin' and start your pleasin' poor me
Poor me
Poor me
Poor me
Poor me
Poor me
Poor me
Poor me
Poor me
In Dick Dale's song 'Stop Teasing', the lyrics express the singer's intense desire for the person they love. The first verse starts with the singer talking about how much they love holding their partner in their arms and telling them their many charms. The singer explains that this desire for physical intimacy is the reason for their partner's teasing. The chorus repeats this sentiment, but adds that the partner's smile and presence send the singer out of their mind.
The second verse continues in a similar vein, with the singer again expressing love for holding their partner tenderly and whispering to them. The chorus is repeated again, with the added lyric that the partner will eventually find fulfillment with the singer. The song ends with the repeated plea for the teasing to stop and for the partner to begin pleasing the singer, who is left feeling heartbroken.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of longing and heartache caused by unreciprocated desire. The repeated emphasis on the singer's love for physical touch and intimacy creates a sense of tension and frustration, which is only underscored by the repeated use of the phrase 'poor me'. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of unrequited love and the pain that comes along with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Cause I love to hold you in my arms
The reason you tease me is because I love to hold you tenderly
Tell you baby all your many charms
I enjoy showering you with compliments and making you feel special
And that's the reason for your teasin' poor me
Your teasing is a response to my desire to hold you close and show you affection
And when you walk and when you talk
The way you move and speak has a great effect on me
You send me out of my mind
You make me feel crazy and out of control with desire
And when you smile, well, all the while
Even your smile has an irresistible power over me
You know someday you'll find
You are aware that you have a powerful effect on others and will eventually find someone who cannot resist you
Cause I love to hold you tenderly
My desire to hold you and show you affection is genuine and heartfelt
I whisper softly "Come here to me"
I want you to come to me and feel my tenderness and affection
And that's the reason for your teasin'
Your teasing is a way to keep me wanting more of your attention and affection
And that's the reason - and now and one done - reason
This is the true reason for your teasing, even when we have been through this before
So stop your teasin' and start your pleasin' poor me
Instead of teasing me, let us focus on giving each other pleasure and joy in this relationship
Poor me
I feel like a victim of your teasing and want you to stop playing with my emotions
Poor me
I am feeling sorry for myself because your teasing has left me frustrated and unfulfilled
Poor me
I wish you could see how much your teasing is hurting me and choose to show me more affection instead
Poor me
I am in a state of emotional distress and wish you would take my feelings more seriously
Poor me
This situation is making me feel powerless and unworthy, hence "poor me"
Poor me
I am expressing my disappointment and frustration with the current state of our relationship
Poor me
I hope you can find it in your heart to be more empathetic towards me and less teasing
Contributed by Kayla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.