Rick began his music career with the Gucci Crew in the early 1980s, mixing music and writing lyrics that would go on to help define the Miami sound. He decided to strike out on his own before the group recorded their second album, and in 1990, he released his first LP with The Dogs - a group he co-founded on Joeyboy Records. This self-titled debut launched the hits "Crack Rock" and "Take It Off," and was followed up in 1991 with the highly successful Beware of the Dogs album. This LP added hits like "Nasty Dance" and "Get Down" to the group's repertoire, and comparisons to 2 Live Crew were often made of The Dogs among Miami bass / sex rap fans.
Rick soon decided to strike out on a solo career, toying with the notion on his 1991 release, The Negro's Back. While tracks on the LP did feature The Dogs, and its 12" singles did gain club notoriety, it wasn't until 1992 that Disco Rick officially split from the group and signed with Luke Records. There he released the album Back from Hell as Disco Rick and the Wolf Pack, and scored a hit with the song "Wiggle Wiggle."
1992 proved the end of the line for the recording careers of not only Disco Rick, but The Dogs as well. The latter's final LP, K-9 Bass, was released later that year without Disco Rick, and neither the group nor its onetime leader could gain the momentum apart that they had once had as a cohesive unit.
Rick soon turned his attention to production, going on to assist in the recording careers of artists such as Bone Thugs N Harmony, Ice-T, Fat Joe, and many others. Rick gave Lil Jon of the Eastside Boyz a brand new MPC-3000 beat player in 1996 and showed Lil Jon how to work it before leaving Atlanta to go back home to Miami to work with Bone Thugs. Shortly thereafter, Rick received a call from Lil Jon inviting him to come and work with him on the "Kings Of Crunk" album.
Disco Rick has gained a lot of respect over the years in the South with regional artists like Trick Daddy, Dirt Bag, Pretty Ricky, and more. Local radio stations in Miami keep a close lookout for Rick because he has a knack for bringing local talent to the national spotlight. Disco Rick is also one of the biggest club promoters in Miami, and that gives him access to DJs throughout the city. Rick's studio talents range from writing, producing, recording and mixing, to operations manager for Audio Vision Studios, where he currently spends his time managing and producing for Vision Records, the sister company of AVS.
Radio
Disco Rick & The Dogs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like the way you used to be or is it changing?
Does it deepen over time like the river
That is winding through the Canyon?
Are you still in love with her?
Do you remember how you were before the sorrow?
Are you closer for the tears
Are we strangers now?
Like the Ziegfeld Gal and the Vaudeville show?
Are we strangers now
Like rock and roll and the radio?
Like rock and roll and radio
I can see you lyin' there
Tying ribbons in your hair and pullin' faces
I can feel your hand in mine
Though were living separate lives in separate places
Are we strangers now?
Like the Ziegfeld Gal and the Vaudeville show?
Are we strangers now?
Like rock and roll and the radio?
Like rock and roll and radio
All these white lies hanging like flies on the wall
Hard wired, road tired
Counting curtain calls and waiting
Waiting for the axe to fall
Are you still in love with me
Like the way you used to be or is it changing?
Does it deepen over time, like the river
That is winding through the Canyon?
Are we strangers now?
Like the Ziegfeld Gal and the Vaudeville show?
Are we strangers now?
Like rock and roll and the radio?
Like rock and roll and radio
The lyrics of "Radio" by Disco Rick & The Dogs are introspective and reflective, as they pose questions about love and its durability over time. The song is essentially a conversation between two lovers, who seem to be separated by distance and time. The first verse asks if the love between the two is still strong or if it is changing, and uses the metaphor of a river to emphasize the importance of constancy and continuity. The second verse delves deeper into the past, and questions whether the love between the two has been strengthened or weakened by the events that have transpired. Finally, the chorus asks whether the two are now strangers, which certainly seems to be the case given the distance and time that has elapsed. The last verse is a poignant description of the isolation and loneliness that follows a break-up or separation, and serves to underscore the melancholic tone of the song.
One interesting fact about "Radio" is that it was written by legendary crime novelist James Ellroy, who is known for his gritty LA noir novels such as "L.A. Confidential" and "The Black Dahlia". Ellroy was also a talented lyricist and wrote several songs for a band called James Ellroy and the Killer Shrews. Disco Rick & The Dogs were an Australian band that released two albums in the early 90s before splitting up. The band members were Michael den Elzen, Rick Hart, and Simon Wilksch. The song "Radio" was included on their 1992 debut album "Dancing in the Fire".
Line by Line Meaning
Are you still in love with me
Asking if their partner still loves them
Like the way you used to be or is it changing?
Wondering if their love for each other is the same as it used to be or if it has changed
Does it deepen over time like the river
Asking if their love for each other has deepened with time, like a river flowing through a canyon
That is winding through the Canyon?
Using a metaphor of a river winding through a canyon to describe the depth of their love
Are you still in love with her?
Asking if their partner is still in love with someone else
Do you remember how you were before the sorrow?
Asking if their partner remembers what they were like before experiencing sadness
Are you closer for the tears
Asking if their shared experiences of sadness have brought them closer together
Or has the weight of all the years left you hollow?
Asking if the weight of time has left them feeling empty and unfulfilled
Are we strangers now?
Questioning if they are now strangers to each other
Like the Ziegfeld Gal and the Vaudeville show?
Using a metaphor of two performers from different eras who have never met to describe how they now feel like strangers
Like rock and roll and the radio?
Using another metaphor to describe how they have become strangers, comparing it to two things that are different but are both part of the same music scene
I can see you lyin' there
Remembering a time when they were close enough to see each other
Tying ribbons in your hair and pullin' faces
Remembering small moments of playfulness between them
I can feel your hand in mine
Remembering physical intimacy and connection with their partner
Though were living separate lives in separate places
Acknowledging that they are now living separate lives and are no longer as close as they used to be
All these white lies hanging like flies on the wall
Acknowledging the presence of lies that have built up like dead flies on a wall.
Hard wired, road tired
Describing how they are still holding on to each other, despite hardships and challenges
Counting curtain calls and waiting
Describing a life of waiting for something to happen that may bring them closer together again
Waiting for the axe to fall
Anticipating the end of their relationship
Are you still in love with me
Repeating the question, reflective of the uncertainty and desperation felt by the artist
Like the way you used to be or is it changing?
Repeating the question, holding onto the hope that their love may still be the same as it used to be
Does it deepen over time, like the river
Repeating the question, still searching for an answer that would bring them closer together
That is winding through the Canyon?
Repeating the metaphor, still trying to describe the depth and longevity of their love
Are we strangers now?
Repeating the question as a reflection of the stark reality of their relationship
Like the Ziegfeld Gal and the Vaudeville show?
Repeating the metaphor, as a realization of the distance that has grown between them
Like rock and roll and the radio?
Repeating the metaphor, as a representation of the divide that has formed between them
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: RAYCHARLES JACK LAMONTAGNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
William L. Dobbs
This song is still 🔥 30 years later!
William L. Dobbs
@DJ.ED-BASS I love the 12" singles of all of the bass songs that came out on vinyl with all of the different mixes and versions in the 1990s. Thank you for uploading the 12" vinyl single for this song.
William L. Dobbs
@DJ.ED-BASS Hello sir. Thank you for taking the time out to read my comment and for liking it. I appreciate it so much.
DJ.ED-BASS
hello! thank you.
yes