It was during this period that he became acquainted with his future partner Mark Avsec, a musician then playing keyboards for Wild Cherry. Unfortunately, Wild Cherry ended up being regarded as another one-hit-wonder, and Iris was out of a job by 1980. But Iris and Avsec, and their new band, titled "The Cruisers", returned to the charts several times in the 80s. Iris particularly scored hits with the songs "Ah, Leah!" (a track from 'Back to the Streets' that reached #29 on the Billboard Hot 100), "Love is Like a Rock" (reaching #37 on that Billboard chart), and "My Girl" (reaching #25 on that Billboard chart). "Ah, Leah!" has became known as Iris' 'signature song' and has been included in many multi-artist compilation albums.
According to reporting by D. X. Ferris in the Cleveland Scene, "Ah, Leah!" was the topic of an (apparently frivolous) lawsuit claiming that certain lyrics were stolen from a demo provided by an amateur songwriter. Iris and producer Mark Avsec prevailed, but incurred significant legal fees.
Born in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, Iris first began singing at weddings at age five, and, by age eight, he was performing on local television and entering talent contests. When his voice changed, he took up the drums but later got back into singing while in high school. A self-taught guitarist, he formed "Donnie & the Donnells" while in college.
Aside from his initial hits, with "Ah, Leah!" particularly getting big attention nationwide as an 80s classic, Iris and the Cruisers were unable to achieve major success outside of the Pennsylvania area. Yet they still have recorded and performed in the Ohio Valley for a great many years, being known for their classic rock n roll inspired live performances. Donnie Iris and the Cruisers released their most recent album, titled 'Ah! Leluiah!', on November 18, 2010. That release is the artist's first Christmas album.
His official website is at http://www.donnieiris.com/ but the most recent news there dates from 2010.
Color Me Blue
Donnie Iris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For being afraid
Whoa yeah
Goodbye blue skies,
Color them gray
Whoa...
Color me green,
'Cause I don't now what to do
'Cause you know I'm a fool
And for lovin' you too much,
Color me blue
Call me Mr. Blue
(Color me blue)
I'll be missin' you
Thinking of you only,
Color me lonely
Color me blue
Now all of our white lies,
Have washed away the past
Our future's not rosy,
Color it black
Our love was like gold,
When it was brand new
You treated it like a pair of old brown shoes
But I'm still in love with you
Color me blue
Call me Mr. Blue
(Color me blue)
I'll be missing you
Thinking of you only,
Color me lonely
Color me blue
I should move on,
Make a fresh start with my life
Find a new love,
Someone who would treat me right
But you know I can't forget you
Call me Mr. Blue
I'll be missing you
Thinking of you only,
Color me lonely
Call me Mr. Blue
I'll be missing you
Thinking of you only,
Color me lonely
King cool..
The lyrics to "Color Me Blue" by Donnie Iris express a range of emotions, from fear and confusion to loneliness and heartbreak. The first stanza describes the singer's fear and uncertainty, representing this emotion with the color yellow. The goodbye of blue skies and their replacement with gray can represent the loss of hope and optimism in the face of this fear. The second stanza introduces other colors, green and red, which represent further confusion and feelings of foolishness. Finally, the chorus repeats the phrase "color me blue," which represents the overwhelming sense of sadness and heartbreak resulting from the singer's failed relationship.
The third stanza continues to elaborate on the theme of lost love, as the singer laments the disappearance of their happy memories and the deterioration of the future they once imagined. The fourth stanza represents a moment of clarity for the singer, as they realize that their love was not reciprocated and that they should move on. However, the repetition of the chorus at the end of the song suggests that the singer is not yet ready to let go completely, and that the painful emotions of heartbreak will continue to color their life for some time.
Overall, "Color Me Blue" is a poignant and introspective song about the difficulties of letting go of a failed relationship and the overwhelming emotions that can result.
Line by Line Meaning
Color me yellow,
I feel afraid and uncertain, so color me yellow like the cowardly lion.
Goodbye blue skies,
Color them gray
I'm saying goodbye to the good times we used to have and now the skies are gray because my life is lacking in color.
Color me green,
'Cause I don't know what to do
I feel lost and unsure of myself, so color me green like a newbie.
Color me red,
'Cause you know I'm a fool
My love for you is so strong that it makes me foolish, so color me red like a passionate lover.
And for lovin' you too much,
Color me blue
My love for you is so overwhelming that it's making me feel sad and melancholy, so color me blue like a broken heart.
Call me Mr. Blue
(Color me blue)
I'll be missin' you
Thinking of you only,
Color me lonely
Color me blue
I'm feeling so alone and heartbroken without you, so call me Mr. Blue and color me blue and lonely.
Now all of our white lies,
Have washed away the past
All of the lies we told each other are now gone, but they've also washed away the happy memories of our past.
Our future's not rosy,
Color it black
Our future together is looking bleak, so color it black like a storm cloud.
Our love was like gold,
When it was brand new
You treated it like a pair of old brown shoes
But I'm still in love with you
Color me blue
Our love was so precious when it first started, but you treated it like something old and worn-out. Despite that, I'm still in love with you and feeling blue.
I should move on,
Make a fresh start with my life
Find a new love,
Someone who would treat me right
I know I should move on and find someone new who will treat me better and give me a fresh start in life.
But you know I can't forget you
Despite everything, I can't forget you and I'm still in love with you.
Call me Mr. Blue
I'll be missing you
Thinking of you only,
Color me lonely
Once again, I'm feeling blue and lonely without you and can't stop thinking of you.
Call me Mr. Blue
I'll be missing you
Thinking of you only,
Color me lonely
The song ends on a bittersweet note with the singer still pining for his lost love.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: D. IRIS, M. AVSEC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kevin Trotter
Love the '50s vibe of this tune. The backing harmonies are BADASS and his solo is Fantastic!!
Michael Bradley
Hey thanks for posting this! The way this song transitions from rock to dreamy at the end is masterful! One of my favorites!
Darren Longshanks
Went out and bought the CD after hearing this! Thanks so much for sharing - great album.
Headbanging MAMA
I remember buying this record (vinyl) back when it first came out. One of the best purchases I ever made!! Love Donnie Iris!!👏😘💕
Rj Klein
Donnie is simply King Cool. You could not be from Cleveland and not wish you were (King Cool), listening to this if you were 16, 17, 18 like my brother & I were in the early '80's.
Kirk Cekada
This isn't one of my favorite songs from the album, but it's still a great song and it showcases Donnie's versatility as a singer. There is not one bad song on this album! Same is true of Back on the Streets. Actually, there isn't one song I don't like on any of his 4 albums released by MCA, but the first two albums are in a class of their own.
oldwestartifacts
Back on the Streets and King Cool are just awesome albums.
Thanks for posting, I listen to them all the time......It would be great if he'd go on concert tour!!!
So There's That
My Girl is my favorite Donnie Iris song, but this runs a close second. It’s a bit hard to listen to because it reminds me of someone who used to be very close to me. It’s so heartbreaking...
St Pauli
one badass tune,crank it up!
oldpinkfloyd69
***** OH YEAH!!! I LOVE DONNIE!!!