When Doyle was 16 years old, he toured as second guitarist with Jimmy Vaughan's band, The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Shortly thereafter he and fellow Texan, Charlie Sexton, co-founded the rock band Arc Angels. Doyle and Charlie enlisted the rhythm section from Stevie Ray Vaughan's backing band, Double Trouble, to complete the lineup. The group enjoyed critical acclaim and commercial success.
Following the release of "Jellycream," Doyle's 1999 RCA debut recording, he received phone calls from both Roger Waters and Eric Clapton. Doyle ended up joining Roger Waters for a summer tour while Clapton, along with fellow blues great B.B. King, chose two of Doyle's songs - "Marry You" and "I Wanna Be" - for their collaborative recording entitled "Riding With The King." Upon completion of the "Riding..." project, Doyle, his wife - Susannah Melvoin, and Clapton co-wrote and performed "Superman Inside" for Clapton's album, "Reptile." Doyle's playing is also heavily featured on the album.
The latest offering from Doyle Bramhall II, entitled - "Welcome" - is the purest sampling of Doyle's talents to date. Doyle entered the studio with Smokestack, the band he put together a couple of years ago, and co-producers Benmont Tench and Jim Scott to record the 12 - song set. Joining Doyle in Smokestack is J.J. Johnson on drums and bassist Chris Bruce. Susannah Melvoin contributed background vocals, Benmont Tench pulled keyboard duty and Craig Ross played second guitar.
Green Light Girl
Doyle Bramhall II & Smokestack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's gonna leave them sorry
She's a sweet and sour miss
Too hot to handle now
Spend all night
In a red light town
Looking for a green light
Looking for a green light
Green light girl
All the boys want you
Your glamour and despair
She smiles and rolls her eyes
In a rock and roll uprise
Touch if you want to
She's the girl of the year
Talking about a green light
Green light girl
Talking about a green light
Green light girl
Green light
Green light girl
Green light
Green light girl
I'm talking about a green light girl
Green light Green light
Green light girl
The song "Green Light Girl" by Doyle Bramhall II & Smokestack talks about a femme fatale who is a combination of sweetness and sourness, too attractive and dangerous to resist. The opening lines of the song, "pretty thing on her feet, she's gonna leave them sorry" imply that the girl will leave behind a trail of broken hearts as she ventures out. The chorus of the song emphasizes her pursuit of a green light, which is a metaphor for a symbol of hope and an indication to move forward. This suggests that the green light girl is constantly searching for something better or a new love interest.
The girl in the song seems to enjoy the attention she gets from men, but the lyrics hint at her being perhaps bored by it all. "All the boys want you, your glamour and despair, she smiles and rolls her eyes, in a rock and roll uprise" denotes that she might be used to the adoration or is looking at it all as an act. The verses of the song talk about her exploring the red-light towns and embarking on adventures. The song suggests that the green light girl lives in the moment, enjoys her freedom, but is always looking for something new or exciting.
Line by Line Meaning
Pretty thing on her feet
She's an attractive woman with great poise and elegance
She's gonna leave them sorry
She's the kind of woman who will break boys' hearts without remorse
She's a sweet and sour miss
She has a complex personality that brings together traits of kindness and bitterness
Too hot to handle now
She exudes intense heat and sensuality that may prove too much for some to handle
Spend all night
She spends her nights doing something exciting and engaging
In a red light town
She spends her nights in a town where the red light district is prominent
Looking for a green light
She's searching for someone who is willing to let her be herself
Green light girl
She's the kind of girl who needs permission to live her life as she sees fit
All the boys want you
She's the object of affection for all the boys around her
Your glamour and despair
She has an air of glamour and sadness about her
She smiles and rolls her eyes
She exudes a confident and carefree attitude
In a rock and roll uprise
She's living her life like a rockstar, with all the exciting ups and downs that come with it
Touch if you want to
She's open to being touched if the person doing the touching is someone she's interested in
She's the girl of the year
She's the kind of girl who dominates the attention of everyone around her year after year
Talking about a green light
She's discussing the idea of finding someone who is supportive of her wild lifestyle
Green light girl
She's still looking for that person who will let her live as she pleases
Green light
She's looking for permission and encouragement to let loose and be herself
I'm talking about a green light girl
She's emphasizing how important it is for her to find someone who will let her live freely
Contributed by Max O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mod Guitar
Doyle’s music transcends when JJ’s on the kit.These guys together are pure 🔥
Rod Hubbard
FACTS!!!!!!
Mickael Nesprias
I love this song because it sounds like 60's rock !!! <3
Cherry Tree
Hendrix reincarnated.
Bryan Todd
the whole album just rocks. nice to see the video, very well done. chicks dig it.
RealityCheck
Nice song from a swell album. Drumwork has that slight 70s old school feel to it, done with a modern touch.The drummer plays almost like the beat-making instrument is the lead one; sounds seriously powerful. With Doyle's skill on the guitar, this is a classic. And the resemblance with Kravitz isn't bad at all, it's done only on this song anyway. Too bad him and Smokestack didn't make another album like it.
Super Duper
J.J. Johnson is the real deal....
Javyon VISION
Such a great album!
YTSlide
Killer guitar tone!
massivebeatzz
insane how good the visuals and FX were already in 2001.