Initially based in Canvey Island, Essex, on the Thames estuary, Dr. Feelgood broke into the London circuit in 1974. Brilleaux's menacing personality complemented Johnson's propulsive, jerky stage manner, while the guitarist's staccato style dominated the group's idiosyncratic brand of angular rhythm and blues.
Their debut album, Down By The Jetty, was released in 1974, but despite critical approbation, it was not until the following year that the quartet secured due commercial success with Stupidity. Recorded live in concert, this raw, compulsive set topped the UK charts and the group's status seemed assured. However, internal friction led to Johnson's departure during sessions for a projected fourth album and although his replacement, John 'Gypie' Mayo, was an accomplished guitarist, he lacked the striking visual image of his predecessor. Dr. Feelgood then embarked on a more mainstream direction which was only intermittently successful. 'Milk And Alcohol' (1978) gave them their sole UK Top 10 hit. After the punk explosion their raw, jerky sound and clean-cut image provided inspiration to the post-punk generation (John Lydon being a big fan).
Mayo left the band in 1981. Despite this, and various subsequent line-up changes, Dr. Feelgood continued touring and recording, although the band then suffered an almost career-finishing blow, when their frontman, Brilleaux, died of cancer on 7 April 1994. But, as Brilleaux had insisted prior to his demise, Dr. Feelgood reunited, initially with vocalist Pete Gage, and recommenced touring in 1996. Gage was replaced by Robert Kane who, celebrated his 1000th gig as the frontman of Dr. Feelgood in April 2007.
Following Brilleaux's death in 1994, a special concert known as the Lee Brilleaux Birthday Memorial was held on Canvey Island, where former and current Feelgoods celebrated the music of Dr. Feelgood, and raised money for The Fair Havens Hospice in Westcliff-on-Sea. Fans attended from all over the globe, and the 20th and final event was held on 9 May 2014.
The Walk
Dr. Feelgood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know you heard of the chicken too
I know you heard of the cha-cha too
But the walk is dance that you can do
Do the walk
Come on and walk
Everybody walk
Let me see you do the walk
Everybody do the walk
Well i know you heard of the Texas hop
I know heard of the old foxtrot
But when you do the walk, you're do it in style
You just shake your hips and close your eyes
Do the walk
Come on and walk
Everybody walk
Let me see you do the walk
All you got to do is walk
Everybody do the walk
Come on, come on now
Well if you don't know what it's all about
Come to me and I'll show you how
We'll do it fast, we'll do it slow
Then you'll know the walk everywhere you go
Do the walk
Come on and walk
Hey, everybody walk
All you got to do is walk
Let me see you do the walk
Come on and do the walk
See, all you gotta do is put one foot in front of the other foot
Keep on going than you get where you want to be
That's it, you're doing the walk
See it's easy
Hey, you do the walk
Everybody do the walk
Oh, come on and do the walk
Everybody do the walk
Come on and do the walk
Everybody got do the walk
Left out verse:
Well I know you heard of the old mambo
And you heard 'bout the old tango
But when you do the walk you stand in close
And don't step on your partners toes
In Dr. Feelgood's song "The Walk," the band is encouraging their audience to do "The Walk," a dance that they claim is easy to do. The lyrics reference other popular dances such as the cha-cha, the Texas hop, the old foxtrot, the mambo, and the tango, but the band insists that the walk is a dance that can be done by anyone.
The lyrics are simple and easy to follow, and Dr. Feelgood sings them in a confident and almost taunting way, as if daring the listener to try the walk themselves. The band's use of repetition in the chorus ("Do the walk, come on and walk, everybody walk") makes it clear that they want their listeners to participate in the dance.
Overall, the song is a fun and energetic call-to-action for people to let loose and dance. It's clear that Dr. Feelgood wants their audience to not take themselves too seriously and just have fun with each other.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I know you heard of Suzie Q.
You must have heard of the popular dances like Suzie Q.
I know you heard of the chicken too
You must have heard of 'The Chicken' dance too.
I know you heard of the cha-cha too
I'm sure you must have heard of Cha-cha dance too.
But the walk is dance that you can do
The Walk is a dance that you can easily perform.
Do the walk
Let's do The Walk dance.
Come on and walk
Let's do it together.
Everybody walk
Everyone please perform The Walk dance.
Let me see you do the walk
I want to see everyone do The Walk.
Well i know you heard of the Texas hop
You must have heard of Texas Hop too.
I know heard of the old foxtrot
You must have also heard of the traditional Foxtrot.
But when you do the walk, you're doing it in style
But when you perform The Walk, you do it stylishly.
You just shake your hips and close your eyes
You just need to move your hips and close your eyes while performing The Walk dance.
Well if you don't know what it's all about
If you don't know what The Walk is all about,
Come to me and I'll show you how
I can teach you how to perform it, just come to me.
We'll do it fast, we'll do it slow
We can practice The Walk at different speeds.
Then you'll know the walk everywhere you go
Once you learn The Walk dance, you can perform it everywhere you go.
All you got to do is walk
You only have to walk to perform The Walk dance.
See, all you gotta do is put one foot in front of the other foot
The steps of The Walk dance are as simple as putting one foot in front of the other.
Keep on going than you get where you want to be
If you keep performing the steps, you'll reach your desired position.
That's it, you're doing the walk
Congratulations! Now that you're performing The Walk dance.
See it's easy
Performing The Walk dance is this easy.
Hey, you do the walk
Hey, let's perform The Walk dance.
Oh, come on and do the walk
Come on, let's perform The Walk dance.
Everybody do the walk
Everyone please perform The Walk dance.
Come on and do the walk
Let's perform The Walk dance together.
Everybody got to do the walk
Everyone should perform The Walk dance.
Well I know you heard of the old mambo
I'm sure you must have heard the popular Mambo dance.
And you heard 'bout the old tango
You must have also heard about the traditional Tango dance.
But when you do the walk you stand in close
While performing The Walk dance, you stand close to your partner.
And don't step on your partners toes
And take care not to step on your partner's toes while performing The Walk.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: O'SHEA JACKSON, K. GILLIAM, WILLIAM CALHOUN, DEDRICK D'MON ROLISON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind