Ray Edward Cochran was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota; however, as his parents were from Oklahoma, he considered himself an Oklahoman, and introduced himself as such in interviews. He took music lessons in school, but eventually quit the band to play drums. Rather than take piano lessons, Cochran began learning guitar, playing the country music he heard on the radio. As time went on, Cochran moved to Los Angeles, California in 1953. Together with Hank Cochran, Eddie formed The Cochran Brothers, though the two shared no relation.
Around the same time, Cochran worked as a session musician, but aspired to be a songwriter and artist in his own right, and recorded a demo with songwriting partner and future manager, Jerry Capeheart. Cochran's first notable foray into the public eye was as one of the many performing artists featured in the musical comedy film The Girl Can't Help It starring Jayne Mansfield, eventually resulting in a recording contract with Liberty. He would follow up on this appearance by appearing in several films of the same genre. He also performed as a support act for such stars as Gene Vincent and Little Richard, who were among Cochran's co-stars in the aforementioned film.
For his recordings, Cochran often used experimental techniques that would later become part and parcel for other recording artists, notably recording numerous overdubs in order to create the rich, distinctive guitar sound for "Summertime Blues" and "C'mon Everybody". "Twenty Flight Rock", the song Cochran performed in The Girl Can't Help It, was the very first song a young Paul McCartney played for John Lennon as his audition for Lennon's group, The Quarrymen, which would later metamorphose into The Beatles.
Cochran was killed in an automobile accident in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England during a tour of Britain with Gene Vincent. Vincent and Cochran's fiancee, who were both in the car, survived the crash. Scholars have noted that, somewhat eerily, Cochran's last single release in his lifetime was "Three Steps to Heaven", although the song's lyrical context has nothing to do with death. Cochran's death occurred little over a year after the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, to whom he paid tribute in his recording of the song "Three Stars", which remained unreleased until 1966.
A majority of Cochran's recorded legacy would be released posthumously; in his lifetime, only one album, Singin' to My Baby (1957), was ever released. Perhaps owing to the brevity of his career, Cochran never attained the same star status as other rockers of the era; however, his lyrical themes of teenage desires and rebellion, being somewhat more morose and raucous than his contemporaries, had a profound influence on many of the greatest artists of the '60s and '70s, such as The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones.
Let's Coast Awhile
Eddie Cochran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stop this rockin' and rollin' around
Ease up honey, you're drivin' me wild
Go down a gear and let's coast a while
Coast a while, coast a while
Go down a gear and let's just coast a while
Well everytime I ask you to stop
You're startin' to giggle, wiggle and bop
Push in the clutch and let's coast a while
Coast a while, coast a while
Push in the clutch and let's just coast a while
Well Rome wasn't build in one short day
We got all night to roll this way
The radiator's hot, the needle's goin' wild
Turn off the key and let's coast a while
Coast a while, coast a while
Turn off the key and let's just coast a while
Well here we are baby, it's the end of the line
So rave up your motor one more time
We been coastin' for over a mile
C'mon honey let's cut out a while
Coast a while, baby let's coast a while
C'mon honey let's just coast a while
In Eddie Cochran's song Let's Coast Awhile, the singer is describing a situation where he and his partner are driving too fast and too recklessly. He pleads with her to slow down, stop the "rockin' and rollin'" and to "go down a gear" to coast for a while. The lyrics suggest that the singer wants to take a break from the high speed of their lives and enjoy a slower, more relaxed pace. He encourages his partner to "push in the clutch" and stop forcing the issue, suggesting that they just enjoy the moment and take their time.
The lyrics "Rome wasn't built in one short day, we got all night to roll this way" imply that the singer wants to take the time to enjoy the journey rather than just reaching the destination. The final lines suggest that they have reached their destination, but rather than rushing out of the car and into the next thing, he wants to "cut out a while" and just spend some time enjoying each other's company with no destination and no rush.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm burning too much gas, we gotta slow down
We are using too much fuel, so we should decrease our speed
Stop this rockin' and rollin' around
Stop driving recklessly
Ease up honey, you're drivin' me wild
You are driving in a way that makes me uncomfortable
Go down a gear and let's coast a while
Downshift the gears and let's drive slower for a bit
Well everytime I ask you to stop
Every time I ask you to slow down
You're startin' to giggle, wiggle and bop
You are acting silly and not taking my request seriously
I don't dig this jive, I'm a little out of style
I do not appreciate this behavior, it is not in line with my ways
Push in the clutch and let's coast a while
Disengage the clutch and let's drive slower for a bit
Well Rome wasn't build in one short day
We should not rush things, it takes time to build something great
We got all night to roll this way
We have plenty of time to take our time and enjoy the drive
The radiator's hot, the needle's goin' wild
The engine is overheating and the temperature gauge is showing high levels
Turn off the key and let's coast a while
Turn off the engine and let's sit still for a bit
Well here we are baby, it's the end of the line
We have arrived at our destination
So rave up your motor one more time
Rev your engine one last time
We been coastin' for over a mile
We have been driving slowly for a while now
C'mon honey let's cut out a while
Let's stop driving for a bit
Coast a while, baby let's coast a while
Let's drive slow for a bit
C'mon honey let's just coast a while
Let's slow down and enjoy the ride
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Q Smooth
Make one on Tupac Shakur