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.
Weekend
Eddie Cochran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(La-la-la, la-la-la-la)
Friday night, everything's right for the weekend
Crazy clothes, anything goes on a weekend
John called Ann and Jim got Sue
I made a date with little ol' you
Off we went to make a big tent on the weekend
Boy, it's great, just a-stayin' out late on a weekend
Know a spot and like it a lot on a weekend
Took a road to Lookout Hill
The view up there is sure a thrill
What a night to hold you tight on a weekend
There we were just sittin' cool and cozy
Just about to steal a little kiss
The police with a flashlight bright and nosy
Sayin', "holdin' neck o'er there, what is all this?"
Car top down, just ridin' around on a weekend
Took a chance on crashin' a dance on a weekend
We were almost inside the place
When somebody slammed the door in my face
"Hey, you guys have gotta wear ties on a weekend!"
No harm done, just a-havin' some fun on a weekend
That was all, we had a big ball on the weekend
(La-la-la, la-la-la-la)
(La-la-la, la-la-la-la)
The lyrics of "Weekend" by Eddie Cochran are reminiscent of the carefree attitude and youthful spirit that characterizes the genre of rock and roll. The song speaks of a Friday night where everything is just right for the weekend, and the notion is further reinforced by the carefree attitudes towards dressing, dating and exploring new places. Eddie Cochran and his friends enjoy themselves with their significant others doing fun and wild things. They take a road to Lookout Hill where they enjoy the beautiful view and revel in the night together. The lyrics also emphasize that they are not doing anything wrong, they are just having some harmless fun like most other people do.
However, towards the end of the song, the story takes a sudden turn when a policeman with a flashlight appears and asks what they are doing there. This creates tension and suggests that they may have been interrupted while attempting to do something they shouldn't have been doing or that could have been perceived as being naughty. It adds to the irony of the song where celebrating the freedom of youth and weekend fun is enjoyable, but it often comes with adverse consequences.
In conclusion, "Weekend" is a song that celebrates youthful spirit, the joy of new experiences, and the thrill of being alive. It reminds us to enjoy and seize the moment, but also that youthful jubilance that can get one in tricky situations. The song resonates with many, especially older folks who look back with nostalgia and admiring younger generations' boundless energy and carefree spirit.
Line by Line Meaning
Friday night, everything's right for the weekend
Friday is perfect for the weekend
Crazy clothes, anything goes on a weekend
Anything is acceptable during the weekend, even crazy clothes
John called Ann and Jim got Sue
John talked to Ann and Jim talked to Sue
I made a date with little ol' you
We scheduled a date for the weekend
Off we went to make a big tent on the weekend
We went somewhere to make a tent during the weekend
Boy, it's great, just a-stayin' out late on a weekend
It's great to be able to stay out late during the weekend
Know a spot and like it a lot on a weekend
We know a spot that we like to visit during the weekend
Took a road to Lookout Hill
We took a road that led to Lookout Hill
The view up there is sure a thrill
The view from Lookout Hill is really exciting
What a night to hold you tight on a weekend
We had the perfect night for holding each other tight during the weekend
There we were just sittin' cool and cozy
We were sitting comfortably and relaxed
Just about to steal a little kiss
We were about to give each other a small kiss
The police with a flashlight bright and nosy
The police arrived with a bright flashlight and were very curious
Sayin', "holdin' neck o'er there, what is all this?"
They asked us what we were doing
Car top down, just ridin' around on a weekend
We were driving around during the weekend with the top down
Took a chance on crashin' a dance on a weekend
We decided to take a chance and go to a dance uninvited during the weekend
We were almost inside the place
We were very close to getting inside the place where the dance was being held
When somebody slammed the door in my face
Someone unexpectedly closed the door in my face
"Hey, you guys have gotta wear ties on a weekend!"
They told us we needed to wear ties
No harm done, just a-havin' some fun on a weekend
We had a good time during the weekend and nobody got hurt
That was all, we had a big ball on the weekend
We had a great time during the weekend
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bill Post, Doree Post
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Getyabootsoffskinny
Happy birthday Eddie. Still missed in 2020
@edwilliams127
One of Eddie Cochran's very best songs, and that's saying something!
@Jim4979
This song sums up my teenage years in late 1950's and the earlier 1960's. His music now days has influenced me become a writer for rest of my live, thanks Eddie for the music. Eddie rocks forever!
@thebobbs6999
Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry were among the very few outstanding early rock & rollers who regularly wrote their own hits. Amazing talents. Imagine the awesome body of work we would have been blessed with had two of them not been taken so young. Never to be forgotten.
@keesvanbaaren1048
Today it's 63 years ago he's gone.
But never forgotten!!
17 April 1960
@Nilbog-Hunter
I’m 20 and just started looking into this guy, crazy how he was only a year older than me and died protecting people during a car crash.
@ruthdixon7807
a celebration of the good times, from those distant days when the weekend offered the only relief for youth with energy to burn.
@synthemesc1
The guy was brilliant. Very cool, and his songs make my life better.
@desitribik4415
Eddie Cochran rocks !
@aaronmoriarity
Nobody does Rockin' like Eddie Cochran!!