The band also appear in the 1983 documentary Hell's Angels Forever, in which they appear at the Hells Angels' Pirates Party held on the SS Bay Belle on September 5, 1973, together with the Jerry Garcia Band.
The first incarnation of Elephant's Memory between 1967 and 1968 was:
* Stan Bronstein - sax/clarinet/vocals
* Rick Frank - drums
In 1968 they briefly added Carly Simon as a vocalist.
In 1969 the line-up was:
* Stan Bronstein - sax/clarinet/vocals
* Rick Frank - drums
* John Ward - guitar
* Chester Ayres - guitar
* Myron Yules - bass/trombone
* Richard Sussman - keyboards
* Michal Shapiro - vocals
*Guy Peritore- guitar, vocals
* David Cohen - guitar, keyboards, vocals
adding, later in the year, Chris Robinson on guitars and vocals.
In 1969, the band had a minor hit with the song "Mongoose," a rocking retelling of the age-old mongoose vs. cobra fable.
Between late 1969 and 1973 the line up remained more less constant around the following members:
* Stan Bronstein - sax/clarinet/vocals
* Rick Frank - drums
* Wayne "Tex" Gabriel (Barrett) - guitar
* Gary Van Scyoc - bass/vocals
* Adam Ippolito - keyboards/vocals
adding, at various times, Daria Price on castanets and John La Bosca on piano.
The final manifestation of the band was:
* Stan Bronstein - sax/clarinet/vocals
* Rick Frank - drums
* Gary Van Scyoc - bass/vocals
* Chris Robinson - guitar/keyboards/vocals
* Jon Sachs - guitar/vocals
New York City
Elephant's Memory Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just me and Yoko Ono
We was waiting for Jerry to land
Up come a man with a guitar in his hand
Singing, "Have a marijuana if you can"
His name was David Peel
And we found that he was real
He sang, "The Pope smokes dope every day"
Singing, "Power to the people today!"
New York City, back in New York City, New York City
Que pasa, New York?
Que pasa, New York?
Well down to Max's Kansas City
Got down the nitty gritty
With the Elephants Memory Band
Laid something down
As the news spread around
About the Plastic Ono Elephants Memory Band!
And we played some funky boogie
And laid some tutti frutti
Singing, "Long Tall Sally's a man."
Up come a preacher man trying to be a teacher
Singing, "God's a red herring in drag!"
New York City, back in New York City, New York City
Que pasa, New York?
Que pasa, New York?
New York City, back in New York City, New York City
Que pasa, New York?
Que pasa, New York?
Well we did the Staten Island Ferry
Making movies for the telly
Played the Fillmore and Apollo for freedom
Tried to shake our image
Just a cycling through the Village
But found that we had left it back in London
Well nobody came to bug us
Hustle us or shove us
So we decided to make it our home
If the Man wants to shove us out
We gonna jump and shout
The Statue of Liberty said, "Come!"
New York City, back in New York City, New York City
Que pasa, New York?
Que pasa, New York?
New York City, back in New York City, New York City
Que pasa, New York?
Que pasa, New York?
The song "New York City" by Elephant's Memory is an upbeat celebration of the music scene and the city that helped shape it. The lyrics describe the band's arrival in the city and their experiences performing in various venues. The opening verse sets the scene on a street corner with Yoko Ono, waiting for Jerry to arrive, and introduces David Peel who sings about marijuana and the Pope. The chorus proclaims "New York City, back in New York City, New York City" with "Que pasa, New York?" as a playful greeting.
The lyrics continue with a reference to the famous venue Max's Kansas City where the Elephant's Memory Band played and laid down some "funky boogie" while offering a gender-bending take on "Long Tall Sally." The verse also includes a preacher man who tries to teach but sings about "God's a red herring in drag," perhaps referencing the counterculture movement's rejection of traditional religious beliefs. The next verse describes the band's experiences filming and performing in different venues like the Fillmore and Apollo, and their attempts to distance themselves from their London roots. The final chorus asserts their commitment to the city, declaring that even if they are pushed out, the Statue of Liberty invites them to stay.
Overall, the song "New York City" reflects the vibrant and diverse musical scene of the 1970s, which embraced experimentation and unconventional expression. The lyrics also highlight the social and cultural movements of the time, including drug use, counterculture, and civil rights.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing on the corner
We were standing on a street corner in New York City.
Just me and Yoko Ono
Me and Yoko Ono were standing together.
We was waiting for Jerry to land
We were waiting for Jerry to arrive in New York City.
Up come a man with a guitar in his hand
A man carrying a guitar came up to us.
Singing, 'Have a marijuana if you can'
The man sang a song about smoking marijuana.
His name was David Peel
The man with the guitar was named David Peel.
And we found that he was real
We discovered that David Peel was authentic.
He sang, 'The Pope smokes dope every day'
David Peel sang a song about the Pope smoking marijuana daily.
Up come a policeman shoved us up the street
A policeman arrived and pushed us off the street.
Singing, 'Power to the people today!'
The policeman sang a song about empowering the people.
New York City, back in New York City, New York City
We were back in New York City after being away.
Que pasa, New York?
We were curious about what was happening in New York City.
Well down to Max's Kansas City
We went to Max's Kansas City, a popular music venue.
Got down the nitty gritty
We got into the details and got to work.
With the Elephants Memory Band
We were with our band, Elephant's Memory.
Laid something down
We performed and recorded something.
As the news spread around
Word about our performances and recordings began to spread.
About the Plastic Ono Elephants Memory Band!
People were talking about our band.
And we played some funky boogie
We played some groovy music.
And laid some tutti frutti
We performed something lively and enjoyable.
Singing, 'Long Tall Sally's a man.'
We sang a song, referring to a woman with a man's name.
Up come a preacher man trying to be a teacher
A religious figure approached, attempting to teach us something.
Singing, 'God's a red herring in drag!'
The preacher man sang about God being deceptive.
New York City, back in New York City, New York City
We were still in New York City.
Que pasa, New York?
We were still curious about what was happening in New York City.
Well we did the Staten Island Ferry
We took a ride on the Staten Island Ferry.
Making movies for the telly
We filmed some movies for television.
Played the Fillmore and Apollo for freedom
We performed at the Fillmore and Apollo theaters in support of freedom.
Tried to shake our image
We attempted to change our public perception.
Just a cycling through the Village
We rode our bikes through the Village, a neighborhood in New York City.
But found that we had left it back in London
We realized that we had left the feeling of the Village behind in London.
Well nobody came to bug us
No one bothered us while we were in New York City.
Hustle us or shove us
No one tried to scam or physically harm us.
So we decided to make it our home
We decided to stay and make New York City our home.
If the Man wants to shove us out
If the authorities try to expel us from the city,
We gonna jump and shout
We will protest and resist their efforts.
The Statue of Liberty said, 'Come!'
The Statue of Liberty welcomed us to stay in America and pursue our dreams.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Winston Lennon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
2polohunnie DuMontier
Too bad his voice wasn't up to snuff on this night. His performance on the record was fabulous.
Carlier Bruno
It is not so bad... It is just unstudied... that's why live sound is great finally...
2polohunnie DuMontier
@Carlier Bruno I've heard other cuts from this show. He was definitely having vocal problems that night; I don't know if it was nerves, laryngitis, or what.