In 1970 the band was involved in an automobile accident which claimed the life of Nick Pantas, whom the band decided not to replace. After recovering from his injuries, Doug Thaler quit the band, and was replaced by Micky Lee Soule. (Upon leaving in 1972, Thaler moved to New York and got a job as a booking agent — Elf was one of the bands he booked. In 1983, he became co-manager of Mötley Crüe. Present day he works at Metropolitan Talent as an artist manager, working with artists such as Art Garfunkel, Bruce Hornsby & Ratdog).
Cover of Elf's debut self-titled album was produced by Deep Purple members Roger Glover and Ian Paice, who happened to see Elf auditioning in 1972. For the next few years, the band enjoyed mild success as an opening act for Deep Purple.
Dio both sang and played the bass guitar until, in 1973, bass player Craig Gruber was asked to join. The same year saw Feinstein quit the band, to be replaced by Steve Edwards. Feinstein formed a band called The Rods, which met with a moderate amount of success, touring with groups such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, as well as Metallica, before finally retiring from the music industry. He would not return to the music scene until 2004, when his band, Feinstein, released the album Third Wish on the Magic Circle Music label.
In 1974, Dio was asked by Glover to sing on his solo album The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast. Dio's rich, soulful voice gained the attention of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore who had just left Deep Purple and was looking for musicians for his first solo album, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. He decided to use Elf for this album, and the band Rainbow was thus formed, with Blackmore replacing Edwards. After they finished recording the album, however, Driscoll, Gruber, and Soule were replaced by Cozy Powell, Jimmy Bain and Tony Carey, who played with Dio and Blackmore during the subsequent tour. In early 1975 percussionist Mark Nauseef joined Elf, but the group disbanded shortly afterwards
for the Slime singer's project see ELF.
Carolina County Ball
Elf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you touched me with a feather I'd fall
I guess that you could say we finally made it
We played the Carolina County Ball
We had the ladies all in line to see us
I must have promised twenty seven I'd call
We thought the sun was never gonna stop shining
We played it hot, hard and nasty, oh yeah
At the Carolina County Ball
ooooo
When you got it sailing really wailing
It's all right, o-oh right
Oh right
Yeah
Well just imagine my surprise to be there
If you touched me with a feather I'd fall
We thought the sun was never gonna stop shining
Down on the Carolina County Ball
We played it hot and hard, nasty, oh yeah
At the Carolina County Ball
And we sang, yeah, ooooo
On a boogie woogie Friday night, it's all right
Ooooo
When you got it sailing, really wailing, it's all right
All right
Oh yeah
Hey, Doo-o-oo
On a boogie woogie Friday night
Doo-o-o
Say, everything gotta be all right
Doo-o-o
It's a boogie woogie Friday night, hey
Doo-o-o
When you got it sailing, really wailing
It's all right, go ahead
Oh, Doo-o-o
On the boogie woogie Friday night
Doo-o-o
Say, everything gotta be all - so - right
Doo-o-o
It's a boogie woogie Friday night
Doo-o-o
When you got it sailing, really wailing
Hypnotising, tantalising
Carolina County Ball and it's all right
The song "Carolina County Ball" by Elf is about the band's experience of playing at the titular Carolina County Ball, which seemed to represent a significant milestone in their career. The opening lines of the song suggest that the band members were taken aback by the opportunity to perform at such a prestigious event: "just imagine my surprise to be there / if you touched me with a feather I'd fall". From this, we can infer that they were somewhat humbled by the experience, and felt lucky to have been given the opportunity to play.
The lyrics go on to provide a vivid description of the event itself, with references to the "ladies all in line to see us" and the "sun…shining down on the Carolina County Ball". These lines suggest that the venue was packed, and that the band members were experiencing a level of adulation and success that they had perhaps not experienced before. The song itself is an upbeat, exuberant number, with a strong boogie-woogie influence that reflects the party atmosphere of the event.
Overall, "Carolina County Ball" can be read as a celebration of success and the attainment of goals. It shows how a group of musicians can come together to create something that brings joy to others, and how that success can be a source of pride and satisfaction for those involved.
Line by Line Meaning
Well just imagine my surprise to be there
I was amazed to be present at the event
If you touched me with a feather I'd fall
I was overwhelmed by the experience
I guess that you could say we finally made it
We finally succeeded and achieved our goal
We played the Carolina County Ball
We performed at the Carolina County Ball
We had the ladies all in line to see us
We had many female admirers waiting to see us
I must have promised twenty seven I'd call
I made many promises to the women to call them
We thought the sun was never gonna stop shining
We believed that the event would never end
On the Carolina County Ball
At the location of the Carolina County Ball
We played it hot, hard and nasty, oh yeah
We played with intensity and passion
At the Carolina County Ball
At the location of the Carolina County Ball
ooooo
vocalization conveying excitement
When you got it sailing really wailing
When the music is exceptional and lively
It's all right, o-oh right
It feels great
Oh right
Confirmation of feeling good
Yeah
Vocalization of affirmation
And we sang, yeah, ooooo
We sang with enthusiasm
On a boogie woogie Friday night, it's all right
The Friday night rocked with lively music
When you got it sailing, really wailing, it's all right
When the music is lively and exceptional, it's great
All right
Vocalization of agreement
Oh yeah
Affirmation of feeling good
Hey, Doo-o-oo
Vocalization expressing excitement
Say, everything gotta be all right
Everything feels great
It's a boogie woogie Friday night, hey
On Friday night, the music is great
Hypnotizing, tantalizing
The music was captivating and appealing
Carolina County Ball and it's all right
We had a great time at the Carolina County Ball
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MICKEY SOULE, RONNIE DIO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@azgunguy4870
Some drunk homeless guy was just screaming this song walking down the road. I had to look it up. I’m glad I did.
@yellowlightingbolt
LOOOOL
@frank3200
Dio is like bacon. Put his voice on anything and it’s great !
@kimwallace5437
God loves a precious little pup!
@LadyEvil
ELF has a smooth southern rocking style that reminds me of simpler days from my childhood. Seriously RJD could sing anything He put His Mind to!
@markjames4912
What a gent, a wonderful man, met him on the burn tour of 1974 when elf were supporting purple, one of the greatest rock singers of all time, however, listen to him singing the part of froggy on the butterfly ball album, wonderful
@notgivennotgiven7776
I found this in the cut out bin at the record store. Man, I'm really missing those days.
@BrutishYetDelightful
One magical day at the discount bin at Record Bar I got Black Sabbath Paranoid, Cheech and Chong's Greatest Hit, and Deep Purple Purple Passages for just under six bucks. I then walked out into the middle of the mall where some guy had a little kiosk with cassettes, and there was The Book of Taliesyn and the Moody Blues In Search of the Lost Chord sitting there waiting for me.
@markbirchette8740
R.I.H. Rock In Heaven Ronnie James Dio my brother from another mother. Peace
@stephenmcgregor1022
Dio's voice fills any venue and spills over the top. Whether he's singing "Love Potion Number 9" from the 60's, ELF from the 1970's, Rainbow, Dio or even Livegreen's "Mask of the Great Deceiver" (in my mind one of Dio's most amazing...)