Critically acclaimed though perceived as commercially disappointing, their debut contained tracks such as a spirited version of the Bobby Troup chestnut "The Girl Can't Help It", and it brought them a cult following. Their second album, 1970's 'Flamingo', revealed a musical approach that continued to draw upon 50s rock and roll as well as upon the more tuneful work of The Beatles and the The Rolling Stones. 'Flamingo' is also notable as well as the only album by the group to feature an apostrophe after "Flamin" (all the others are credited to "The Flamin Groovies"). It also was the first of their two albums for the label Kama Sutra.
Their next album, and last with musician Roy Loney, was the 1971 classic 'Teenage Head'. Continuing their streak of critical praise, this album appears in the famous book '1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'. Mick Jagger praised the work as an excellent album with parallels to the Stones' work at the time which, like 'Teenage Head', revisited both 50s music and roots rock. 'Teenage Head' is also considered to be a classic in the proto-punk music canon.
Still, Roy Loney left the Flamin' Groovies, and he was replaced by singer-songwriter and guitarist Chris Wilson, who, along with Jordan, began to move the group in a more overtly power pop direction. Between 1971 and 1976, very little was heard of the band except their 1972 anti-drug song "Slow Death". In 1976, they teamed up with British producer and famous retro rock artist Dave Edmunds, and recorded an album entitled 'Shake Some Action'.
With Cyril Jordan and George Alexander the lone holdouts in the band after their line-up changes, their sound found them fully embracing melodic 60s British invasion music and putting on a suit and tie public image reminiscent of those groups. The album even breaking into the Billboard 200 chart, reaching the #142 slot, it picked-up massive critical acclaim. Title track "Shake Some Action" became somewhat of a 'signature song' for the group, and the album has been viewed as a landmark release of the Anglo-American power pop movement.
The following effort, 1978's 'Now', continued to be a good example of their self-conscious attempt to revive the sound of classic 60s rock. As Cyril Jordan told an interviewer, "The time that we were personifying had died in America years before. We were trying to put it into a capsule." The Groovies continued in the same style until somewhere early in the 80s, almost folding entirely and shifting into a sporadic, on-again/off-again existence as the American music scene changed into a more new wave and alternative rock based direction.
In retrospect, the band has been praised by critics as being "one of America's greatest, most influential, and legendary cult bands", in the words of Allmusic. Their siren song of a last album, 1993's 'Rock Juice', has also attracted attention as a great underground release. As time goes by, many punk and powerpop leaning bands have took inspiration from the Groovies.
Shake Some Action
Flamin' Groovies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To get to you some day.
Oh, but I, babe, I'm so afraid I'll fall, yeah.
Now can't you hear me call?
Shake some action's what I need
To let me bust out at full speed.
I'm sure that's all you need
It's taken me so long
To get where I belong
Oh, but, oh, please don't send me back that way, yeah.
For I will make you pay.
Shake some action's what I need
To let me bust out at full speed.
I'm sure that's all you need
To make it all right.
If you don't dig what I say
Then I will go away.
And I won't come back this again. No.
'Cause I don't need a friend.
Shake some action's what I need
To let me bust out at full speed.
I'm sure that's all you need
To make it all right.
The opening lines of Shake Some Action by Flamin' Groovies reveal a sense of longing and a hope for a possible reunion with someone they care about. They express their fears about falling and not being able to reach their destination. "Can't you hear me call?" - this line suggests an element of desperation, a plea for the other person to hear their cries and respond. The chorus, "Shake some action's what I need to let me bust out at full speed" can be interpreted as a metaphorical call to action or shaking things up to help the singer gain momentum and the much-needed push to achieve success. They express their confidence that this is all they need to make everything right.
In the second stanza, the lyrics suggest that the singer has been on a long journey to find where they belong. They plead with the other person not to send them back, indicating they don't want to go down that road again. The line "for I will make you pay" highlights the importance of this journey to the singer and that they are feeling protective of this newfound sense of belonging. Once again, the chorus emphasizes the need for something to help them gain momentum, getting into full swing, and working their way towards the ultimate goal.
The final stanza reveals how the singer is not looking to please everyone, but instead they are focused on achieving their goals. They state that they will not come back again as they don't need friends who cannot support or understand their struggles. The chorus repeats itself, underlining the message that shaking things up and getting things moving is essential to achieving success and finding happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
I will find a way
I am determined to find a way to reach you.
To get to you some day.
Eventually, I will reach you.
Oh, but I, babe, I'm so afraid I'll fall, yeah.
I am afraid of failure on my quest to reach you.
Now can't you hear me call?
Can you hear my plea for help?
Shake some action's what I need
I need to take decisive action to achieve my goal.
To let me bust out at full speed.
I need to break free and move quickly towards my objective.
I'm sure that's all you need
If I do this, everything will be alright between us.
To make it all right.
To fix our relationship and make it better than before.
It's taken me so long
I have been working hard to get here for a long time.
To get where I belong
I have been working hard to find my place in the world.
Oh, but, oh, please don't send me back that way, yeah.
I don't want to go back to where I was before.
For I will make you pay.
If you make me go back, you will regret it.
If you don't dig what I say
If you don't understand what I am trying to communicate.
Then I will go away.
I will leave if you don't understand my perspective.
And I won't come back this again. No.
I won't return if I feel you aren't receptive to me.
'Cause I don't need a friend.
I don't need someone who isn't supportive of me.
To let me bust out at full speed.
I need to break free and move quickly towards my objective.
I'm sure that's all you need
If I do this, everything will be alright between us.
To make it all right.
To fix our relationship and make it better than before.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER WILSON, CYRIL JORDAN, CYRIL HENRI GARNICK JORDAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind