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.
Teenage Confidential
Flamin' Groovies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you do you'll break up, girl.
And you won't have nothing in this world.
The things she says could be untrue,
And those kind of words can make you blue.
And there ain't nothing I can do.
So girl now don't you cry,
She wants us to say goodbye.
Please take my advice:
Forget her words and treat me nice.
Don't think about it twice.
Don't take her word,
If you do you'll break up, girl.
And you won't have nothing in this world.
The lyrics of Flamin' Groovies's song "Teenage Confidential" warn against blindly believing everything one hears, especially from a romantic partner. The singer advises their lover not to take the word of someone who might spread untruths and cause them emotional distress. The singer seems to have a bit of a rivalry with this other person but is urging their lover not to let their words harm their relationship. The singer advises their lover to forget these words, treat them well, and not think twice about it. At the heart of this song is a lesson about communication and miscommunication in relationships, underscoring the pain that can arise from not trusting your partner and listening to third-party gossip.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't take her word,
Don't believe everything she says.
If you do you'll break up, girl.
Believing her lies could ruin your relationship.
And you won't have nothing in this world.
Losing your relationship could leave you with nothing.
The things she says could be untrue,
Her words may not be trustworthy.
And those kind of words can make you blue.
Her lies can make you feel down.
And there ain't nothing I can do.
I can't change what she says or does.
So girl now don't you cry,
Don't be upset about her lies.
It's not the truth only a lie.
What she says isn't reality, it's a falsehood.
She wants us to say goodbye.
She wants to end our relationship.
Please take my advice:
Consider what I'm telling you.
Forget her words and treat me nice.
Ignore her and be good to me.
Don't think about it twice.
Don't hesitate, just trust me.
Contributed by Bentley S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.