The initial line-up of the band included drummer Richard Stevers, guitarist Gary Ray Thompson, bassist Tom Harris, lead singer Tom Beaudry (aka Kelly Green), and later added Larry Zelanka as off-staff keyboardist. On their album, All Pink Inside, the line-up was Craig Webb, guitar, Larry Popolizio, bass, Rick Stevers, drums, and Jo Baker harp/vocal, with the addition of Rockin' Reggie Vincent, vocals, and David Ahlers, piano. Over 35 years would pass before the next album would be released.
Frijid Pink formed when local Detroit-area cover band the Detroit Vibrations, which featured Stevers and Harris, were joined by guitarist Gary Ray Thompson and singer Tom Beaudry, who later took the stage name Kelly Green. Thompson convinced Vibrations' manager Clyde Stevers (Richard's father) that he was a better musician than the Vibrations' current guitarist. The group spent their first two years touring throughout the Southeast Michigan/Detroit area and eventually signed with Parrot Records. Their first two singles, "Tell Me Why" (#70 Canada) and "Drivin' Blues" (both released in 1969) failed to attract much attention, but their third 1969 effort, a distorted guitar-driven rendition of "House of the Rising Sun," reached the Top Ten on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1970. This disc sold over one million copies, thereby receiving a gold disc. The track also peaked at No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart and #3 in the Canadian RPM Magazine charts. The song was a "filler," using up time at the end of a recording session. The band was popular in their native Detroit area. A fledgling Led Zeppelin once opened for them at Detroit's Grande Ballroom. Frijid Pink often shared billing with the likes of the MC5, the Stooges, the Amboy Dukes, and other local groups.
Frijid Pink's self-titled debut LP followed in 1970, as did their second release Defrosted, with virtually all of the album's writing being provided by the duo of Beaudry and Thompson. Subsequent singles including "Sing A Song For Freedom" and a cover of "Heartbreak Hotel" failed to match earlier successes, and after Beaudry and Thompson bailed in an attempt to reform the group, a new lineup was created featuring David Alexander (later Jon Wearing) on vocals, Craig Webb on guitar, and Larry Zelanka on keyboards. This version of the group recorded 1972's Earth Omen. The group would have another lineup in place before re-entering the studio to record 1975's All Pink Inside with Jo Baker on vocals and Larry Popolizio playing the bass.
In 1981 Stevers and Harris joined forces with Arlen Viecelli, lead singer/guitarist of Salem Witchcraft, and Ray Gunn, guitarist of Virgin Dawn, to record an album at Sound Suite studio in Detroit. The music was written by Viecelli and Gunn and was set to be released in the summer of 1982. However, after failed negotiation attempts with various record companies by the group's manager (the aforementioned Clyde Stevers), the group disbanded and the material was never released.
Another version of the band (featuring no past members) formed in 2001. They recorded one album, Inner Heat, which was set for release in 2002. After a single show, which did not feature the band's biggest hit, the album was pulled by the record label, Dynasty Records. In 2005 yet another lineup formed featuring most of the original members; drummer Stevers had succeeded in getting bassist Tom Harris and vocalist Tom Beaudry together with guitarist Steve Dansby (from a late 1970s line-up of Cactus) and unknown keyboardist Larin Michaels.
In late 2006, after another failed attempt to reunite the original members, Stevers began auditioning guitarists for the reformation of Frijid Pink. A keyboard player was also recruited. Over the course of the next five years, this new lineup would play a dozen or so gigs, such as local venues and street fairs, but, without proper management, never had any steady work or did any touring. The focus shifted to basement recording and piecing an album together, which was released in March 2011 on the Repertoire label. This album, available in the U.S. as an import, is composed of re-recorded renditions of songs from the group's previous albums and new original music. In late 2011, the lead singer/guitarist/engineer and the keyboard player were replaced, thus ending the longest contiguous line-up in the band's history. Recording and performing continued in a similar fashion with this latest lineup, and an EP was released in late spring of 2012.
The House Of The Rising Sun
Frijid Pink Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They call the rising sun.
And it's been the ruin of many a poor Boy,
And God I know I'm one.
My mother was a tailor,
Sewed my new blue jeans.
My father was a gamblin' man.
Now the only thing a gambler needs is
A suitcase and a trunk.
And the only time he'll be satisfied
Is when he's on a drunk.
Oh mother, tell your children,
Not to do what I have done.
Spend your lives in sin and misery
In the house of the Rising Sun.
Well I've got one foot on the platform
The other foot on the train
I'm going back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain
Well there is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God, I know, I'm one
The lyrics of Frijid Pink's House of the Rising Sun paint a picture of a tragic story that is being conveyed in a very profound way. The song is told from the perspective of a man who seems to have experienced life from the bottom of the barrel. The house in New Orleans that they call the rising sun is presented as a place of ruin for many a poor boy, including the singer. His statement "and God I know I'm one" suggests he is resigned to his fate and that he blames himself for his downfall.
He goes on to give a glimpse into his family background, where his father was a gambler and his mother a tailor. The lyrics reveal that his father's addiction to gambling was the main reason for the family's downfall. The lyrics suggest that the father's addiction led to the ruin of the family, and the singer vows not to make the same mistake. At the end of the song, he is leaving town but acknowledges that he is still bound by the ball and chain of his memories and experiences.
Overall, the lyrics in House of the Rising Sun convey a sense of sadness and helplessness, painting a picture of a man who has lost everything through his own actions and the actions of others.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a house in New Orleans,
In New Orleans, there is a certain building that has gained notoriety.
They call the rising sun.
People refer to the building as the rising sun.
And it's been the ruin of many a poor Boy,
The building has caused the downfall of many unfortunate individuals, including myself.
And God I know I'm one.
I am one of the individuals who has been ruined by this building.
My mother was a tailor,
My mother worked as a tailor.
Sewed my new blue jeans.
She made me a new pair of blue jeans.
My father was a gamblin' man.
My father had a gambling problem.
Down in New Orleans.
He lived in the same city where the building is located.
Now the only thing a gambler needs is
A gambler requires very little to be satisfied.
A suitcase and a trunk.
All a gambler needs to carry their belongings is a suitcase and a trunk.
And the only time he'll be satisfied
A gambler only experiences contentment
Is when he's on a drunk.
when they are inebriated.
Oh mother, tell your children,
A plea for a mother to warn her offspring
Not to do what I have done.
To not make the mistakes I have in succumbing to the building's allure.
Spend your lives in sin and misery
The building is a place of sin and sorrow, and one must exert effort to avoid succumbing to it.
In the house of the Rising Sun.
The building is called the Rising Sun.
Well I've got one foot on the platform
I am in the process of boarding a train.
The other foot on the train
One foot is already on the train.
I'm going back to New Orleans
I am returning to New Orleans.
To wear that ball and chain
I am going back to face my punishment for my mistakes.
Well there is a house in New Orleans
Again, there is a building in New Orleans.
They call the Rising Sun
The building is known as the Rising Sun.
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
As previously stated, the building has caused the destruction of many less fortunate individuals.
And God, I know, I'm one
The artist acknowledges that he has personally succumbed to the building's influence.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alan Price
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AdrianoPedrasPreciosas
Viva o rock 🎸
@terrytroughton5390
No need to translate,😊
@terrybentley9936
Frigid Pink blows everyone away. It's my favorite from my early past
@davemoyer505
One of my favorite songs in grade school. Was blown away by the guitar work and that badass clear voice. Never understood why Frigid Pink never made it bigger- they should have!!!👍👍🎸🥁🎼❤️
@Straydogger
One-hit wonders is the reason why. lol
@bikerhighmiler8998
@@Straydogger lame response
@alexgasiewski4970
@@bikerhighmiler8998 2 great LPs don't equal 1 hit wonder's. Take care Highmiler.
@bikerhighmiler8998
@@alexgasiewski4970 lame
@alexgasiewski4970
@@bikerhighmiler8998 I was agreeing with you , not the one who called them 1hit wonder's.
@jbass69goat84
Lead singer Tom Beaudry passed away 09/02/2021. RIP brother, millions of people appreciated that voice. 🙏🇺🇲