Fu Manchu is an American stoner rock band, formed in Southern California in… Read Full Bio ↴Fu Manchu is an American stoner rock band, formed in Southern California in 1985, and long-associated with the Palm Desert Scene. They originally formed in 1985 as a hardcore punk band called Virulence. The lineup was vocalist Ken Pucci, guitarist Scott Hill, bassist Mark Abshire, and drummer Ruben Romano. In 1987, Abshire left the band and was replaced by Greg McCaughey. They recorded their debut LP If This Isn't a Dream... in 1988, which was released on Alchemy Records (1989). In 1990, Pucci left the band and was replaced by vocalist Glenn Chivens, and they changed their name to Fu Manchu. Soon after, they released the "Kept Between Trees" 7 inch single on Slap-a-Ham Records. McCaughey was replaced by Mark Abshire. Chivens also left the band around this time for unknown reasons. Rather than search for a new vocalist, Scott Hill added lead vocalist to his guitar duties. To compensate, Scott Votaw was recruited as lead guitarist. In 1992, Fu Manchu released three 7 inch singles: "Senioritis", "Pick Up Summer", and "Don't Bother Knockin' (If This Vans Rockin')". In 1993, Votaw left the band and was replaced by lead guitarist Eddie Glass, who had previously played drums in the band Olivelawn.

Fu Manchu's first album, No One Rides for Free (1994), was released by Bong Load Custom Records, an independent label. No One Rides for Free marked the beginning of the band's heavy focus on muscle cars and drag racing, common themes in the stoner rock genre.

Abshire left Fu Manchu before they recorded their second album, Daredevil, in 1995. He was replaced by Brad Davis. The band promoted Daredevil with extensive touring throughout the US and Canada, and reached a wider audience thanks to an opening slot with Monster Magnet, who at the time were the commercial darlings of the stoner rock genre.

Romano and Glass left shortly after the release of Fu Manchu's third album, In Search Of... (1996), citing personal and musical differences with Hill. They were replaced by Brant Bjork and Bob Balch, respectively. Glass, Romano and Abshire soon regrouped to form Nebula, a power trio that took the jam-influenced side of Fu Manchu and expanded on it. Members of Nebula have commented that "we're all family" to fans wearing Fu Manchu shirts at their concerts.

Fu Manchu went on to release several successful albums and reinforce their reputation as a powerful live act. The band had gained this reputation over the years due to their performance when touring with notable bands such as Kyuss, Monster Magnet, Marilyn Manson, Clutch, Corrosion of Conformity, White Zombie, Sevendust, and P.O.D., among others.

In 2001, the band released an album, California Crossing. Brant Bjork left the band soon after to pursue a solo career and was replaced by former Sunshine and Smile drummer Scott Reeder (often confused with bassist Scott Reeder, of Kyuss, Unida, and Goatsnake fame). In 2004, Fu Manchu released their eighth album, Start the Machine.

Fu Manchu's ninth album is called We Must Obey which was released on February 19, 2007. The band spent most of 2007 and 2008 on tour, playing several shows in North America and Europe.

In February 2008, the track "Mongoose" (from the California Crossing album) was featured in a Super Bowl ad for the Toyota Sequoia.

Their tenth album Signs of Infinite Power was released on October 19, 2009, in Europe and October 20 in North America.

On March 10, 2010, it was announced that Scott Reeder would play drums for Social Distortion for the South American tour dates in April. In June 2012, the band stated they had begun writing for a new record. In 2014, the band released its eleventh album, Gigantoid.

In December 2017, they announced their twelfth album, Clone of the Universe, which released on February 9, 2018.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_Manchu_(band)

Studio albums
No One Rides for Free (1994)
Daredevil (1995)
In Search Of... (1996)
The Action Is Go (1997)
Godzilla's/Eatin' Dust (1999)
King of the Road (2000)
California Crossing (2001)
Start the Machine (2004)
We Must Obey (2007)
Signs of Infinite Power (2009)
Gigantoid (2014)
Clone of the Universe (2018)

Hang On
Fu Manchu Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well I have seen your face
I heard you call my name
I know it's hard to believe
Just wait until you see
Well I send you right back
I know what you're talking about
Identical marks with me
We follow them all the way

I hang on
We've been moving for so long

So after we refuel
Chase just like you do
So many towns we pass
Destination here at last

I hang on
We've been moving for so long

Back and forth again
Seamless signs from wind
Steel hot on our trail
Tried to outrun but failed

I hang on
We've been moving for so long

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Fu Manchu's song "Hang On" appear to be about a journey, possibly in the context of a road trip or some other type of adventure. The opening lines, "Well I have seen your face, I heard you call my name," suggest that the singer is traveling with someone else and they have a shared experience. The next line, "I know it's hard to believe, just wait until you see," implies that what the two people are experiencing is something remarkable, and the "identical marks" mentioned later in the song may be some sort of symbol or sign that they are following.

As the song continues, the lyrics suggest that the journey is long and has required them to refuel along the way. They pass through many towns before reaching their ultimate destination. There are also some hints of danger, with "steel hot on our trail" and an attempt to outrun something that ultimately fails. However, despite this, the singer is determined to "hang on" and keep moving forward.

Overall, the lyrics of "Hang On" convey a sense of adventure and perseverance. The journey may be difficult at times, but the singer is committed to seeing it through to the end.

Line by Line Meaning

Well I have seen your face
The singer has encountered the addressee.

I heard you call my name
The addressee attempted to get the singer's attention.

I know it's hard to believe
There is something that the singer finds difficult to accept about the situation.

Just wait until you see
The artist is confident that more information will help the addressee understand the situation better.

Well I send you right back
The artist is returning something to the addressee.

I know what you're talking about
The singer has a clear understanding of the conversation topic.

Identical marks with me
The singer shares a common trait with the addressee.

We follow them all the way
The artist and the addressee have been trailing something or someone for a significant time period.

I hang on
The artist continues despite difficulty.

We've been moving for so long
There has been significant travel or pursuit recently.

So after we refuel
A refueling event has recently occurred or is about to.