Grand Funk Railroad is an American hard rock band that formed in 1969 in Fl… Read Full Bio ↴Grand Funk Railroad is an American hard rock band that formed in 1969 in Flint, Michigan, United States. Known for iconic rock hits such as the number ones "We're An American Band" and their cover version of "The Loco-Motion", the band initially consisted of Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Mel Schacher (bass) and Don Brewer (drums), with Craig Frost (keyboards) joining in 1972. During their career, the group has released 14 studio albums and their career sales total over 25 million records sold, including 10 million records sold in 1970 alone.

The band split in 1977 and reunited in 1980, splitting again in 1983. Since reuniting in 1996 they have remained active, although Farner left the band in 1999. The group currently consists of Max Carl (vocals), Bruce Kulick (guitar), Mel Schacher (bass), Tim Cashion (keyboards), and Don Brewer (drums, vocals).

Despite their name, their music is far from the style known as "funk"; the name "Grand Funk Railroad" is a play on Michigan's "Grand Trunk Western Railroad" line, and it was chosen before "funk" had become the name of a music genre. In 1968, suburban Michigan teens Don Brewer and Mark Farner quit Terry Knight and The Pack and recruited ? and The Mysterians bass player Mel Schacher to form a power trio inspired by contemporary rock n roll.

Early in their career, they headlined a much hyped free concert in Hyde Park, wowing the audience whilst being virtually unknown in the U.K. They also opened for Led Zeppelin in Michigan, their home state. Originally produced and managed by former band leader Terry Knight who brought the group to Capitol records in 1969, they split from Knight in 1972 after money issues left the group nearly bankrupt despite massive commercial success which began after an successful appearance at the Atlanta Pop Festival.

After releasing 12 albums on Capitol (10 platinum), they intend for their final release to be Born To Die in 1975. They actually reunited & recorded one last effort in 1976 with Frank Zappa called "Good Singin' Good Playin' " and then called it quits.

Farner released two solo albums, Mel & Don recorded as Flint with Craig before Craig joined [aritst]Bob Seger's band. In 1981 Mark Farner & Don reformed the band without Mel and released a song on the animated Heavy Metal soundtrack and new album Grand Funk Lives. They toured until 1983.

In 1996 all three original members reunited for a summer tour in which they played to over 250,000 people, and a slate of Bosnian relief dates in 1997 including several TV performances. In 1998 they did a 65+ date tour listed as one of the 10 top grossing tours of the year. In 1999 Capitol issued a 3 disc box set called "Thirty Years Of Funk" 1969-1999, including recent recordings made in 1997.

Original Grand Funk Railroad members Don & Mel still tour and write new material to this day although the group have seen various line up changes, including the absence of original lead singer Mark Farner. Mark is active with his New band Nr'G. They have released 3 CD's since 1999 with For The People released in 2006.

Studio Albums:
* On Time (1969)
* Grand Funk (The Red Album) (1969)
* Closer to Home (1970)
* Survival (1971)
* E Pluribus Funk (1971)
* Phoenix (1972)
* We're an American Band (1973)
* Shinin' On (1974)
* Monumental Funk (1974)
* All the Girls in the World Beware!!! (1974)
* Born to Die (1976)
* Good Singin', Good Playin' (1976)
* Grand Funk Lives (1981)
* What's Funk? (1983)

Live albums:
* Live Album (1970)
* Caught in the Act (1975)
* Bosnia (1997)
* Thirty Years of Funk: 1969-1999 (1999)
* Live: The 1971 Tour (2002)

Compilations:
1972 Mark, Don & Mel: 1969–71
1976 Grand Funk Hits
1990 The Best of Grand Funk
1991 Capitol Collectors Series
1992 Heavy Hitters!
1999 Thirty Years of Funk: 1969-1999
2002 Classic Masters
2006 Greatest Hits

Borderline
Grand Funk Railroad Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Many of love affairs grown cold
Just watin for somebody to make up their mind
But you really don't know
Just how unfair and mistaken you are with the love you can't find

There's one thing about it, people,
You're not all alone
I know the feeling

Cause I got my own

I'm right on the borderline the borderline
The borderline between love and hate
Don't push me over, But don't keep me waitin
On the borderline, the borderline
I don't belong here I don't know why
I guess it's hard for me to say

There's one thing about it, people,
You're not all alone
I know the feeling
Cause I got my own

I'm right on the borderline the borderline
The borderline between love and hate
Don't push me over But don't keep me waitin
On the borderline, the borderline
I don't belong here, I don't know why
I guess it's hard for me to say good-bye

Oh right on the borderline
The borderline between love and hate
Don't push me over, but don't keep me waitin
On the borderline, the borderline

I don't belong here I don't know why
I guess it's hard for me to say good-bye

Overall Meaning

In Grand Funk Railroad's song Borderline, the lyrics discuss the confusion and struggle one experiences when they find themselves caught between the feelings of love and hate in a relationship. The first verse touches on the topic of relationships that have gone cold and the uncertainty that comes with waiting for someone to make a decision about whether or not they want to continue the relationship. However, the following lines suggest that the person who is waiting may not be aware of their own mistakes and may be struggling to find the love they desire.

The chorus continues this theme, with the singer admitting that they themselves are on the borderline between love and hate. They express a desire to be neither pushed away nor left waiting, and ultimately, the singer confesses their feeling of not belonging and their difficulty in saying goodbye.

Overall, the song speaks to the inner turmoil that can arise when one's emotions are polarized and they find themselves on the brink of both love and hate.

Line by Line Meaning

Many of love affairs grown cold
Many people's love lives have fallen apart.

Just watin for somebody to make up their mind
Waiting for someone to make a decision about the future of their relationship.

But you really don't know
You don't truly understand.

Just how unfair and mistaken you are with the love you can't find
You're being unfair to yourself by pursuing love that you can't have.

There's one thing about it, people,
One thing that's certain, folks...

You're not all alone
You're not the only one going through this.

I know the feeling
I understand what you're going through.

Cause I got my own
Because I have my own issues.

I'm right on the borderline the borderline
I'm in a precarious situation, balancing between two extremes.

The borderline between love and hate
The line between feelings of love and feelings of hate.

Don't push me over, But don't keep me waitin
Don't force me to make a decision, but also don't leave me hanging.