Saddler's family migrated to the United States, and he grew up in the Bronx. He became involved in the earliest Queensbridge, New York DJ scene, attending parties set up by early luminaries. Learning from Pete Jones and Kool Herc, he used duplicate copies of a single record and two turntables but added a dextrous manual edit with a mixer to promote the break (a point of isolated drum rhythm) - the ordinary playing of the record would be interrupted to overlay the break, the break could be repeated by using the mixer to switch channels while the second record was spun back. The speed and dexterity needed showed why Saddler was called Flash, although he got the nickname in school due to the fact that he hung around with another guy named Gordon (from Flash Gordon). He also invented the technique initially called cutting, which was developed by Grand Wizard Theodore into scratching (AMG).
Flash played illegal parties and also worked with rappers such as Kurtis Blow and Lovebug Starski. He formed his own group in the late 1970s, after promptings from Ray Chandler. The initial members were Cowboy (Keith Wiggins), Melle Mel (Melvin Glover) and Kid(d) Creole (Nathaniel Glover) making Grandmaster Flash & the 3 MCs. Two other rappers briefly joined, but they were replaced more permanently by Rahiem (Guy Todd Williams, previously in the Funky Four) and Scorpio (Eddie Morris, also used the name Mr. Ness) to create Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. Soon gaining recognition for their skillful raps, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five pioneered MCing, freestyle battles, and invented some of the staple phrases in MCing. They performed at Disco Fever in the Bronx beginning in 1978.
Signed to Sugar Hill Records in 1980 by Joe Robinson, they released numerous singles, gaining a gold disc for "Freedom," and also toured. The classic "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel," released in 1981 was the best display of their skills (combining elements of Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust", Chic's "Good Times" and samples from Blondie's Rapture), but it was their least successful single at the time. The group's most significant hit was "The Message" (1982), which was produced by in-house Sugar Hill producer Clifton "Jiggs" Chase and went platinum in less than a month. Flash sued Sugar Hill in 1983 over the non-payment of royalties, and in 1984 the group split between Flash and Mel before disintegrating entirely. Flash, Kid Creole and Rahiem signed to Elektra Records while the others continued as "Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five." (Mel notably appeared on Chaka Khan's I Feel for You). They reformed in 1987 for a charity concert, to release one album and then fell apart again. There was another reunion, of a kind, in 1994, although Cowboy died in 1989 from a drug overdose due to the effects of his crack cocaine addiction.
Adventures Of Flash On The Wheels Of Steel
Grandmaster Flash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You say
You say, you say, you say, you say
You say one for the treble
Two for the time
Come on girls, let's rock that
DJ's spinnin', I said "my-my"
Flash is fast
Flash is fast
Flash is fast, Flash is cool
Francois, c'est pas, Flash ain't no dude
You say one for the treble
Two for the time
Come on, girls let's rock that (good times)
(Good times)
Grandmaster, cut faster
Grandmaster
Cut faster
Grandmaster, cut, cut, cut faster
Grandmaster
Grandmaster, cut faster
Hey, hey, hey
Everybody say one
(One) Flash, one time (good)
Everybody say two
(Two) Flash, two times (good, good)
Say three
(Three) Flash, three times
Say four
(Four) Flash, four times (good times)
Melle Mel
Taurus, the bull is my zodiac sign
Mr. Ness
Scorpio, my name is right here
It's Aquarius, the King Creole
Piseces
Cowboy
Virgo
And Gra-Gra-Gra-Gra-Grandmaster Flash cuts so on
And his zodiac sign is Capricorn
Why don't you tell me a story?
Please tell me a story, too
You know, I think I'll tell you the story of my life
You tell me (I wanna hear it, too)
I was born in Adams, North Dakota a long time ago, see
And now I'm lucky enough to be here with you
Yeah, but what happened in between?
Yeah, what else happened?
Well, it went pretty much like this
Oh yeah
Whoo
Oh yeah
Whoo
Ha, ha, ha, ch-ka-bow, ooh, ooh
Aha, ha, ha, ha
Hoo (good times)
The official adventures of Flash
Ooh, ha, ha, ha
Hey, hey, everybody say ho (ho)
Say ho, ho (ho, ho)
Say disco (disco)
Say party (party)
All the ladies, all the mens, come on
All the in the house say "ow" (ow)
Say "ow" (ow)
Everybody come on
Say, somebody, anybody, everybody scream (ooh)
(Good-good-good times)
Hey bro I got somethin' to blow your mind, man
Ha, ha, ha, ha
(Good times)
(Good times)
Get ya hands off that girl!
Creole, Creole!
Superhero (Superhero)
Flash is, Flash is, Flash is
Flash is, Flash is, Flash is
(Good times)
Hey, ha, ha, ha, ha!
Alright
Where's Vicious Lee?
Hey, Scootchey, come on, come on, man
The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel by Grandmaster Flash is a classic hip-hop song from 1981 that showcases the art of DJing. In the song, Flash shows his exceptional DJing skills by mixing different tracks and beats from various songs and combining them in a way that creates a continuous flow of music. The song starts with a sample of a guy saying, "You say", followed by a female voice who sings, "You say one for the treble, two for the time." Then, Flash comes in to scratch, cut, and mix different tracks.
The song features samples from Chic's "Good Times", Blondie's "Rapture", and Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". These samples are seamlessly mixed together to create a unique and revolutionary sound that inspired generations of DJs and hip-hop producers. The lyrics also contain references to Flash's zodiac sign, Capricorn, and his crew, The Furious Five.
Line by Line Meaning
You say
The singer is addressing someone who is saying something.
You say one for the treble
You want the person to play a sound for the high frequency range.
Two for the time
You want the person to play a sound for the rhythm.
Come on girls, let's rock that
You encourage everyone to dance and have a good time with the music.
Fab Five Freddie told me everybody's fly
Someone named Fab Five Freddie told the artist that everyone is stylish or cool.
DJ's spinnin', I said "my-my"
The singer was impressed with the DJ's mixing abilities.
Flash is fast
Grandmaster Flash is quick and skillful at his craft.
Flash is cool
Grandmaster Flash has a good sense of style and personality.
Francois, c'est pas, Flash ain't no dude
The artist clarifies that Grandmaster Flash is not a man named Francois.
Grandmaster, cut faster
The artist is requesting Grandmaster Flash to mix the music faster.
Hey, hey, hey
The singer is getting everyone's attention.
Everybody say one
The artist is asking everyone to say the number one.
Flash, one time (good)
Grandmaster Flash plays a sound once and it sounds good.
Everybody say two
The singer is asking everyone to say the number two.
Flash, two times (good, good)
Grandmaster Flash plays a sound twice and it sounds good twice.
Say three
The artist is asking everyone to say the number three.
Flash, three times
Grandmaster Flash plays a sound three times.
Say four
The singer is asking everyone to say the number four.
Flash, four times (good times)
Grandmaster Flash plays a sound four times and it's a good time.
Melle Mel
The artist is mentioning Melle Mel, who is a rapper.
Taurus, the bull is my zodiac sign
Melle Mel's zodiac sign is Taurus, which is symbolized by a bull.
Mr. Ness
The artist is mentioning someone named Mr. Ness.
Scorpio, my name is right here
Mr. Ness's zodiac sign is Scorpio and his name is written somewhere.
It's Aquarius, the King Creole
Someone named King Creole's zodiac sign is Aquarius.
Piseces
The singer is mentioning the zodiac sign Pisces.
Cowboy
The singer is mentioning someone named Cowboy.
Virgo
The singer is mentioning the zodiac sign Virgo.
And Gra-Gra-Gra-Gra-Grandmaster Flash cuts so on
Grandmaster Flash continues to mix the music with skill.
And his zodiac sign is Capricorn
Grandmaster Flash's zodiac sign is Capricorn.
Why don't you tell me a story?
The singer is asking someone to tell them a story.
Please tell me a story, too
The singer is requesting to hear a story as well.
You know, I think I'll tell you the story of my life
The artist is deciding to share their life story with the others.
I was born in Adams, North Dakota a long time ago, see
The artist is revealing their place of birth and that it was a long time ago.
And now I'm lucky enough to be here with you
The artist feels fortunate to be with the others in the present moment.
Yeah, but what happened in between?
Someone is asking what happened in the singer's life between their birth and the present moment.
Well, it went pretty much like this
The artist is about to summarize the important parts of their life story.
Oh yeah
The singer is expressing excitement or approval.
Whoo
The singer is making a sound of excitement or approval.
Ha, ha, ha, ch-ka-bow, ooh, ooh
The singer is making various sounds in response to something exciting or enjoyable.
Aha, ha, ha, ha
The artist is laughing in response to something amusing.
Hoo (good times)
The artist expresses that this is a fun or enjoyable time.
The official adventures of Flash
The singer is emphasizing that this is an official mix by Grandmaster Flash.
Hey bro I got somethin' to blow your mind, man
Someone is excited to share something interesting or impressive with others.
Get ya hands off that girl!
The artist is telling someone to stop touching a girl inappropriately.
Creole, Creole!
The artist is calling out someone named Creole.
Superhero (Superhero)
The artist is calling someone a superhero or referring to them as one.
Flash is, Flash is, Flash is
The singer is repeating Grandmaster Flash's name to emphasize his skill and presence.
Hey, ha, ha, ha, ha!
The artist is expressing excitement or joy.
Alright
The singer is indicating that everything is good or satisfactory.
Where's Vicious Lee?
The singer is asking where someone named Vicious Lee is.
Hey, Scootchey, come on, come on, man
The singer is calling someone named Scootchey to come closer or join them.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Angela Brown, Bernard Edwards, Cheryl Cook, Chris Stein, Clifton Chase, Deborah Harry, Gabriel Jackson, Guy O'Brien, Gwendolyn Chisolm, John Deacon, Joseph Saddler, Melvin Glover, Michael Wright, Nile Rodgers, Sylvia Robinson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rickyb6086
My dad who was too humble to give himself a proper DJ name, but was a part of one of the biggest DJ services, and also taught me how to "Scratch"..Brought me here! Rip, miss you dad
@generaymond9282
Bro give your dad a name it opens doors for people who remember him to say hello.
@williamstevenson7988
My condolences serve hip hop right it's a mentor
@dexterjweaver4812
🙏🏿
@antoniosrodriguez4906
I'm sure your dad was a great dj and pioneer!
@geopin7672
Much love
@christophermoore3914
I am a 49 year old white guy who grew up on this and I even won a breakdance competition back then.
I still listen to it.
@barryschwarz
We're about the same age, same colour, and I won a few B/D comps in the 80s with my crew. This track never gets old. I played it as DJ the few times I did that, beat syncing like a newb!
@guybo27
Ha!! Same here guys. My crew were the 'Wizards ' and I was Retro. We used to busk and battle other crews at Circular Quay in Sydney early 80s.
@iamernieg
I remember as a kid in 1981, walking into a small record store in LaMarque TX (of all places) with my mom and the store was playing this...I LOST MY MIND!!!! Of course my mom bought it for me and I still have that same vinyl copy to this day. My mom always supported anything I had a true interest in. I became a DJ and a producer and have been all over the world for years doing what I love. I thank you, love and miss you "Flo" Green.