Great White started their career as Dante Fox, playing their first gig in 1981 at The Troubadour in Hollywood, California. After recording several demos, the band chose as manager Alan Niven, who had worked for the independent distributor Greenworld in Torrance, California and had dealt with Mötley Crüe's debut self-release. Niven suggested the name change from Dante Fox after seeing singer Jack Russell introduce Mark Kendall (guitarist) during his solo as "Mark Kendall, the Great White", due to his naturally white-blonde hair, white Fender Telecaster guitar, white jumpsuit, and white Capezio shoes. In 1982, founding members Mark Kendall, Jack Russell, drummer Gary Holland, and bassist Lorne Black recorded and released a 5-song EP, Out of the Night, on the independent label Aegean formed by Niven. Niven then convinced the Los Angeles radio station KMET to begin adding songs from the EP to its playlist in heavy rotation. KLOS-FM soon did the same. The band suddenly went from drawing 100 people to a local club to drawing thousands in L.A. concert halls such as Perkins Palace in Pasadena, The Palace in Hollywood and the Country Club in Reseda. As an unsigned act, Great White headlined at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia playing to 6,250 people. Near the end of 1983, EMI America signed the band and subsequently released Great White's eponymous debut album ('Great White') in early 1984. The band immediately toured the UK supporting Whitesnake's Slide It In tour and the entire US and Canada opening for Judas Priest's Defenders of the Faith tour. 'Shot in the Dark', their follow-up independent release, marked the arrival of drummer Audie Desbrow. By the time Capitol Records signed the band and reissued Shot in the Dark, keyboardist-guitarist Michael Lardie had come aboard. After the release of Shot in the Dark, Great White hit the road with Dokken and was on the verge of even bigger success.
The band hit the mainstream in 1987 when they released 'Once Bitten', which featured the hits "Rock Me" and "Save Your Love". Once Bitten... was certified platinum in April 1988.
The band followed up with '...Twice Shy' in 1989. The album included their biggest hit, "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", a cover of a UK hit single by Ian Hunter. They received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. The album was certified platinum in July 1989 and then double platinum in September of that same year. The model Bobbie Brown (also known for being in Warrant's "Cherry Pie" video) appeared in the video for "Once Bitten, Twice Shy". They finished off the 80s touring in support of ...Twice Shy as headliners and with some best known bands, such as Bon Jovi.
In 1990, the band featured in the heavy metal video series Hard 'N' Heavy containing music, concert footage and interviews. The video included Slash and Duff from Guns N' Roses appearing with the band at a Children of the Night Benefit concert in L.A., the performance helping to raise money for housing abused homeless children. Both bands shared the same manager, Alan Niven at the time.
The band continued into the next decade performing the song "House of Broken Love" at the American Music Awards in January 1990. In March, Great White embarked on their first tour of Japan. They returned to the United States for the Memorial Day weekend festival dubbed The World Series of Rock, which featured Whitesnake, Skid Row, Bad English, and Hericane Alice. Great White recorded two more albums for Capitol Records, 'Hooked', which was certified gold, and 'Psycho City'. In support of Hooked, Great White did a tour as headliner tour, had a guest slot with German metal band Scorpions and travelled to Europe and Japan. Psycho City was followed by a US tour with Kiss.
Capitol issued the compilation 'The Best of Great White 1986-1992' in 1993, when Great White had already departed the label to begin work on their next studio release, 'Sail Away'. Before the release of the album, Great White spent seven months on the road headlining clubs. According to Lardie, it was "the longest stint we ever did without a break." Great White kept up the pace once Sail Away was released on Zoo Records in 1994, touring the US several times over the following year and a half. Their next release, Let It Rock, was released in 1996 through yet another label, Imago Records.
In 1999, the band released 'Can't Get There from Here' and embarked on a tour with Ratt, Poison, and L.A. Guns. The album featured the single "Rollin' Stoned", which managed to chart at No. 8 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
In a memo dated 20 January 2000 Mark Kendall announced he was leaving Great White, shortly thereafter both Audie Desbrow and Sean McNabb left Great White. Kendall was replaced by guitarist Matthew Johnson. Desbrow, clearly very unhappy with the financial state of the band posted a tirade on his website lambasting Jack Russell and Michael Lardie, while claiming to have been "fired" from Great White. Meanwhile, it was rumored that Sean McNabb was fired for going to management and asking to see the accounting books. Despite only having one original member left, the band announced plans to begin work on a new album in late 2000. Early in the process, some of the new songs were played for John Kalodner at Columbia Records. It was mutually agreed that the "magic was gone" and the band decided their heart was not in the recording process. They subsequently left Columbia Records and discontinued work on the new album. On 5 November 2001 Jack Russell announced the end of Great White, stating that he was moving on, and that Great White would play one final farewell show on 31 December 2001 at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, CA. Both Kendall and McNabb rejoined the band for the farewell show, recorded for a live CD entitled 'Thank You...Goodnight!' released by Knight Records. The live album includes two new tracks, "Back to the Rhythm" and "Play On" from their discontinued studio sessions, both of which would ultimately wind up on their reunion album 'Back to the Rhythm' in 2007.
In late 2002, in part due to his failure to attract good audiences while on the road with his solo band, Jack Russell contacted Kendall, who himself was struggling to gain an audience on his own. Kendall agreed to play some dates with Russell's band, allowing Russell to use the name Great White once again. Billed as "Jack Russell's Great White," the tour was to consist primarily of classic songs from the Great White catalog with some of Russell's solo work mixed in. Eventually, more dates were added and the tour extended through the early months of 2003.
The band returned to the national spotlight on 20 February 2003. At the beginning of a Great White performance at The Station night club in Rhode Island, pyrotechnics used by the band's crew created a spray of sparks that ignited the foam soundproofing material in the ceiling around the stage. One hundred people including the band's guitarist Ty Longley, died in the fire that followed. In 2008 the band agreed to pay $1 million to survivors and victims' relatives of the fire while admitting to no wrongdoing. This amount also covers former tour manager Daniel Biechele along with the band members, record label, and management as it existed at the time of the fire. The settlement was the maximum allowed under the band's insurance plan. Victims had previously received $3.8 million raised by United Way of America.
Though the media referred to the band as "Great White" following the tragedy in Rhode Island, the band was officially performing under the moniker of "Jack Russell's Great White" at the time of the incident. In fact, prior to the fire, the band's official website posted a message stating that Great White had not re-formed. It's unclear when the band began officially going by "Great White" again.
Great White played their first full show following the Rhode Island tragedy on 22 July, starting a benefit tour for the survivors and victims of the fire. The band toured until 2005 to raise funds for the Station Family Fund, which had been set up to help the victims of the tragedy. In late 2005, citing "medical reasons", the band canceled the second half of their summer tour. The "medical reasons" turned out to be Jack Russell's addictions to alcohol and cocaine. This was the end of this version of Great White, as Jack Russell entered rehabilitation and did not perform again until 2007. Russell used the year of 2006 to get sober and get a facelift that was detailed on ExtraTV. Russell later referred to this incarnation of Great White as "Fake White", saying "It still sounded like Great White, but not – almost like we were doing a cover of ourselves."
Talk of a reunion of Great White began in a 2004 interview. Later in 2006, guitarist Mark Kendall officially announced that Great White had re-formed its classic lineup. The re-formed lineup of Russell, Kendall, Lardie, McNabb and Desbrow played their first date together in more than 5 years on 27 January 2007 at the Keyclub in Hollywood performing in the Harpseals.org Benefit Concert for the Seals 2007. In 2008, bassist Sean McNabb left Great White to concentrate on a career in theater and acting. McNabb was promptly replaced with Scott Snyder (Ramos, Accomplice). McNabb went on to join Dokken.
Great White released their album, 'Rising', on 13 March 2009 in Europe via Frontiers Records and on 21 April in the US.
In 2010, Jani Lane of Warrant filled in for Jack Russell, while Russell recuperated from surgery after suffering a perforated bowel. Terry Ilous (XYZ) replaced Jack Russell at the Coach House during the summer of 2010, and Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot, King Kobra) filled in for Russell when Great White performed at Stockholm Rock Out Festival in September. In December 2011, Russell formed a new incarnation of Great White with a brand-new lineup under the name of "Jack Russell's Great White".
On 18 March 2012 Great White announced their first new album with Ilous, 'Elation' , to be released in May that year, along with a live album ('30 Years: Live From The Sunset Strip') and a concert DVD of the band's 30th-anniversary show at the Key Club in Hollywood on 22 March.
Lorne Black, Great White's original bassist, who performed and recorded with the group up through the Once Bitten album, died on September 27, 2013. He was 50 years old.
On June 2, 2017, Great White released their most recent studio effort, 'Full Circle', on Bluez Tone Records, with Wagener as the producer. The song "Big Time" was released as the first single and video. On July 9, 2018, Great White announced that they had parted ways with Terry Illous as their singer and he was replaced by Mitch Malloy.
On May 31, 2022, Great White announced vocalist Andrew Freeman of Last In Line replaced Malloy as the band's lead singer and frontman.
Take Me Down
Great White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh yeah you know you're looking good
Hey there street walker
Come in out of the rain like you know you should
I'm so hung up
Don't know my left from my right
You've got me looking backwards
Don't give me the cold shoulder
Take me down tonight
I need your crazy loving to make me feel all right
Take me down tonight
I want to feel your love tonight
Hey now little teaser
I catch your eye you turn your head don't walk away
I just want to please you
But baby what's in my mind is better left unsaid you know what I mean?
I'm so spun out
Can't keep my head off the floor
I can hear my heartbeat
Pumping along with your rhythm
Take me down tonight
I need your crazy loving to make me feel all right
Take me down tonight
I want to feel your love tonight
Baby you make me want to sing a love song
Singing na na na na na na every day
I'm turning circles my head is up in the clouds
Such an easy lover she's taking me down town
I'm so strung up can't keep my feet on the floor
I can taste your passion come on give me some more
Take me down tonight
I need your crazy loving to make me feel all right
Take me down tonight
I want to feel your love tonight
Want to feel your loving tonight
Want to feel your love feel your love tonight
Want to feel your loving tonight
In "Take Me Down," Great White sings of a man who is infatuated with a woman, describing her in different ways throughout the song. He calls her a little rocker and tells her she's looking good. He pleads with her to come in out of the rain and not to give him the cold shoulder. He is so hung up on her that he doesn't know left from right and is constantly looking backwards. The chorus of the song is a plea for her to take him down and make him feel all right with her "crazy loving." He is so into her that he sings of hearing his heartbeat pumping along with her rhythm.
The man in the song is so spun out that he can't keep his head off the floor, meaning he is very distracted and can't concentrate. He tries to please her but what's really in his mind is better left unsaid. He's turning circles, and his head is up in the clouds, and he even says that she's taking him downtown. He's so strung up that he can't keep his feet on the floor, and he can taste her passion - he wants more of her.
Overall, "Take Me Down" is a song about a man who is completely taken with a woman and wants her to take him down and love him crazy.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey there little rocker
The singer greets the listener, who is a rock music enthusiast, with a friendly and warm tone.
Oh yeah you know you're looking good
The singer compliments the listener's appearance and acknowledges that they are presenting well.
Hey there street walker
The singer addresses someone whom they view as having a damaged or difficult past related to the streets.
Come in out of the rain like you know you should
The singer encourages the street walker to find shelter and makes a subtle judgement remark about their decision-making abilities.
I'm so hung up
The singer is experiencing anxiety and stress from an undisclosed source.
Don't know my left from my right
The singer is disoriented and confused, likely due to the anxiety they're experiencing.
You've got me looking backwards
The singer is feeling nostalgic and thinks back to a past love, which they relate to the listener's new presence in their life.
Don't give me the cold shoulder
The singer doesn't want to be rejected or ignored by the listener, who they may be developing feelings for.
Take me down tonight
The singer asks the listener to have an intimate moment with them, such as sex, to help ease their anxiety and stress.
I need your crazy loving to make me feel all right
The singer desires the listener's passionate, exciting love to help calm their nerves and anxieties.
I want to feel your love tonight
The singer expresses their sexual desire for the listener and an urgency in wanting to fulfill that desire.
Hey now little teaser
The singer addresses someone who they view as flirtatious and tricky to pin down, who is a potential love interest.
I catch your eye you turn your head don't walk away
The singer still hopes to attract the attention of their love interest even when they are evasive in their communication.
I just want to please you
The singer wants to make their love interest happy and impress them, potentially through sex or romantic gestures.
But baby what's in my mind is better left unsaid you know what I mean?
The singer desires to express their sexual thoughts and fantasies to the love interest but understands it could potentially ruin the relationship.
I'm so spun out
The singer is experiencing an overwhelming emotional state, possibly due to the sexual tension between them and the love interest.
Can't keep my head off the floor
The singer is dizzy and unsteady, likely from their emotional state or alcohol consumption.
I can hear my heartbeat
The singer is so acutely aware of their physical sensations, particularly their rising sexual excitement.
Pumping along with your rhythm
The singer attributes their sexual excitement to the love interest and their ability to arouse them.
Baby you make me want to sing a love song
The singer expresses their deep feelings of love for the love interest.
Singing na na na na na na every day
The singer is so happy and enamored with the love interest that they are inspired to sing.
I'm turning circles my head is up in the clouds
The singer is disoriented and dizzy, likely from their strong emotional reactions to the love interest.
Such an easy lover she's taking me down town
The singer is obsessed and deeply in love with the love interest, who they view as irresistible and alluring.
I'm so strung up can't keep my feet on the floor
The singer is experiencing strong emotions and sexual excitement that's causing them to feel dizzy and unsteady.
I can taste your passion come on give me some more
The singer is eagerly participating in sexual activities with the love interest and desires more of them.
Want to feel your loving tonight
The singer repeats their desire to experience physical intimacy with the love interest, who they feel a strong emotional connection to.
Want to feel your love feel your love tonight
The singer further emphasizes their deep physical and emotional lust for the love interest, who they are immensely attracted to.
Want to feel your loving tonight
Reiteration of the singer's desire to experience sexual intimacy with the love interest in order to satisfy their emotional and physical needs.
Contributed by Noah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
karen wahnee
coolness