Their music was alt-country long before such a thing existed, and it bore more in common with Neil Young or Cali-country rock than any of their contempories. Dan Stuart was like an Arizona version of Frank Black with a touch of Merle Haggard and the Eagles. The earlier records sound like lo-fi country-rock, with themes of low-life Americana and hard times among the underclass. They wrote amazing lyrics with Stuart (and also keyboardist Chris Cacavas) narrating it all. As the years went on the music becomes more and more polished with a subtler blend of blues, rock, and a little country. They worked with some heavy production teams.
"The band issued a self-released red vinyl EP, sometimes called Two Bibles, though its first widely available record was an EP issued in 1982 by Dream Syndicate leader Steve Wynn on his own Down There label. Original drummer Van Christian left shortly before this (he later was in Naked Prey). They picked up Alex MacNicol from Lydia Lunch to fill out the ranks. Green on Red followed the Dream Syndicate onto Slash Records, which released the album Gravity Talks in the fall of 1983. Another label change happened shortly after this.
1985- Before "Gas Food Lodging" guitarist Chuck Prophet joined, barely out of his teens, and added blistering guitar that mixed Keith Richards and California sound with a touch of Willie Nelson. The duo of Stuart and Prophet would enhance their sound and prove a lasting relationship. Drummer Alex MacNicol was replaced by Keith Mitchell around '86. That same year, Stuart collaborated with Steve Wynn (as "Danny and Dusty") on the album "The Lost Weekend" (which also included Cacavas on some tracks).
Touring and critical acclaim helped them gain a following in (especially) UK and Europe. A major record deal with Phonogram/Mercury in the mid-80s set them for launch. They put out two good albums, "No Free Lunch"(1985) and "The Killer Inside Me"(1987), but the tides had changed, and they failed to break through. Right before their last show at the Astoria in London,UK, Dan Stuart has a mental breakdown and the show is cancelled. By early 1988 Green on Red was Dan Stuart and Chuck Prophet. Cacavas went on to fairly successful solo career both solo and with his band, Junkyard Love. He is still very popular in Europe where he has quite a following. Bassist Jack Waterston put out one release,"Whose Dog?"(1990), before opening a guitar store in LA. The other members drifted apart. Mid-80's drummer Keith Mitchell was later in Mazzy Star in the 1990s.
They made "Here Comes the Snakes"(1989) in Memphis with producer Jim Dickinson. "This Time Around" (1990) was their last one for Mercury Records. Then "Scapegoats" (1991) which garnered them critical acclaim again in Europe. After "Too Much Fun"(1992) they continued sporadically through the next year before calling it quits.
Dan Stuart made one solo "Can O' Worms" in 1995 before leaving the business to become a writer.
Chuck Prophet has had the greatest success as a solo artist and put out a number of good releases as of 2006. He tours regularly and is in a band with his wife, Stephanie Finch, called Go Go Market.
Their heyday drummer Alex MacNicol died in 2004.
The remaining original members of Green On Red reunited in Sept 2005 to play a memorable show at the Hotel Congress in Tucson. Later, that winter, a reunion show took place at the Astoria in London, England to make good on the promise to finish an aborted 1987 tour! More shows are promised for later. The new Danny and Dusty release, "Cast Iron Soul", came out in April 2007. A subsequent tour in Europe followed.
Sun Goes Down
Green on Red Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
her mama vanished without a trace
I saw her walking down the street
her hair was so silver there were bells on her feet
chorus
Come on children gather round
I'll tell you a story when the sun goes down
They say she bore her father's child
she was raised by wolves voodoo wild
I found her lying in the street
a chalk mark on the ground and a clean white sheet
chorus
Come on children gather round
I'll tell you a story when the sun goes down
sun goes down
The opening lines of Green on Red's song Sun Goes Down introduce us to a mysterious, perhaps ominous story. The first two lines tell us that the subject of the song is a woman with her mother's face, but her mother is nowhere to be found. This sets up a sense of abandonment and loss that runs throughout the lyrics. As we move into the chorus, we are invited to gather round and hear a story when the sun goes down, creating an aura of secrecy and anticipation.
The following lines are even more intriguing, as we learn that the woman in question may have given birth to her own father's child and was raised by wolves. These are incredible, almost mythic details, which make it hard to know how much of the story is real and how much is metaphorical. The line "voodoo wild" adds another layer of complexity and exoticism to the narrative. The final two lines describe finding the woman in the street, indicated by a chalk mark and a clean white sheet. This could suggest a crime scene, but the song leaves this open to interpretation.
The chorus repeats with the phrase "sun goes down," adding to the sense of foreboding and finality. Sunsets are often associated with the passage of time and the end of things, so it's fitting that this phrase is used to cap off each verse. Through sparse yet evocative lyrics, Green on Red creates an enigmatic story that raises more questions than it answers.
Line by Line Meaning
They say she had her mama's face
It is rumored that the woman in question looks strikingly similar to her missing mother.
her mama vanished without a trace
Her mother disappeared and left no evidence or explanation behind.
I saw her walking down the street
The singer personally witnessed the subject walking in public.
her hair was so silver there were bells on her feet
The woman had unique, eye-catching features: silver hair and bells hanging from her feet.
chorus
The artist invites children to gather around to hear a story as the sun goes down. This indicates a sense of foreboding.
They say she bore her father's child
It is said that she had a child with her own father, an act considered taboo in society.
she was raised by wolves voodoo wild
The woman had an unconventional upbringing, perhaps even literally being raised by wolves with a wild, mysterious energy.
I found her lying in the street
The artist discovered the woman unconscious or maybe even dead on the road.
a chalk mark on the ground and a clean white sheet
The scene was marked with a chalk outline around the woman's silhouette and covered with a clean, white sheet. This suggests that it was a crime scene.
chorus
The artist invites children to gather around to hear a story as the sun goes down. This indicates a sense of foreboding.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHUCK PROPHET, DANIEL GORDON STUART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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